No 9 (2024)

The article examines the monetary and non-monetary inequalities dynamics in Russian society over the last decade through the prism of social stratification models using the RLMS HSE data. It is shown that the general configurations of monetary and non-monetary inequalities share similar characteristics and similar trends. As a result, Russian society today is not only a society of dominant middle strata, both in terms of income and quality of life, but is also characterized by a further dynamic of “median averaging” in the mass strata of the population. The middle stratum in terms of quality of life is larger than the median group in terms of income: more than two thirds of the population are now in a very similar position in terms of the qualitative characteristics of their daily lives, regardless of the fact that their income levels may differ. The configuration of non-monetary inequalities is characterized by greater volatility in the shares of the polar groups , which are more responsive to external changes in the socio-economic context, while the configuration of monetary inequality (assessed using the relative approach based on median income), is characterized by greater monotonicity and a slower rate of change over the last 10 years. In the long run, however, the configuration of income inequality has also changed quite significantly: the dominance of the median group became characteristic only in the last decade. At the micro level, the position in the income hierarchy is not strictly linked to the respective position in the quality of life hierarchy. The results show that the task of reducing inequality is not trivial.

The article presents the results of analyzing data from the 2014–24 all-Russian public opinion polls on 16 emotions experienced personally and observed in others. The hierarchy and dynamics of mean values of positive and negative emotion indices were investigated. Changes in distinct emotions in 2020–24 were assessed using regression analysis. It has been found that pride and other self-esteem emotions are well expressed in the Russian emotional climate, both in self-reports and in responses about other peoples feelings. In 2014–22, national pride was inferior to collective resentment in the hierarchy of emotions; subsequently, the ratio reversed. In 2020–21, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant exacerbation of negative emotions, such as frustration, antagonistic feelings, and fatigue. Particularly significant was the increase in negativity observed by respondents in their social environment. Contrary to our expectations, the polling data for 2022–24 did not reflect a surge of negative emotions in connection with Russia’s military actions against Ukraine. Frustration levels rose briefly in the spring of 2022; new spikes weren’t recorded thereafter. Mentions of depression and antagonistic emotions have become significantly rarer in this period; positive emotions increased dramatically and began to dominate over negative ones. Psychological arousal is mainly related to the strengthening of collective self-esteem. Secondary trends indicate psychological and moral discomfort of a small part of Russians at this time. Survey data indicate an increased level of collective shame and confusion recognized in other people. One more feature is the reduced level of individual self-esteem.

The paper analyzes the set of issues related to current problems and eventual prospects of ethno-sociology as a meaningful academic component and feasible disciplinary bgranch in studying ethnic phenomenon. First, contradictory “state of affairs” is diagnosed in this sphere due to the ethnologic (anthropologic) turn. Among real threats for ethnology understood in a wide meaning of the term, including the ethno-sociology, we find the denial in the post-Soviet period of the importance of domestic research experience; the active imposition of Western standards in ethnological research; the dominance and absolutization of anthropologism (anthropocentrism) and constructivism; the absence of ethnosociology in the current Russian educational standard. The passing away of influential founders of ethnosociology, who played an important role in preserving its scientific traditions, as well as the lacking clarity of the subject definition of ethnosociology, are also important. The author’s vision of the essence of the highlighted issues is presented.

The article presents the first results of applying a multidimensional approach to studying dynamic changes in various aspects of Russian civil identity in 2021–23. It uses a technique based on a five-component model for measuring group identification developed by K. Leach et al. The empirical base for the study is data from a survey conducted among residents of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Based on the analysis of the results, the author concludes that 2022 was a period of social and political turbulence, during which there was a rethinking of both the sense of belonging to Russian society and the perception of it as an integral entity. The most significant events for all generations of Russians were discussions and conflicts on issues related to belonging, commitment to, or at least loyalty towards, the Russian community, its values, norms, and historical path. In 2023, the process of the Russian community consolidation became dominant, as evidenced by the growing indicators of all dimensions of Russian identity above the average. The most active growth was seen in groups with high self-esteem in those identity parameters that reflect individual efforts to rethink and inform a personal attitude towards the Russian community. While, according to parameters that rather reflect the formation of a generalized image of the Russian community as a whole in the information environment (including images transmit through social networks, mass media, texts of fiction, theatrical productions, cinematography, TV etc.), the increase in groups with high values was less significant.

The issue of graduate employment is considered as a function of systemic transformations of higher education caused by large-scale public investments. The article analyzes the results of the 5-100 project (2013–2020), the purpose of which was to adapt Russian universities to world standards and include them in the international educational environment. Upon its completion, a significant reformatting of curricula and standards was achieved, a transition to a new organization of the educational process was carried out, which together had an impact on more successful employment of graduates of leading universities. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the graduates employment of leading universities (n = 18) and other universities (n = 185) that took part in the study of the Institute of Sociology of the Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in October-December 2021. Sample structure: employed graduates (N = 3788) of these universities, including (N = 368) graduates of universities participating in the 5-100 project. Also interviewed were 203 experts – vice-rectors and heads of university employment services, of which 18 people represented leading universities. The sampling model was formed by statistical quotas, proportional to the number of graduates in the federal districts of the Russian Federation. The surveyed young specialists had no more than 1–5 years of work experience since graduation. Thus, all of them were trained during the period of the “5-100” project. One of the main conclusions in the study was the recognition that training at “5-100” group universities provided graduates with well-paid work in their specialty and a high degree of personal satisfaction with their work.

