The Image of Russian Politicians in the Eyes of the Youth

Recent studies reveal that there is a growing demand for a change in the political power among the entire population of Russia. Also among young people aged 18 to 23 years, the proportion of people wishing to emigrate from the country to permanent residence is steadily increasing, reaching 53%. One third of the respondents indicate the political situation in the country as one of the reasons. These findings indicate that the population is dissatisfied with the authorities, however, most of the current studies of the politicians’ perception are limited to a very small number of examined politicians. Additionally, research topics are related only to electoral ratings and trust. The ignorance of the double-natured necessity of studying the image of politicians not only for political technological use, but also for a sociological understanding of political views and preferences of today's youth, leads to a paradoxical and frustrated attitude of the population towards the Russian government. As a result, the purpose of the particular research is to examine the image of Russian politicians in the eyes of the youth. An online survey of 247 Vkontakte users, aged 18 to 23 years, inhabiting all 8 federal districts of Russia, revealed the image of the “ideal” federal level politician as a reformer, honest, tolerant, competent, experienced leader, who has common interests with the Russian population. The electoral potential among the youth cohort was assessed for each of the 17 selected politicians. With its help groups of personalities by attractiveness for the electorate were distinguished. Also the electorate’s activity of each politician was evaluated. A perception map of the Russian politicians’ images allows to answer questions how young people, as the electorate, perceive their candidates and why some politicians have more electoral support than others. The image qualities of the “ideal” politician are compared with the images of the politicians, considered in the research, to find the personalities that best fit the political needs and orientations of young people: opposition leaders obtain the closest images to the ideal.