Abstract:

The article is devoted to the problem of young people's attitudes to the authorities in modern Russia. As a method of the study the authors used content analysis of texts of essays on the subject "Power in Russia: past, present, future", written by first-year students admitted to study in the Ural Federal University named after B.N. Yeltsin on specialty "State and municipal management" in 2013 and 2015. The total sample is 271 people (or 100% of first year students in 2013 and 2015).

When analyzing the results of the study, the authors pay special attention to the fact that in the evaluation of the image of power there are at least two components: cognitive (rational) and affective (irrational). Mostly irrational component of the evaluation is predominant as young people due to age-related features sharper perceive the weaknesses and vices of society and government.

In addition, the authors indicate that the results of the study reflect the characteristics of the modern young generation that grew up in completely different socio-economic conditions than their parents and even elder brothers and sisters, namely, in conditions of private ownership, Internet technologies, openness of borders with the West, democracy and a multiparty system, domestic conformism.
During the content analysis the authors identified two interesting phenomena.

The first phenomenon is that students believe that Russia has admirable past and will have bright future, but now they describe as fairly bleak and negative, in particular, they negatively describe the existing power in the country.

Second phenomenon is that amid the prevalence of negative attitudes towards government the youth expresses absolute trust President V.V. Putin, clearly separating him from the entire state apparatus.

The Russian President is positively assessed, and this assessment is based on the rational component. State apparatus is evaluated negatively, and the evaluation is rather irrational (emotional) in nature.

The study of the attitude of the youth to power, according to the authors, is important in the analysis of its formation as an active subject of politics in all countries. In modern conditions we are witnessing the revival of the processes of radicalism and extremism, the proliferation of Islamist terrorist organizations around the world which, unfortunately, are gaining increasing popularity among young people. And even useful, according to the authors, can be the experience of the Ural Federal University for other universities, especially for those preparing future scientists and civil servants.

Keywords:

Power, image of power, the youth, students, value, social evaluation, public opinion, content analysis.