ADAPTATION OF YOUTH TO RISK: RESOURCE LIMITATION AND PROTEST ACTIVITY

In this article based on the analysis of sociological data, the limitation of adaptation re-sources lowering the success of youth adaptation to imposed risk is studied and the factors determining the choice of protest activity as a way of adaptation to risk are considered. The analyzed data were obtained during field surveys conducted in 2012 and 2013 with methodological support of the employees of the Sector of Risk and Catastrophe Problems of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in one of the Russian regions exposed to risk which was caused by the development of mining production and characterized by local protest activity of population, and in 2015 in a community without imposed risk. It was found that the youth adapting to imposed risk is subject to the limitation of such resources as adaptability, risk readiness and social feeling. The importance of the development of adaptation potential of youth by increasing the general adaptability, subjective sensation of environment safety, degree of protection from evil events and satisfaction with living conditions in ensuring a successful adaptation to risk is demonstrated. The border line in the decision-making of youth concerning the participation in protest activity is defined, which is the choice between possible damage to the environment and peoples’ health and the economic benefit of mining production development. The conditions of decline in protest activity of youth are revealed: reducing the risk from the development of mining production to the socially acceptable level and building the youth’s trust in government institutions and authorities.