Discussed is upon the issue of state management of the socio-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The special role of the Arctic territories in the economic development of our country is noted. The need is indicated to look at the problems of the Russian Arctic from the other side — from the side of human potential, which is one of the driving forces of the economy. The authors present some of the results of a sociological study conducted by them in the Arctic territories of Russia (in particular, in the Arkhangelsk region). The study is devoted to the intergenerational differentiation of value orientations. Its methodological basis, among others, was formed by the scientific views of R. Inglehart and K. Welzel, who believe that the condition that precedes socio-political and economic modernization is the transformation of the value orientations of the majority of the population. The value system, according to scientists, is quite stable within the life of one generation, and therefore, it makes sense to track changes based on the differences between generations. On the basis of the Theory of Generations, a toolkit was developed that makes it possible to identify the parameters of the value system of residents of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) belonging to different generations. The main method for collecting empirical data was a semi-structured in-depth interview with representatives of the selected generations.