Political image of the future projection as a factor of Russia’s socio-political stability

The article is analyzing the political projection of the image of Russia’s future as an instrument of public policy and its potential to maintain the country’s socio-political stability. The essence of political projection is investigated; the substantiation of the influence of the image of the future on socio-political stability is given; the possibility and features of projection of the image of Russia’s future are considered; the significance of the project of the image of the future is illustrated, taking the public opinion of Russians into account. The results of the study demonstrate that in the Russians’ mass consciousness, the image of the future is of hybrid character. It is characterized by partial fragmentation and indefiniteness in certain spheres of life, which increases the risks of socio-political destabilization. Based on empirical sociological information, the authors come to the conclusion that the image of the future formed in Russian society consists of a core and a periphery. Value orientation of citizens is its most stable and the least changeable element. They form the core of the image of the future. Depending on the influence of external and internal factors, changeability is characteristic of the peripheral components. These include citizens’ prediction of their financial situation, the level of anxiety about the future, the society’s relations with the authorities, fixing the society’s socio-psychological sentiment and states, and others. The Russians’ opinion that such concepts as “justice”, “peace”, “order”, “law” and “human rights” must be the basis for the revival of the future Russia is quite stable. The authorities can design an optimal model of the image of Russia’s future, based on attitudes and values shared and cultivated by society, by monitoring the relevant needs, interests and requests of the Russian society. Such projection should be based on the principles of science, consistency, verification and relevance in order to contribute to maintaining Russia’s socio-political stability.

1. Velikaya, N.M., Shushpanova, I.S. and Afannas’ev, V.A. (2021), “The image of the future in the mass consciousness of citizens as a factor of sustainable socio-political development of society”, RSUH/RGGU Bulletin. “Philosophy. Sociology. Art Studies” Series, no. 1, pp. 64–77.

2. Velikaya, N.M. and Shushpanova, I.S. (2021), “Russian youth about prospects and images of the future socio-political development of the country”, Vestnik YuzhnoRossiiskogo gosudarstvennogo tekhnicheskogo universiteta (NPI). Seriya: Sotsial’noekonomicheskie nauki, no. 2, pp. 29–40.

3. Ezhov, D.A. (2012), “State policy. Approaches to definitions and development methods”, Gosudarstvennoe i munitsipal’noe upravlenie v XXI veke: teoriya, metodologija, praktika [State and municipal management in the 21st century. Theory, methodology, practice], no. 4, pp. 16–19.

4. Ivanova, S.V. (2011), “On political design and project activities in the sphere of politics”, Almanac Space and Time, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 188–193.

5. Melville, A. and Timofeev, I. (2010), “2020: Russian alternatives revisited”, Politiya, no. 2, pp. 42–64.

6. Grachev, M.N., Irhin, Yu.V. and Borisov, N.A., etc. (2013), “Political projection in the space of social communications. Theories and technologies. Proceeding of the ‘round table’ of employees and graduate students of the Russian State University for the Humanities and the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia”, RUDN Journal of Political Science, no. 3, pp. 117–149.

7. Gadzhiev, H.A. (ed.) (2022), Politicheskaya sistema sovremennoi Rossii [The political system of modern Russia], MAKS Press, Moscow, Russia.

8. Tokarev, A.A., Kravchuk, I.D., Boiko, M.Yu. and Il’inskii, R.V. (2022),“Sociology ofthe Russian image of the future. Preliminary results”, Polis. Political Studies, no. 5, pp. 117–136.

9. Shestopal, E.B. (2021), “Image of an ideal future. Russians’ normative concepts of authorities”, Tomsk State University Journal, no. 464, pp. 99–112.

10. Zheltikova, I. and Khokhlova, E. (2019), “The image of the future of contemporary Russia”, Journal of Futures Studies, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 63–76.