Image of Russia as Perceived by Moscow Students

Topicality and Problem Statement 1.According to some scholars, there is no significant generation gap between the youth and elder generations in Russia. 2.As a fact, there is a lack of value heterogeneity as an indicator of social dynamic and development. 3.But youth is a part of resource potential for country So, among youth, there should be a reference group who will differ from the majority by education, values, political attitudes and promote country’s development and modernization. In current research: the reference group – students of the top Russian universities (Moscow State University, Higher School of Economics, MGIMO University). Hypothesis: the students of the top universities are capable of critical thinking, assessing the current situation of Russia. Thus, their political attitudes are not a value obstacle to the modernization of Russia. From the interviews, we anticipate that students who get a high-quality education, are capable of critical thinking and assessing the current situation of Russia -without stereotypes and great power pathos. Students of the leading universities will be a potential reference group according to results of the interviews and as a result, their political attitudes towards the image of Russia will not be an obstacle to its modernization.