The article basing on materials of the July 1996 rep resentative survey by VCIOM, deals with mass-spread im ages of, the country's past at' its different chronological depths concepts of the "olden,times, epic antiquity", prerevolution Russia, the Soviet epoch, and the last five-year period; their places in the system of Russians' national iden tification, in the structure of idealised "national character", in the figures of generalised bearers of national tradition (common people, the church, people of the emigration, in telligentsia), in the assessments of the most relevant "losses" of this "collective property" in the post-revolution period, and after 1991. Attitudes towards the Soviet epoch, revealed by VCIOM surveys in 1989, 1991, 1994, and 1996, are com pared. The article highlights the general retrospectivism and ideological, "induced" neotraditionalism in referencepoints and opinions of the most educated, capital-based, and democratically voting strata of the Russian population ; The article basing on materials of the July 1996 rep resentative survey by VCIOM, deals with mass-spread im ages of, the country's past at' its different chronological depths concepts of the "olden,times, epic antiquity", prerevolution Russia, the Soviet epoch, and the last five-year period; their places in the system of Russians' national iden tification, in the structure of idealised "national character", in the figures of generalised bearers of national tradition (common people, the church, people of the emigration, in telligentsia), in the assessments of the most relevant "losses" of this "collective property" in the post-revolution period, and after 1991. Attitudes towards the Soviet epoch, revealed by VCIOM surveys in 1989, 1991, 1994, and 1996, are com pared. The article highlights the general retrospectivism and ideological, "induced" neotraditionalism in referencepoints and opinions of the most educated, capital-based, and democratically voting strata of the Russian population
The article demonstrates divergences between three generations of Russians, shaped during different phases of the process of civilizational modernization of the country. The peculiarities of this process in the U.S.S.R. predetermined the. gap between various parameters of people's social position education, incomes, skill, cultural standard, public acknowledgment, influence, way of life, position in the hierarchy of power and carrier. This led to general social stagnation, resulted in pushing the "grandfathers", "fathers" and "children" from each other for. value priorities, criteria of social attainment combined with parallel accumulation of symbolic and civilizational capital (education, urbanized standards of living, technical facilities and housing convenience) from generation to generation. Under conditions of deideologization and fall of political excitation.by early 1990-s, with proliferation of economic reforms and release of entrepreneurial initiative since 1992, the young people became noticeably distinguished for indicators of income, standard and style of living, the general positive evaluation of the current development and forthcoming prospects. According to the data of September 1994 monitoring, young people twice more often than their "fathers" and five times more often than the "grandfathers" have just lately succeeded in improving their material condition. The situation of their families is considered "decent" by more than a half of young people (52%) and less than' one-third (31%) of, the 'eldest respondents; the correlation between those "hardly making the ends meet" is in both groups quite opposite'(34% to 53%). : "" '''/ ;" " ' :^ ". The structure of identification' of young people.is changing: if for elder generations^ about one half in which' (according to the data of November 1994 monitoring) still 'preserve the sense of being "Soviet people", its basis is as before made by jealous'identification-with "authoritative", "concerning" and "honest" power, young people are inclined to restrict claims of any authorities on interfering -in their lives. While thinking'"about the future of their children, young people attribute the maximum usefulness to teaching them social sciences, computing skills, physical culture, sexual hygiene, documentation, history, whereas the elders prefer handicraft, house-keeping, language and literature, the Gospel)., Young people, more-of ten see'their children to become bank directors,.business people, sport stars; the middle and, elder generations, similarly to 1930s-1960s, prefer teachers and engineers, skilled manual workers and military officers. > The article demonstrates divergences between three generations of Russians, shaped during different phases of the process of civilizational modernization of the country. The peculiarities of this process in the U.S.S.R. predetermined the. gap between various parameters of people's social position education, incomes, skill, cultural standard, public acknowledgment, influence, way of life, position in the hierarchy of power and carrier. This led to general social stagnation, resulted in pushing the "grandfathers", "fathers" and "children" from each other for. value priorities, criteria of social attainment combined with parallel accumulation of symbolic and civilizational capital (education, urbanized standards of living, technical facilities and housing convenience) from generation to generation. Under conditions of deideologization and fall of political excitation.by early 1990-s, with proliferation of economic reforms and release of entrepreneurial initiative since 1992, the young people became noticeably distinguished for indicators of income, standard and style of living, the general positive evaluation of the current development and forthcoming prospects. According to the data of September 1994 monitoring, young people twice more often than their "fathers" and five times more often than the "grandfathers" have just lately succeeded in improving their material condition. The situation of their families is considered "decent" by more than a half of young people (52%) and less than' one-third (31%) of, the 'eldest respondents; the correlation between those "hardly making the ends meet" is in both groups quite opposite'(34% to 53%). : "" '''/ ;" " ' :^ ". The structure of identification' of young people.is changing: if for elder generations^ about one half in which' (according to the data of November 1994 monitoring) still 'preserve the sense of being "Soviet people", its basis is as before made by jealous'identification-with "authoritative", "concerning" and "honest" power, young people are inclined to restrict claims of any authorities on interfering -in their lives. While thinking'"about the future of their children, young people attribute the maximum usefulness to teaching them social sciences, computing skills, physical culture, sexual hygiene, documentation, history, whereas the elders prefer handicraft, house-keeping, language and literature, the Gospel)., Young people, more-of ten see'their children to become bank directors,.business people, sport stars; the middle and, elder generations, similarly to 1930s-1960s, prefer teachers and engineers, skilled manual workers and military officers. >
