Yuri Vishnevsky

Dmitry Narhov

Presenting the materials of the federal survey conducted by the Russian Society of Sociologists, authors of the paper investigate students perceptions of a just society construction, including social inequality problems; the sample includes students of Sverdlovsk region. The stable method of sampling (quote choice) included 3964 students from 71 universities in Russia, incorporating 639 students from five universities in Sverdlovsk region. The sampling had been focusing on bachelor students of the first two years (2/3 of the universe). The sampling also reflects the gender proportions in student population in Sverdlovsk region (correlating male and female as 1:2). The main result consists in a predominant evaluation of contemporary Russian society as “unjust”. The investigation has also demonstrated the dominance of a student community identification and the lack of essential regional differences in Russian student community as a whole. We have elucidated the most meaningful features of a “just society” as considered by the students of Sverdlovsk region. These are – the equality of social promotion chances even against the incomes inequality; free health care; state support for children from low-income families, firstly in availability of education; the refutation of “egalitarianism”. Analyzing the correlations of students’ social orientations shows the growth of high-quality, high-qualified, and professional jobs, which presupposes higher evaluations for entrepreneurship and pragmatism. The wealth correlates with honest labor, industry, and reasonable risking. The poverty beats up the contexts of poor motivation, utter laziness, and hard drinking. Actual moves in value orientations and social intents of student youth are still awaiting complex social technologies to conduce a professional orientation and a professional self-determination.