During a broadened session of the expert council’s working group under the State Duma’s Youth Policy Committee, the Higher School of Economics collaborated with the Polylog advisory team to unpack findings from the study titled “Image of the Future. Russian Youth.”
Igor Kastyukevich, the First Deputy Chairman of the Youth Policy Committee, explained that the meeting produced a slate of research proposals for the umbrella program “Youth Dreams.” These proposals span numerous topics across every region of the country. He added that the committee is actively refining the mentoring system and urged the study to explore how young people perceive the role and image of the mentor.
The study surveyed three age cohorts: 14-17 years (schoolchildren), 18-22 years (students), and 23-27 years (university graduates and those who have not pursued higher education). The focus areas included personal values, community values, personal future, and the envisioned future of Russia.
Nikita Setov, Deputy Head of the Special Projects Department at the Polylog advisory group and a candidate of political science, presented the survey results.
“The youngest group, aged 14-17, shows the strongest sense of patriotism. Yet they often struggle to fully grasp current events. Family ties appear to be more highly valued by this group than by older cohorts, which may warrant a shift in emphasis as they mature. With age, individuals tend to adopt a more measured, life-oriented perspective, including considerations about starting a family,” he noted.
He also highlighted that the 23-27 age group exhibited the most challenging and unstable alignment of values, describing them as caught between two distinct value sets.
“Patriotism serves as a visible value and a real need across all surveyed groups. However, there is difficulty in articulating the underlying reasons for these views. The image of the state, too, appears fragmented and unclear among youth. One of the state’s tasks, and ours, is to help young people define a coherent understanding of patriotism and the state,” Setov said.
Sergey Mardanov, Director for the Development of School and Youth Projects at VKontakte, added that content quality plays a pivotal role in engaging youth today. He observed a recent shift toward producing more user-generated content and educational material aimed at young audiences as part of government efforts.
The discussion concluded that the study’s results will support formulating recommendations for broader inclusion in various programs designed to engage and empower young people in different regions and contexts.