Smulkina Natalia Valentinovna

The article presents an analysis of the perceptions of states belonging to the categories of “near” and “ far abroad”. The representation of the “abroad” have been examined in terms of the attractiveness, strength and assertiveness, focusing on both the rationalized assessments and fully verbalized, unconscious representations of the countries. As result of in-depth interviews and projective techniques, the research analyzed the representation of Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, the USA, Germany, India, China, Brazil, and Turkey formed in the minds of the respondents. The study shows an unequal perception of these countries, which is infl uenced by a complex set of factors. For countries associated with the “near abroad”, a signifi cant set of factors shaping the perception of the respondents is associated with personal experience, such as living in the specifi c country in the past, or elements of self-identifi cation, such as ethnic, confessional and ethnocultural values. On the other hand, for the perception of countries associated with the “ far-abroad”, important factors are the mutual agreements between the states, the established set of ethnocultural stereotypes, the nature of foreign policy relations and the personal experience of relations with people of the specifi c foreign country. Finally, the perception of both categories, “near” and “ far abroad”, is also infl uenced by the media. Overall, the results of the research show a high impact of the trends in bilateral relations with Russia on a public perception of the specifi c foreign country.

The article, based on the results of an empirical study, devoted to some features of the formation of modern youth planning horizons. The images of the country’s future in the next five and ten years were considered and compared. Young Russians’ planning horizons are mostly blurred and include assumptions about many risks and challenges that the country may face. Young citizens rarely see themselves as an active actor participating in the creation of the fate of the Motherland. The obtained results allow us to state that when forecasting the future of the country, the topics of transformation of the political system are more relevant for young Russians than the topics of economic, technological and cultural development. The image of the future is noticeably politicized. There is a significant differentiation of young people with respect to political orientations. It determines optimism and pessimism in assessments of the future of the country. The study allows us to speak about the preservation of problems, at the moment supported by the generational specificity of political socialization, requiring attention in the formation of national and state identity in Russian society.