State Youth Policy in Modern Russia Through the Eyes of the "Digital" Generation

Aim . To study peculiarities of perception of the main directions of state youth policy in modern Russia by different age groups of provincial youth. Methodology. The empirical base of the article consisted of materials of four online surveys of youth (in 2021 n=519; in 2022 n=2021; in 2023 n=852; in 2024 n=924), as well as materials of annual focus group interviews with representatives of different age groups of the younger generation. Results. The conducted analysis revealed a tendency towards increasing support for state youth policy from the “digital” generation in modern Russia. Nevertheless, about a third of respondents showed a high degree of dissatisfaction with the results of the state’s activities not only in relation to young people, but also in other important areas of public life in the Russian Federation. Research implications. It is substantiated that increasing the level of trust of Russian youth in the state and the main directions of its policy is possible in case of comprehensive combination of efforts not only in the process of educational work with the younger generation, but also in the framework of improving all areas of political and social-economic structure of the Russian Federation. In this case, risks of contradictions between the patriotic content and focus of the activities of state and public organizations as subjects of political socialization of Russian youth and negativity about Russian reality that representatives of the younger generation perceive from various information sources will be minimized.