Student youth: Psycho-emotional and social self-portrait (based on the results of focus groups)

Based on the results of focus groups with students of four Russian universities, the authors describe the psycho-emotional state and social position of the student youth, the range of problems that concern them, plans for the future, priority strategies for interaction with peers and the attitude towards such ideological traits as free-thinking and originality of thinking, tolerance to the uniqueness of others and following one’s own views, motivation and determination. The study showed that under the influence of the current media agenda (primarily on the Internet), emotions of anxiety, defenselessness and uncertainty dominate among students, while the traditional media are virtually of no interest for the focus group participants, and most informants do not watch TV, including for ideological reasons. The psychological state of young people is largely determined by the media content, which they do not trust and repeatedly double-check. For students graduating from university and having a large amount of academic work, the main source of anxiety is fear of an unknown future, uncertainty in choosing a career and life goals, including in the current geopolitical situation. Russian students consider the unique features of their generation to be internal freedom and open-mindedness, constant self-development and the desire for self-realization, a combination of individualism and empathy, and constant involvement in communication with friends through social media. Among the negative traits of the youth, informants named some immaturity and unwillingness to make responsible decisions. Among the most disturbing and painful social problems in the Russian society for the youth, students emphasized social inequality caused by differences in property and income, while they calmly perceive the diversity of opinions and life strategies.