Activity of Muscovites in the Urban Environment: The Role of the Responsibility Factor

The article examines the role of responsibility of residents of a metropolis as a resource for their social activity aimed at ensuring the well-being of the urban environment. This problem is investigated by the authors on the example of Moscow residents. The study involved Muscovites (N = 359) aged 18-75 living in different administrative districts of the city. The following methods were used: questionnaires composed by the authors to identify the type of responsibility of the citizens and their readiness for active participation in the life of the city; value orientation technique by E.B. Fantalova; and set of questions about socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The first stage consisted in (1) dividing the respondents into three groups according to different levels of responsibility; (2) determining the direction of responsibility in these groups; (3) identifying the relationship between value orientations and indicators of responsibility; and (4) describing the readiness of the respondents with different levels of responsibility to take an active part in the life of their city. At the second stage, based on the data of regression analysis, the authors show the role of responsibility as a predictor of the activity of the respondents to improve living conditions in their city. It is found that the levels of responsibility for what is happening in their city in the three groups of the respondents differ mainly in the severity of their internal/external judgments or their pessimistic/optimistic moods regarding belief in their own strengths, willingness of other people to support initiatives, and positive/negative expectations of changes in urban life, subject to the active participation of all citizens in any transformations or events. Based on the results of the age analysis of the sample, it is concluded that young people are poorly represented in the group with a high level of responsibility. Prospects for further research are also outlined.