Urban and rural students in the Urals: socio-residential assimilation issues

The article discusses current problems of the rural youth migration to the cities in the context of socio-residential assimilation, suggesting a convergence of lifestyles of different large and small social groups living in different types of settlements. The author analyzes the significance of social environments for the formation of political culture of young villagers and the development of their values in the sphere of self-identification. The article suggests that successful strategic socio-economic development (prosperity) of large cities, especially megacities, should be closely connected with their responsibility for the adequate development of small towns and rural settlements in order to reproduce and save labor potential of agricultural production in the region and ensure decent life for all actors in this production. The authors’ reflections and conclusions are based on the results of comparative sociological surveys of the urban and rural youth, carried out in various cities and rural settlements of some RF subjects within the Ural Federal District in 2008-2014.