Dudin I.V. Dynamics of Russians' perception of the main contradictions in Russian society. In: Russian society and challenges of the time. Book Eight ...

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, political relations between Russia and Western countries have experienced a dramatic decline. These relations initially suffered a serious setback following the events of the "Crimean Spring" in 2014 and the subsequent economic sanctions imposed by Western countries. Then, in 2022, following the launch of Russia's special military operation (hereinafter SMO) in Ukraine and a new, unprecedented round of sanctions, which Western countries continue to impose regularly to this day, these relations escalated into open confrontation. Over the past 10 years, the Russian economy has faced difficult challenges caused by Western sanctions. Meanwhile, society has become accustomed to living under these challenging conditions, leading to a particularly pressing debate among both the general population and government officials about Russia's current and future political path—"Should we pursue a reverse rapprochement with Western countries, or is the course toward independent Russian development the right one?" This situation poses a danger due to its potential to weaken the consolidation of large segments of the population and, consequently, disrupt the stability of Russian society. To understand the current level of consolidation in Russian society and its problem areas, it is important to understand which social contradictions in Russian society citizens consider most acute. It is important to note that these contradictions can be analyzed both in terms of their objective significance and through the lens of their public perception, which is particularly important when assessing their subjective well-being and the degree of societal consolidation. However, examining key social contradictions requires analyzing not only their refraction in public consciousness but also the factors that influence their perception—that is, this analysis involves identifying social groups that perceived certain social contradictions significantly more acutely than the national average. During the FSSC RAS ​​IS Monitoring for 2014-2024, It turns out that the aforementioned factors include not only citizens' objective position within the system of social inequalities but also their ideological characteristics. First and foremost, ideological differences, inextricably linked to their positions in the social hierarchy, are becoming increasingly significant for Russians. However, economic contradictions (between rich and poor, oligarchs and the rest of society, etc.) remain prevalent. Under these conditions, the way masses of the population perceive the fundamental contradictions of Russian society is significantly influenced not only by political preferences or differing visions of Russia's optimal development paths, but also by the group identities of their representatives, such as, for example, self-identification with the middle class or the poor.