Trust of Modern Russian Youth in Political Institutions in Conditions of Crisis Shocks

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the analysis of the interaction between government and society in modern Russia, expressed in the phenomenon of trust. The focus of the authors’ attention is directed to the study of the impact of crisis upheavals (the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine) on the change in the trust of the population of the Russian Federation in the main political institutions. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to fix the existing forms of interaction between the authorities and society as well as identify the prospects for changing these practices in the perspective of society’s transition to a post-crisis state. Methods and materials. The methodological basis of the study was the neo-institutional approach, which made it possible to present trust because of the activity of political institutions in building and observing the “rules of the game.” The empirical basis of the study is public opinion polls conducted by the largest Russian sociological centers. Analysis and results. Trust in political institutions is presented as an important phenomenon of civilized societies, characterizing the importance of rules rather than specific personalities. The study revealed that in Russia, crisis situations, which are institutionally determined trajectories caused by external shocks that change the “rules of the game” that have developed in society and forms of communication with the authorities, are a condition for an exponential growth of trust (both generalized and institutional). At the same time, during crises, an increase in the level of trust is observed even for institutions that are traditionally criticized by most of society (such as the government and the State Duma). The youth, being reactionary and variable in their political behavior, show increased trust in political institutions. However, if adult trust is based on emotional hope for the future, youth trust is usually based on rational grounds. Yet a sharp increase in trust in the main political institutions during crises can be replaced by the same rapid decline in the conditions of “normality” when the traditional problems of socio-economic development again come to the fore on the agenda formed by society. Authors’ contributions. S.I. Morozov carried out an analysis of studies on institutional trust in modern Russia, chose and substantiated the theoretical and methodological framework of the work, and also formed the general concept of the study. K.M. Makarenko summarized and analyzed empirical data on the research topic, substantiated the role and impact of crisis shocks on institutional trust in the Russian Federation, and formulated the main conclusions of the work.