Ethnicity and citizenship in the structure of the youthful "We-concept"

Abstract

The problem of social identification of an individual and the "We-concept" is one of the most popular in modern social and humanitarian knowledge. Particular attention of researchers is drawn to the issues of ethnic and civic identity of Russians, their significance and interaction in the "We-concept" of youth. This topic is of particular importance due to a number of factors, among which are the multicultural nature of the Russian nation, modern globalization and geopolitical processes. The article is based on the analysis of some results of the survey "Who Am I? Who Are We? in Youth", conducted in November 2023 - March 2024 using the online questionnaire method in six regions of the Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk, Volgograd and Tyumen regions, the republics of Bashkortostan, Buryatia and Udmurtia). The study shows that the state and civil identity of Russians can be considered as a hierarchically structured system in which ethnic, regional and local identities act as its levels. Ethnic identity continues to retain its significance, but is somewhat inferior to Russian identity. Moreover, as people grow older, the significance of social identity categories (ethnic, civil) generally begins to yield to self-identity categories.