Russians' Ideas about the Future of Russia

The subject of the article is the social ideals of Russians and their ideas about the prospects and the ways for the development of the country. Based on the results of All–Russian sociological surveys, including those conducted in 2021–2022, the article analyzes consolidated Russians' demand for future options, clears up the conceptual foundations of such demand and identifies their social subjects. Comparing the results of sociological studies of various years, the authors of the article note stable ideas of the Russian population about the further development of the country. In the first place among the qualities that Russia of the future should possess, most Russians call social justice, overcoming corruption, mitigating social inequalities, transition to an innovative economy, strengthening the country's international positions. At the same time, as shown in the article, in their understanding of national goals and in their requests for the future, Russians rely on collective historical experience, the quintessence of which is the conviction by the majority of citizens that "Russia should live by its own mind", not looking at imported models and patterns, including Western ones. Accordingly, liberal values in their Western understanding attract only a minority of citizens. In this regard, the article raises the question of how differing perceptions of what is due and desirable in regard to Russia's future correlate with basic social differences (gender, age, education, place of residence, etc.). It is shown that the differentiation of Russians' views on this issue is practically not related to standard socio-demographic differences being rooted in their worldview choice. It is shown that, despite growing anxieties caused by the change in the political situation in the world, values and demands of Russians for the future basically fit into the trends traceable in sociological surveys of the past two decades.