Sociological Analysis of Migration Attitudes of Rural School Graduates

Abstract

Introduction. The article presents an analysis of migration attitudes of rural school graduates in the Saratov Region and reveals the factors shaping such attitudes. A study into the migration intentions of rural youth and the differences in the prerequisites for their formation, as well as into the personal characteristics of young villagers with different migration attitudes will contribute to the development of effective mechanisms to prevent negative trends. Materials and Methods. The study based on the results of the applied sociological study “Parents and Children in Rural Families” conducted by the Institute of Agrarian Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2017. Graduates of the 11th grade of rural schools in the Saratov Region were the object of the study. Questionnaire survey was the main research method employed. The results were interpreted using the SPSS 17.0 application software package. Results. Migration intentions of the rural school graduates planning to leave for work in Moscow are due to high educational achievements and orientations for higher education, as well as to a set of values associated with achieving stability and success through self-fulfillment and finding an interesting job. Young villagers planning to move to the city for permanent residence seek to improve their social status through education, profession, finding a suitable job and settling in the urban environment. The motives of the young people planning to return to the village are associated with their desire to live in a familiar environment and a like-minded milieu, and to improve their social status through acquisition of power and its attendant attributes in their home village after receiving education. Discussion and Conclusion. As a result, a conclusion can be draw n that it is necessary to adopt a differentiated approach to the development of tools for improvement of the demographic situation in the rural areas of a region, depending on the needs and interests of young people with different migration intentions. The results of the study also make it possible to better understand the current trends in the change of the causes of social mobility of rural youth.