Voronina N.S. Social justice in the assessments of Russian youth (based on RLMS data for 2019)

Abstract

The study of social justice is relevant because it is viewed as a fundamental principle of the desired system of society by Russians. Nevertheless, the reality in our country does not correspond with its inhabitants' ideas about justice. Russians imagine a just society primarily as a society of equal opportunities. The opportunities created in society are especially important for young people who determine their life strategy. Previous studies show that young people have different opportunities compared to other age cohorts, because of that it was assumed that it is precisely the lack of opportunities among young people that may lead to their assessment of Russian society as unfair. The approach of A. Sen and M. Nussbaum was chosen as a theoretical framework, which substantiates the connection between the assessment of equity and the means of achieving opportunities. Based on RLMS data for 2019, the author analyzes how Russian youth assess the fairness of society. Most young people assess Russian society as fair on average. The share of respondents who assess Russian society as unfair is the smallest in the group of the youngest (14-17 years old), and then it increases with age, and becomes the largest in the 30-35 age group. A regression analysis of the relationship between the assessment of fairness and the availability of means for young people to acquire opportunities has been carried out. In different age groups, the influencing means of achieving opportunities differ depending on the most pressing problems of the age group: at the age of 14-17 it is the opportunity to enter university, and at the age of 30-35 it is the opportunity to save money for large purchases. The results of the study show that in Russia the proportion of respondents who assess society as fair is quite small (does not exceed 27%). Such attitudes among the youth can threaten the stability of the state, lead to an increase in social tension, the participation of young people in protest actions, and attempts to fulfill themselves outside their country.

Content (in russ)