The article summarizes data of four surveys in 1993-1994 on consumption of the media. The media keep confidence and generally positive evaluation by respondents: 54 percent of Russians agree with the statement that "Television helps people to understand events", 44 percent "It merely mystifies and sometimes even deceives people". The population's interest in political programmes (news, publicism) is on the whole going down, keeping stable, as well as preference to politically engaged newspapers, with elder age groups of 'intelligentsia', and on the first hand with men giving mostly negative estimates to the today's media. But interests of the majority are drifting towards everyday problems, stability of normal existence with ambiguity and partiality of estimates, peculiar for everyday routine, co-existence of plurality of attitudes varyng for their sense and functions. The interested mass TV audience is on the whole becoming more female for its composition, and TV programmes themselves more and more reflect women's preferences, who, especially in an age before 25 years, more and more often positively estimate the role of media. Attention of TV audience and readers is rising towards subjects of home and everyday life, towards entertainment and show, melodrama and family problems, but as well towards authoritative figures of 'interesting interlocutors' on the screen, towards classical literature with more educated, more often female, audience. The interest in adventure fiction is going down. 6. Everyday Life in Russia: 1990-1994 (by Elena Dzhaginova). In the article, the author attempts to fix in the purely quantitaive expression the forms of people's everyday behaviour, their regular occupations; frequency of reading newspapaers, books, magazines, visiting shops, restaurants, sports events, cinemas, theatres, bars and discotheques, going in for sports, knitting, music, child-bearing, meetings with friends, and a number of other kinds of activity. These indicators have been analyzed depending on the sex/age, family and urbanization factors determining everyday scenarios. The description is based on results of surveys in 1990 and 1994, which has allowed to define the changes that has happened in Russians' everyday life for the last 4 years. The material gives a possibility of marking some stable tendencies of the everyday routine and making a number of forecasts. The measured, cyclic nature of everyday life, determining in the last end stability of the whole society, has not on the whole underwent sufficient changes during the period under examination. But there are some obvious shifts introducing a number of correctives in the structure and quality of Russian routine. The general level of non-selective consumption in the sphere of mass media is declining and the consumption in this field has acquired the nature of more and more thorough, pragmatic selection, especially within the group of 'super-consumers', i.e., men younger than 30. This group partially slips out the everyday routine of early 90's. A greater importance for them is gained by roles of bread-winner, entrepreneur needing various recreation. The formation of groups of "super-consumers' is followed by reduction of the level of consumption in elder age groups, most of all concerning women. Their monotonous and secluded life, absence of ways to relax, limited nature of consumer and other social resources (health, education, energy, ambition) cause accumulation of interpersonal aggression that finds no exit for impossibility of compensation or softening at the present stage. Differentiation of male and female roles is deepening (women are orientated at home, family and children; men are orientated centrifugally out of home, at earning, friends, the business). ; The article summarizes data of four surveys in 1993-1994 on consumption of the media. The media keep confidence and generally positive evaluation by respondents: 54 percent of Russians agree with the statement that "Television helps people to understand events", 44 percent "It merely mystifies and sometimes even deceives people". The population's interest in political programmes (news, publicism) is on the whole going down, keeping stable, as well as preference to politically engaged newspapers, with elder age groups of 'intelligentsia', and on the first hand with men giving mostly negative estimates to the today's media. But interests of the majority are drifting towards everyday problems, stability of normal existence with ambiguity and partiality of estimates, peculiar for everyday routine, co-existence of plurality of attitudes varyng for their sense and functions. The interested mass TV audience is on the whole becoming more female for its composition, and TV programmes themselves more and more reflect women's preferences, who, especially in an age before 25 years, more and more often positively estimate the role of media. Attention of TV audience and readers is rising towards subjects of home and everyday life, towards entertainment and show, melodrama and family problems, but as well towards authoritative figures of 'interesting interlocutors' on the screen, towards classical literature with more educated, more often female, audience. The interest in adventure fiction is going down. 6. Everyday Life in Russia: 1990-1994 (by Elena Dzhaginova). In the article, the author attempts to fix in the purely quantitaive expression the forms of people's everyday behaviour, their regular occupations; frequency of reading newspapaers, books, magazines, visiting shops, restaurants, sports events, cinemas, theatres, bars and discotheques, going in for sports, knitting, music, child-bearing, meetings with friends, and a number of other kinds of activity. These indicators have been analyzed depending on the sex/age, family and urbanization factors determining everyday scenarios. The description is based on results of surveys in 1990 and 1994, which has allowed to define the changes that has happened in Russians' everyday life for the last 4 years. The material gives a possibility of marking some stable tendencies of the everyday routine and making a number of forecasts. The measured, cyclic nature of everyday life, determining in the last end stability of the whole society, has not on the whole underwent sufficient changes during the period under examination. But there are some obvious shifts introducing a number of correctives in the structure and quality of Russian routine. The general level of non-selective consumption in the sphere of mass media is declining and the consumption in this field has acquired the nature of more and more thorough, pragmatic selection, especially within the group of 'super-consumers', i.e., men younger than 30. This group partially slips out the everyday routine of early 90's. A greater importance for them is gained by roles of bread-winner, entrepreneur needing various recreation. The formation of groups of "super-consumers' is followed by reduction of the level of consumption in elder age groups, most of all concerning women. Their monotonous and secluded life, absence of ways to relax, limited nature of consumer and other social resources (health, education, energy, ambition) cause accumulation of interpersonal aggression that finds no exit for impossibility of compensation or softening at the present stage. Differentiation of male and female roles is deepening (women are orientated at home, family and children; men are orientated centrifugally out of home, at earning, friends, the business).
