Urban Vandalism in the Eyes of Youth: an Empirical Study of Its Causes Attribution

Abstract

The research is devoted to the attribution of the reasons of vandal behavior by urban youth. Quantitative content analysis of respondents' statements (text-mining) on the presented photos of vandalized urban environment, the indicators of respondents' perception of "negative assessment of vandalism" and "explanation of vandal behavior reasons" formed on its basis, as well as the scale of "World image" assessment formed for research purposes are the information collection method. The research sample includes young people from the cities of Yekaterinburg and Moscow. Yekaterinburg, Moscow, St. Petersburg (N=193), aged from 18 to 35 years (M=21.2 years, SD=4.1 years), consisting of men. The collected lexical array of utterances amounted to 6550 words (23657 signs), after generalization made 35 word forms, representing attitudes towards vandalism and typical attributions of its causes. The results of the study show the contradictions between the negative attitudes of young people to vandal behavior and the explanation of the reasons of vandalism, allowing it for the purpose of: a) self-expression, b) under the influence of aggressive emotions, as well as the experience of grief, resentment; c) opposing themselves to others. It is noted that the image of the world influences young people's ideas about the meaning of vandal behavior.