Russian symbols in students’ social memory

The paper attempts to show the image of modern Russia through its symbols indicated by students and reflected in their social memory. The research presents the content analysis of student essays on the symbols of modern Russia and the rest of the past. The focus group has included students because of the age-appropriate aspects and personality traits of young people (the rapid adaptation to changing social realities, the desire to be fully engaged in society and express their identity). There are many heterogeneous symbols that can be divided into the following groups: symbols of government (most common answer of respondents), souvenir, material, conterminous ones and symbols based on subjective evaluation. The authors argue that students show a positive perception of Russia. Evaluation characteristics demonstrate that students interpret reality on the basis of their idealized views on the country.