Young Russians Want Politicians to Meet Them Face to Face Rather than On Line, Urals Study Finds

Paul Goble

    Staunton, May 14 – Many Russian politicians assume that because social media are so important for young people, young Russians want their political leaders to “meet” them virtually rather than face to face. But a new study at the Urals Federal University jointly with Yekaterinburg’s Politsovet agency finds that just the reverse is true.

    Young Russians want politicians to meet with them personally during business hours, to dress professionally rather than dress down, to not use slang and to address issues of immediate concern rather than long-term projects, the study, based on a series of focus groups (politsovet.ru/84213-deputaty-i-molodezh-kak-nayti-obschiy-yazyk.html).

    How much of an impact this study will have on the behavior of politicians is uncertain, but the fact that it was carried out at all suggests that at least some in the Russian political universe are concerned that the assumptions they have made about reaching out to younger Russians are incorrect and need to be changed.

    The complete set of the conclusions of the study is available at politsovet.ru/uploads/deputaty_i_molodezh.pdf.