Changing Perceptions of Societal Problems Among Soviet Youth

Dramatic changes in the perceptions of problems in the Soviet Union and in the USA are shown among samples of Soviet youth studied over a three-year period, from 1988 to 1991. Growing disillusionment with worsening domestic conditions was mirrored by a growing, unrealistic appreciation of life in the USA, reflecting a painful search for a new national identity. Given the rapid social and political changes taking place in the Soviet Union since the advent of ptrestroika, the matter of how these changes have affected Soviet youth becomes an important question. This is the age cohort that will have to adapt to these changes throughout their adult lives. They are also the group that will eventually move into leadership positions in the decades ahead. Questions of how their perceptions of life in the Soviet Union (vis-a-vis the United States) have changed across time become of major interest in under-standing socialization processes during times of major restructuring in a society. Although there has been considerable speculation in the West about Soviet youth and their socialization prior to perestroika, very little systematic data were collected about their behavior or attitudes. Longitudinal data which compare sociological information from Soviet youth across time are even more rare. It was for that reason that the studies described in this article were undertaken. They represent what we believe to be among the earliest sets of systematic time-series data on representative samples of Soviet youth. Soviet youth are an interesting and important population group for several reasons. First, it is usually assumed that this is the age group in any society that is most open to social change. With less investment in and experience with tradition and the status quo, youth should be more open to new or alternative

Aesthetics · Development economics · Economics · Identity (music · National identity · Perception · Period (music · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Soviet union · Psychology · Sociopolitical Dynamics in Russia · Law