The theory of stereotypes, particularly national or ethnic stereotypes, has garnered significant attention from sociologists, political scientists, and scholars of international relations due to its theoretical significance and political implications. Stemming from Walter Lippmann’s notion of stereotypes as simplified mental pictures reflecting reality, this paper delves into the formation and evolution of stereotypes, particularly focusing on the Chinese perception of Russians as a “Fighting People” Examining the emergence of the term “Fighting People” in Chinese discourse, the paper traces its origin from online fandom of a Japanese anime series to its widespread adoption in official and unofficial Chinese media. Utilizing discourse, content, and sentiment analysis of online platforms such as Weibo, the study explores the propagation of this stereotype and its cultural connotations.

The paper analyzes the phenomenon of abusive supervision (AS) in Russian organizations. The study is based on semi-structured in-depth interviews and a standardized survey of employees. The analysis demonstrates that half of the respondents had encountered various manifestations of AS at their current or previous jobs. The imbalance of power relations at workplace, employee’s socio-economic dependence on a supervisor are the core conditions of AS. Factor analysis results reveal 4 behavioral strategies of employees faced with AS – “neglect”, “exit”, “balance of power” and “loyalty”. A most effective strategy to reduce the manifestations of AS, according to respondents, was the “balance of power” strategy involving employees’ individual value enhancement and coalition formation.

Referring to the data of long-term sociological research by the Federal Scientific Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the author studies how the historical memory in contemporary Russian society is forming under the influence of the discursive politicization of the national past. The purpose of the article is to study either the images of the recent national past that are rooted in the mass consciousness of Russians being the basis of collective identity, or the changes in attitudes towards the past under the influence of the state rhetoric “historization”. The realization of the scientific purpose involves to solve some research tasks: to study the dynamics of respondents’ interest in the state’s past when political leaders used to apply to historical memory, to analyze what people in Russia think about historical truth, about the ways and the actors of its protection. Under the contemporary political context, when the past and history become tools of political competition, many persons in Russia, for whom the Soviet heritage is the foundation of national identity and family memory, support the idea of the need to protect the socially accepted interpretation of Russian history. In 2020’th the majority of the respondents (37%) claimed the need to react harshly to the distorted interpretation of some events in Russian history when whey answered the question “How should Russia react to the false interpretation of certain historical events in some Western countries?”. The historical truth is considered by the Russia’s citizens as a universal interpretation of historical events, so the majority (48%) claims it is necessary to protect historical memory by the preservation of those interpretations of the historical events, that are admitted by the society. Supporting the idea that historical truth should be protected, Russian citizens rather support harsh political statements and defensive foreign policy discourse than demonstrate real involvement into historical context, their own daily interest in protecting accepted interpretations of the past and personal concern about their correctness. In 2022 less than a third of the respondents (29%) considered the ordinary citizens should protect the historical truth, while the majority claimed the state’s leadership (67%), professional historians (49%) and social scientists (38%) should defend national historical memory.

The social situation of development largely determines the cognitive and emotional development of a child. The use of digital devices is an important part of the social situation in development of modern preschool children. By the age of 5–6, children start using digital devices independently and in various modes highlighting importance of understanding their usage patterns. A questionnaire was administered to mothers of 663 5–6-year-old children to investigate this topic. It is shown that passive screen time (time spent watching video content) is almost twice as long as active screen (time spent interactively using digital devices, for example, for videogames, communication, learning, creating). It is also shown that screen time on weekends is twice as much as on weekdays. Weekend screen time reaches three hours exceeds age norms by one hour, indicating insufficient engagement in physical activities, non-digital games, and interpersonal communication. There was no difference in screen time between boys and girls. Screen time is shown to be inversely correlated with maternal education level. It is found that less than 30% of children engage in screen time with their parents.

The paper presents the author’s thoughts and explores the process of teaching sociology students to analyze data using SPSS and the course book by N. Voronina, published in 2024. It also provides a brief overview of the available domestic learning materials in SPSS-based data analysis and argues that the genre of course books written by a new generation of researchers and teachers is of relevance. N. Voronina’s course book shows an understanding of the specifics of sociology students, as students who still have signs of avoiding information that is heavy in formulas and mathematical terminology, together with an understanding of how important is gaining analytical skills for professional activities. The author argues that this contradiction can be removed by bringing the research methodology to the forefront, while the analysis methods themselves should come second. The author’s high level of empathy towards students who study analysis and the use of 232 pictures embracing all the nuances of the applied processes can contribute to effective learning and application of the methods under consideration. The course book outlines all data processing and analysis approaches that may be required to develop the basic skills of a sociology research analyst. Deep and substantial description of regression analysis, decision tree method (CHAID), and discriminant analysis techniques are redundant in this context. Therewith, the author disregards the fact that the most common sociology research method is crosstabs, and its brief overview in the course book is insufficient.