Patriotism in the Views of Russian Youth: A Political and Psychological Analysis
https://doi.org/10.55959/MSU2070-1381-108-2025-148-159
Abstract
The problem of patriotism is relevant in political science and public policy in modern Russia. There is no unified understanding of patriotism phenomenon in Russian academic discourse, it is interpreted in different ways: as an element of national identity, as a moral feeling, as a political value. Patriotism determines the behavior of a person and social groups, regulates public relations, therefore, the special attention of the state to patriotic education and the formation of patriotic orientations of Russian citizens is noticed. The aim of the study is to describe the ideas of patriotism among modern Russian youth, to identify the structural and substantive features of patriotism in the system of political values of young people. The analysis is based on the materials of seven focus group discussions with young people aged 14 to 30 years, conducted in the fall of 2023, and materials from a 2022 survey of youth aged 14 to 30 years with a multi-stage proportional zoned (stratified) sample of 2,500 people representing all Federal Districts of the Russian Federation. The data obtained indicate that the importance of patriotism is high for Russian youth, and ideas about the Fatherland are predominantly socio-cultural in nature. Young people consider themselves patriots, but the manifestation of their patriotism occurs in the absence of action. The results reflect the emotional attitude of young people towards their country, while the activity interpretation remains less pronounced. As conclusions, we note generational differences in the ideas of patriotism among the young people surveyed and the inconsistency between the declared principles and the behavioral attitudes of the respondents implemented in the process of social interactions.
Supporting agencies: The research was carried out with the financial support of the Faculty of Political Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University within the framework of the scientific project «Political and psychological features of patriotic orientations of youth in the context of youth policy implementation in modern Russia».
About the Author
D. D. Tulegenova
Faculty of Political Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University; INION RAN
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dinara D. Tulegenova, Postgraduate student, Research Fellow
Moscow
References
1. Abramov A.V. (2016) Rossiyskiy patriotizm: istoriya i sovremennost’ [Russian patriotism: History and modernity]. Moscow: Moskovskiy gosudarstvennyy oblastnoy universitet.
2. Boldyrev I.I., Berezhnaya I.F. (2019) Citizenship and Patriotism of Teenagers: Essence, Factors and Formation Levels. Izvestiya Voronezhskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta. No. 1(282). P. 55–58.
3. Dekker H., Malová D., Hoogendoorn S. (2003) Nationalism and Its Explanations. Political Psychology. Vol. 24. Is. 2. P. 345–376. DOI: 10.1111/0162-895X.00331
4. Dongauzer E.V. (2022) To the Question of Patriotic Education: Conceptual Aspect. Istoriko-pedagogicheskiye chteniya. No. 26. P. 33–40.
5. Fan I.B. (2013) The Discourse of Patriotism: From Diversity to Monopoly. Diskurs-Pi. Vol. 11–12. P. 147–153.
6. Gribunin V.V., Kanarsky D.I. (2017) Tri vida patriotizma v kontekste russkogo kul’turnogo arkhetipa [Three types of patriotism in the context of the Russian cultural archetype]. Osnovnyye tendentsii gosudarstvennogo i obshchestvennogo razvitiya Rossii: istoriya i sovremennost’. No. 1. P. 3–7.
7. Huddy L., Khatib N. (2007) American Patriotism, National Identity, and Political Involvement. American Journal of Political Science. Vol. 51. Is. 1. P. 63–77. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2007.00237.x
8. Ivchenko S.G., Saiganova I.V. (2019) Patriotism as a Component of Public Consciousness: А Generational Measurement Perspective. Vestnik Instituta sotsiologii. Vol. 10. No. 1. P. 105–119. DOI: 10.19181/vis.2019.28.1.558
9. Kalinina I.A. (2014) Notions of Patriotism as a Charging Idea for the Youth Extremism. Aktual’nyye problemy psikhologicheskogo znaniya. No. 3(22). P. 115–120.
10. Kasamara V.A. (2023) Multifaceted Patriotism: From Concept to Research on Youth Representations. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsial’noy antropologii. Vol. 26. No. 3. P. 201–233. DOI: 10.31119/jssa.2023.26.3.8
11. Khrabrova K.G. (2016) Types of Patriotism and Their Influence on the of Domestic Policy Losses of Leader. Vestnik sotsial’no-politicheskikh nauk. No. 15. P. 21–22.
12. Khukhlaev O.E. (2012) Natsionalizm i patriotizm kak sotsial’nyye ustanovki: teoreticheskiy analiz i eksperimental’nyye issledovaniya [Nationalism and patriotism as social attitudes: theoretical analysis and experimental research]. Uchenyye zapiski Rossiyskogo gosudarstvennogo sotsial’nogo universiteta. No. 10(110). P. 66–70.
13. Koltzova V.A., Sosnin V.A. (2005) Social-psychological Problems of Patriotism and Features of its Education in Modern Russian Society. Psikhologicheskiy zhurnal. No. 4. P. 89–98.
14. Kuznetsov I.M. (2016) Variability of Patriotism Discourses in Everyday Consciousness of Russians. Vlast’. No. 7. P. 164–171.
