Russian society and the challenges of the time: the decade 2014–2024 (New Research by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences)

This article analyzes the results of a sociological monitoring study conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is the subject of the eighth book in the «Russian Society and the Challenges of the Times» series. The book's relevance is particularly emphasized, as it examines the state of Russian society during a challenging period—2014–2024. The book analyzes changes over the past decade in both the material well-being of the general population and the dynamics of its ideological preferences. While noting some positive dynamics in respondents' responses in 2024, the authors nevertheless suggest a cautious approach and caution against any significant positive shifts in either the material or ideological spheres. Moreover, the improvement in material well-being itself suggests that by 2024, the population has more or less managed to adapt to the new situation, but their attitude toward it is rather stoic. In other words, the country remains characterized by the dominance of «survival values». A no less contradictory and complex picture is revealed in the study of ideological and value preferences. The features of the ideological segmentation of the general population and its evolution are demonstrated. It is particularly noted that even within the core ideological majority that supports the country's current course, there is no unity. The study reveals fragmentation within both the ideological majority and minority, suggesting risks to the country's social consolidation stemming from the ideological sphere. The article offers several hypotheses related to both the growing number of individuals with individualistic orientations and the dangers of transforming views on the specific nature of domestic socioeconomic development into the mythological ideologeme of a «special path».