Structure of young people’s social perceptions of Russia: the problem of identity

The article examines the relationship between social perceptions of one’s country, national-state (Russian) identity, and the stability of the state. We analyzed the results of empirical studies of social perceptions of young users of social networks with different ideological preferences and socio-political attitudes through the study of a system of images and symbols associated in the minds of youth the notion of “Russia”. The structure of social representations about Russia, the content of the core and peripheral zones, and the emotional assessment of the studied category are revealed.