15. Livi S., Leone L., Falgares G. (2014) Values, Ideological Attitudes and Patriotism. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol. 64. P. 141–146. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.02.040
16. Lubsky A.V. (2019) Patriotism and Citizenship in Russian Society, or How to Overcome the Deficiency of Citizenship in Russian Patriotism. Gumanitariy Yuga Rossii. Vol. 8. No. 2. P. 47–66. DOI: 10.23683/2227-8656.2019.2.3
17. Magaril S.A. (2016) Meanings of Patriotism — Historical Transformation. Sotsiologicheskiye issledovaniya. No. 1. P. 142–151.
18. Pulikovsky S.K. (2020) The Discourse of Patriotism in the Political Process of Modern Russian. Yuzhnorossiyskiy zhurnal sotsial’nykh nauk. Vol. 21. No. 4. P. 71–85. DOI: 10.31429/26190567-21-4-71-85
19. Rezakov M.R. (2017) On the Question of Political Mechanisms for the Formation of Patriotism. Kaspiyskiy region: politika, ekonomika, kul’tura. No. 3(52). P. 151–156.
20. Rozhkova L.V., Vasilyeva N.D. (2014) Citizenship and Patriotism as a Base for Social Consolidation of the Russian Society. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: ekonomicheskiye i sotsial’nyye peremeny. No. 3(121). P. 123–129. DOI: 10.14515/monitoring.2014.3.08
21. Sanina A.G. (2016) Patriotism of Russians and Patriotic Education in Modern Russia. Sotsiologicheskiye issledovaniya. No. 5(385). P. 44–53.
22. Schatz R. T., Staub E., Lavine H. (1999) On the Varieties of National Attachment: Blind Versus Constructive Patriotism. Political Psychology. Vol. 20. Is. 1. Р. 151–174. DOI: 10.1111/0162-895X.00140
23. Schatz R.T. (2018) A Review and Integration of Research on Blind and Constructive Patriotism. In: Sardoc M. (ed.) Handbook of Patriotism. Cham: Springer. P. 1–19. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30534-9_30-1
24. Sekerdej M., Roccas S. (2016) Love versus Loving Criticism: Disentangling Conventional and Constructive Patriotism. British Journal of Social Psychology. Vol. 55. Is. 3. P. 499–521. DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12142
25. Selezneva A.V. (2017) Patriotism as a Political Value: Political-psychological Analysis. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Filosofiya. Sotsiologiya. Politologiya. No. 38. P. 200–208. DOI: 10.17223/1998863X/38/20
26. Selezneva A.V. (2020) Value Orientations and Civil-political Activity of Young Russian Patriots. Istoriya i sovremennoye mirovozzreniye. Vol. 2. No. 3. P. 62–70. DOI: 10.33693/2658-4654/-2020-2-3-62-70
27. Shashkova Ja.Ju. (2023) Patriotic Practices in Behavior and Attitudes of High School Students in Siberian Regions. Sotsial’no-politicheskiye issledovaniya. No. 2(19). P. 49–65. DOI: 10.20323/2658_428X_2023_2_19_49
28. Spry C., Hornsey M. (2007) The Influence of Blind and Constructive Patriotism on Attitudes Toward Multiculturalism and Immigration. Australian Journal of Psychology. Vol. 59. Is. 3. P. 151–158. DOI: 10.1080/00049530701449489
29. Straughn J.B., Andriot A.L. (2011) Education, Civic Patriotism, and Democratic Citizenship: Unpacking the Education Effect on Political Involvement. Sociological Forum. Vol. 26. Is. 3. P. 556–580. DOI: 10.1111/j.1573-7861.2011.01262.x
30. Trifonov Yu.N. (2017) Meanings and Paradoxes Patriotic Discourse in Modern Russia: Political and Philosophical Foreshortening. Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Seriya «Sotsiologiya. Politologiya». Vol. 17. No. 1. P. 86–91. DOI: 10.18500/1818-9601-2017-17-1-86-91
31. Vagina V.O. (2021) Patriotism vs Nationalism in Modern Russian Society. Caucasian Science Bridge. No. 2(12). P. 157–161. DOI: 10.18522/2658-5820.2021.2.15
32. Yurevich A.V. (2018) Psychological Versatility of Patriotism. Psikhologicheskiy zhurnal. Vol. 39. No. 6. P. 86–94. DOI: 10.31857/S020595920002253-4
33. Zvezdina G.P., Zvezdina E.Yu. (2015) Osobennosti osmysleniya patriotizma sovremennoy molodezh’yu [Peculiarities of understanding patriotism by modern youth]. Tavricheskiy nauchnyy obozrevatel’. No. 1. P. 91–95.
Review
For citations:
Tulegenova D.D. Patriotism in the Views of Russian Youth: A Political and Psychological Analysis. Public Administration. E-journal (Russia). 2025;(108):148-159. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.55959/MSU2070-1381-108-2025-148-159
Views:
34
JATS XML
Email this article 