Political Institutional Trust in the Russian Society

Institutional trust is an important indicator of power legitimacy and the institutional political system stability. The article assesses the level of political institutional trust in Russian society, determines its structure and mechanisms of formation in the current geopolitical situation. Institutional trust is understood as a special kind of attitude of a citizen to political institutional structures, which manifests his/her confidence that the actions of the institution meet his/her positive expectations. The institutions of public administration, legislative, security, law enforcement, as well as the institutions of articulation and aggregation of interests are singled out. Based on the methodological principles of phenomenology and cognitive approach, it is proved that for the formation of political institutional trust it is necessary, on the one hand, for the society to have a well-functioning mechanism of political socialisation, which ensures the perception of political institutions as capable of solving problems significant for the individual and society, and, on the other hand, for the citizen to find confirmation of the established ideas about institutions in the current information space. It is shown that in critical situations, when the information space is filled with messages that destroy the usual picture of the world and provoke the growth of anxiety in society, it is necessary to make additional efforts to maintain trust in political institutions. With the beginning of the special military operation, despite the growth of anxiety in society, there was no decline in trust in political institutions, on the contrary, its level increased. The article analyses the measures that ensured the growth of Russians’ trust in political institutions: legitimisation of the special military operation goals, introduction of legislative, administrative and other restrictions on the activities of opposition that discredit the armed forces, and formation of positive images of the main political institutions. In addition, the authorities have taken a number of measures aimed at curbing deprivation sentiments that can generate discontent and undermine institutional trust. It is noted that the balance achieved between citizens’ expectations and their perceptions of the willingness of political institutions to fulfil those expectations continues to be severely tested. Any surge in anxiety can lead to unpredictable consequences.

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