The trust of migrants towards recipient society in the context of social security in the Russian border regions of Russia

Abstract

International migration is an important vehicle for achieving geopolitical, economic, and demographic interests, strongly embedded into the Russian society. Orientation of the Russian state on the support of migrants either highly motivated to integrate or at least “obedient” and ready to follow legal and socio-cultural norms raises a number of questions. How prepared is the Russian society to digest migration flows and accept new members? How do migrants perceive the Russian reality? What kinds of relationships do they seek to establish with local population? To what extent do they rely on the state and public systems? This article presents the results of formalized interviews with migrants in seven Russian border regions: the Altai Territory (n=319), Orenburg Region (n=100), Murmansk Region (n=100), Pskov Region (n=100), Republic of Altai (n=20), Republic of Dagestan (n=51), and Rostov Region (n=94). Guided by the integrative theoretical-methodological approach (including contemporary concepts of migration and trust) and using path analysis, the authors suggest a complex model, where the migrants’ trust is linked with life stance and social-psychological determinants. Among the latter, a crucial role belongs to the perceived discrimination and attitudes of the local population, moderated by perception of security. The authors show that the trust is an important factor, determining the level of satisfaction with different aspects of the life in Russia.