Self-identification and value attitudes among youth (Kaliningrad region case)

The article deals with the issues of self-identification and value attitudes among youth in the Kaliningrad region, which is necessary given the conditions of the exclave position of the region. The basis of the study was the results of a sociological survey of the youth of the region. The sample consisted of 310 people aged 18 to 35 years (147 men and 163 women), with a confidence probability of 95% and an error of ±5%. The information received was processed using the SPSS Statistics program. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was the values measurement system, the authors of which are R. Inglehart and C. Welzel. In particular, the binary opposition they proposed was taken into account: traditional values (religion, family, patriotism, reverence for power, the predominance of public interests over personal ones) and secular-rational values (secularism, independence, a reduced degree of respect for power, political awareness, the dominance of personal interests over public ones). In the course of the study, the author of this paper identified several categories of identity: civil, regional, local, geopolitical, and global. As a result, it was determined that civic identity is of paramount importance among youth. On the contrary, geopolitical identity is extremely poorly expressed. The peculiarities of the religious identity of youth are also revealed when the rarity of participation in religious practices contradicts feelings of religious conviction. The basis of self-identification is values. The most significant values young people call universal values: health, family, security, love, and friendship. Religion, customs, and traditions were the least significant for youth. Individualism is one of the distinctive features inherent in youth. A significant number of respondents stated this. At the same time, attention was paid to the age and gender composition of the survey participants. However, the predominance of the ideas of collectivism in combination with individualistic motives is noted. Based on the above, the author concludes that the youth of the Kaliningrad region is characterized by a combination of traditional and secular-rational values.