The article dwells upon the results of the international comparative study carried out in March-April 1995 by Roper Starch in 43 countries of the world (in Russia the data are obtained in the course of monitoring survey of 993 people by representative sample). The list of 19 subjects included latest news and social problems, travels and nature, animals, history of different countries and cultures, home cookery and hobbies, handicrafts, small household repairs, etc., respondents personal interest in which was asked to, be estimated by 10-point scale. The paper shows the level of interest in such subjects in countries of the West,Asia, Latin America, and, in comparison with them, in Russia and Ukraine (two republics representing the former USSR in the survey). Except the military (military equipment and weapons, history of wars and battles) and occult (mysterious phenomena and events, magic, UFOs) subjects, thie interest of the Russian population practically in all subjects yields to the interest in them in other countries of the world, and especially in the West. ; The article dwells upon the results of the international comparative study carried out in March-April 1995 by Roper Starch in 43 countries of the world (in Russia the data are obtained in the course of monitoring survey of 993 people by representative sample). The list of 19 subjects included latest news and social problems, travels and nature, animals, history of different countries and cultures, home cookery and hobbies, handicrafts, small household repairs, etc., respondents personal interest in which was asked to, be estimated by 10-point scale. The paper shows the level of interest in such subjects in countries of the West,Asia, Latin America, and, in comparison with them, in Russia and Ukraine (two republics representing the former USSR in the survey). Except the military (military equipment and weapons, history of wars and battles) and occult (mysterious phenomena and events, magic, UFOs) subjects, thie interest of the Russian population practically in all subjects yields to the interest in them in other countries of the world, and especially in the West.
Public moods in Russia have not undergone sufficient changes during the last several months. March and April were months with the lowest positive indicators of public opinion on situation in the country for the last six months. But assessments of the situation in the country, people's own situation and the near future sharply differ depending on respondents' political sympathies. The calmest assessments are displayed by adherents of the Russia's Choice and its leader Yegor Gaidar, symbolizing them in public opinion at the fullest measure, the most anxious and negative ones are shared by supporters of the Communist Party of Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. The social basis of support1 to political parties stays in general extremely insignificant; no more than 40 per cent of the population-are willing to express any active support to this or that party. But this depolitization process means preservation of former distribution of the main socio-political forces and relative stability in the visible future. Indices of confidence in socio-political institutions are not high. In people's eyes, the parliament does reflect the real distribution of forces in society. Society is keeping confidence in the army. Active interest in political life is displayed by a small part of the population. More than a half of those interviewed either do not have political preferences or do not intend to participate in the closest possible elections. ; Public moods in Russia have not undergone sufficient changes during the last several months. March and April were months with the lowest positive indicators of public opinion on situation in the country for the last six months. But assessments of the situation in the country, people's own situation and the near future sharply differ depending on respondents' political sympathies. The calmest assessments are displayed by adherents of the Russia's Choice and its leader Yegor Gaidar, symbolizing them in public opinion at the fullest measure, the most anxious and negative ones are shared by supporters of the Communist Party of Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. The social basis of support1 to political parties stays in general extremely insignificant; no more than 40 per cent of the population-are willing to express any active support to this or that party. But this depolitization process means preservation of former distribution of the main socio-political forces and relative stability in the visible future. Indices of confidence in socio-political institutions are not high. In people's eyes, the parliament does reflect the real distribution of forces in society. Society is keeping confidence in the army. Active interest in political life is displayed by a small part of the population. More than a half of those interviewed either do not have political preferences or do not intend to participate in the closest possible elections.
