On the Regional Consciousness of the Russian-Chinese Border Region Students

In the modern world, the intensity of interstate interactions is increasing. Of great importance in this process are the territories where these interactions take place in the forms of contact – border regions. For Russia, located on two continents, in which more than half of the regions are border regions, this is especially important. Due to the shift of the world economy center towards the Asia-Pacific region and the growing of economic cooperation between Russia and China, the Russian-Chinese border area and, above all, its social component, is becoming an actual object for Russian sociology. The study of consciousness – individual, group, social – is important, both in theoretical and in practical aspects, because people's actions are a product of their thoughts and feelings. This also applies to regional consciousness, a form of perception of group community based on the unity of the territory, which emphasizes the context of the sociology of space. Based on the empirical basis of a survey conducted in December 2021, the article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the regional consciousness of university graduates of the Russian-Chinese border region, confirming the multiplicity of regional consciousness, which manifests itself in homogeneous groups of the population living in the same natural and social conditions. The conclusion is substantiated that it is necessary to study specific forms of regional consciousness in order to expand the theoretical basis for Russia's regional policy.