Tikhonova N. Typical Views, Attitudes and Self-Identifications in Principal Strata of Today’s Russian Society. Social Sciences, 2020, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 25-45.

Abstract

In this article, I analyze typical views, attitudes and selfidentifications in the three principal strata of today’s Russian society from the perspective of Max Weber’s theory of positive and negative life chances. By analyzing the returns of two national surveys carried out by the Federal Sociological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2015 and 2018, I demonstrate that these strata differ from each other not only in terms of occupational structure and living and education standards but also in terms of their members’ typical self-identifications, sets of principles and values, and views on the current situation in Russia. While the lower and middle strata are relatively similar to each other, the upper stratum, which accounts for about 20% of the population, stands out with its majority’s specific self-identifications, planning horizons, nonconformism and internal locus of control. Most upper-stratum members have greater ambitions and are more optimistic about the general situation in Russia than the rest of the population. The upper stratum also puts distinctive expectations on the state—it mainly wants the state to ensure a scientific and technological breakthrough for the country. Social solidarity is rarer while the stigmatization of the poor is more common in this stratum than in the other two strata. The upper stratum’s principles and values manifest themselves in the behavioral strategies of its members. I come to the conclusion that dividing Russian society into these three strata meets principal neo-Weberian criteria of class and that, within the limits of this social structure model, the upper stratum with its objective and subjective characteristics can be seen as the middle class.

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