Specific features of the formation of agency of youth and the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic (a case study of Saint Petersburg)

This article deals with the formation of agency in the elderly and young population groups. The study looks at how the manifestation of agency in the two groups differs in terms of the approach to treatment, attitudes to restrictive measures and to the possibilities of modern medicine in overcoming the new coronavirus infection. The purpose of the article is to identify differences in the formation of such agency in the groups of elderly and young population and to determine its specific features. The empirical basis of the study was semi-structured interviews with young and elderly residents of St. Petersburg. A total of 20 interviews were collected. Within the framework of a comparative study, the author emphasizes that there are differences in the formation of agency in the elderly and youth, and also notes that various everyday situations contribute to the manifestation of agency in young and elderly people in different ways. The study concludes that it was important for young people to form agency regardless of pandemic restrictions and to have the freedom allowing them not to comply with such restrictions. During the treatment of the disease, young people preferred to follow proven trajectories and not to look for possible alternative ways in treatment, did not search for ways to make treatment more effective, while older people showed greater conformal agency in compliance with restrictive measures, but at the same time tried to control their treatment and show a proactive attitude as much as possible. The article also highlights significant differences in the understanding of the general context of the pandemic and the possibilities of overcoming it through the development of medicine and technology.