National and civic identity of studying youth in the sociological context

The article presents the results of the empirical study of characteristics of national and civil identity of Nizhny Novgorod students. It defines the degree of conflict on ethnic grounds and the possibility of teaching tolerant consciousness through the regional intercultural interaction. It lists the objectives of the study and tests several hypotheses. Apart from that, it unveils the gender differences in ethnic identity and shows the awareness of young people of the regional traditions, culture and living conditions. The article presents the influence of family on the formation of national identity of young people. The poll reveals the value of transformation in terms of ethnicity and tolerance as the most important aspect for conserving the unity of the Russian civilization. Ethnic factors do prove to be the main identifying markers of the students' consciousness with the prevalence of their cultural aspects. The survey data has clarified the gender differences in defining the ethnic identity of students. Males show their stronger ethnic identification and more decisive declaration of their ethnicity. Boys to a greater extent than girls see the main factor of friendship and joint activity in a person's nationality. Knowledge of the national language manifests the main marker of ethnic identification, both for boys and for girls. The results show that the civil identity of Nizhny Novgorod students is based on the intense ethnic and ethno-religious aspects as well as the awareness of a number of parameters of the ethnic history. As for culture, it requires the increase in universities' competencies. The study reveals the need for a focused and systematic cooperation of all cultural institutions, municipal, regional and federal authorities in order to not only develop the program of tolerance in its narrow sense but also combine it with the program of enrichment, most egalitarian, fair and democratic national politics.