Russian Identity in Regional Diversity: The Role of Trust

The article presents the results of a study of the dynamics of Russian identity and the level of generalised trust in Russia and Russian regions. The empirical basis for the study is all-Russian surveys (2020 and 2018) and surveys in the republics of the Russian Federation - Kabardino-Balkaria, Sakha (Yakutia) and Tatarstan (2019–2021); data from regional studies (2016-2018) are used for comparison. Particular attention is paid to the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. All surveys use the same set of questions aimed at identifying the actualisation of Russian identity and the level of generalised trust and distrust. Russian identity is studied from the standpoint of E.Erickson's theory of psychosocial identity and H.Taifel and J.Turner's social identity; generalised trust study is based on the concepts of P.Sztompka and R.Inglehart. The concept of “flow consolidation” and “social conjunctors” by O.A.Karmadonov is applied to the analysis of empirical data. The issues of the correlation of Russian and ethnic identities in the regions are discussed. It is noted that their balance reflects the success of the regional and federal policy of managing ethnocultural diversity. The data of sociological research suggests that the wide distribution of Russian and ethnic identities in the regional society and the "equilibrium" of their actualisation indicate the optimal balance of ethno-cultural and all-Russian state-civil trends in nation-building. Russian identity and a culture of trust can be viewed as effective social conjunctors actively involved in the formation of the Russian state and political commоnality. The actualised Russian identity supports the vertical “stream of consolidation” that unites the country's multi-ethnic space, while the emerging culture of trust (which the most sensitive indicator is the level of generalised trust) supports the horizontal stream of consolidation. Empirical data allow us to conclude that in the current conditions of a deficit in the state integration policy, the culture of trust acts as a "locomotive" that promotes the formation of the Russian nation. It is noted that although the strength of this “locomotive” is still small, nevertheless, it has a positive impact on the formation of Russian identity: in all the regions under study, the actualisation of Russian identity is higher among those who demonstrate attitudes of generalised trust, believing that most people can be trusted.