Young people should participate in politics, but not as politicians
Nine out of 10 Russians think that young people need to engage in political and public life, against only 7%, follows from poll VTsIOM. Most often the participation of young in politics support people over the age of 60 years (96%), least of all those who are 25 to 34 years (14%). In 2007, the participation of young in political life were made by 75% of respondents.
Nine out of 10 Russians think that young people need to engage in political and public life, against only 7%, follows from poll VTsIOM. Most often the participation of young in politics support people over the age of 60 years (96%), least of all those who are 25 to 34 years (14%). In 2007, the participation of young in political life were made by 75% of respondents.
The top three specific types of political activities that, according to the Russians, it would be worthwhile to engage young people, included voting in elections, policy debates, in private conversations and participation in policy-related public organizations. Participation in rallies and demonstrations took 5-th place, but to trust the young to participate in elections as candidates or even campaigning for other candidates ready only respectively 37 and 34%.
It is believed that young people should think not only about themselves but also about the fate of the country, therefore, participation in politics is encouraged — at least in words, says the General Director of VTsIOM Valery Fedorov: “If she doesn’t think about it, involved in crime and drug use is a standard schema”. But this answer involves in the policy without violating the public order, he said. There is a General setting that the political activity of young people is good, the sociologist continued: “Next we go from the modality “that must” in the modality “that is” and it turns out that politics is not the main area of their attention.”
He notes that politically active young people want to see primarily older people who “support the Communist party and Putin, remember the Soviet Union and the Komsomol when he built a career elevators and the distribution, ie the government had focused on youth.” This is the most common form of political participation is considered a vote, and “such a thing as the struggle for power is perceived negatively,” Fedorov summed up.
Earlier interlocutors of “Vedomosti” close to the presidential administration, said that the topic of youth can become one of the important topics of the presidential election, VTSIOM and FOM are already preparing a large amount of sociological research on this issue.
The protests brought the subject of young people, but there are some “generational situation”, said the political consultant Oleg Matveychev: “In the 1980s was a gerontocracy, a long tenure of power, in the 1990s, the policy has come from young people. Now again the question arises of updates, but extremes like 22-year-old Ministers in Ukraine should be avoided. Young should not be involved in politics only because of age, need to be trained, to allow them to gain experience and make a career”.
The task of government and society — to explain the apathetic youth, why do we need elections, draw on plots, he added: “it is Clear that people give socially acceptable answer — as to the question of whether they will go to the polls: 80% say they will go, and the turnout is 40%. So methods of sociology, obsolete, direct questions do not work, you need to use other methods of studying of public opinion”.
With the fact that 90% of Russians give socially approved answers, agrees political analyst Mikhail Vinogradov: “the engagement does not always involve participation in the struggle for power, this concept means different, and a common mechanism for participation in policy no.” There is a desire to lead young people to the sites, the expert said: “In the view of the authorities it can beautify the campaign and distinguish it from the previous one. But the task is to lead the youth at any cost — regardless of who she will vote — hard to imagine”.