Ideological Preferences of Kaliningrad Residents in the Socio-Political System

The article analyzes the ideological preferences of the residents of the Kaliningrad region through the prism of their socio-economic situation and political behavior. The study is based on the data of a formalized interview (N = 977) according to the age and sex sample, representing the population of four geodemographic districts of the Kaliningrad region. Based on the Nolan Chart, the study determines ideological types according to the respondents attitude to political and economic freedom. The statistical analysis of the data revealed a high degree of pluralism among the residents of the region on the issues under consideration. At the same time, it showcased the prevailing ideas of state regulation of the economy and values of personal freedom. Analyzing the socio-economic situation of the respondents and their inherent ideological attitudes, the author found that the values of economic freedom are more often shared by young people, middle-aged people, residents living in Kaliningrad, with higher income. Ideas of state regulation of the economy prevail among people of retirement and pre-retirement age, residents of the semi-periphery of the Kaliningrad region, with lower income. The study also revealed the relationship between the ideological attitudes of people in the region and their political behavior. In particular, it found that people who share the values of political and economic freedom are ready to take the most active part in protests. At the same time, the study did not identify any significant links between the ideological type of the respondents and their electoral behavior.

Political events of 2020 in view of the population of the Republic of Moldova

In this article, the authors investigate the attitude of the population of the Republic of Moldova towards the main events of 2020, which was a difcult one for both humanity and Moldovan society. Wanting to identify the problems faced by citizens and to establish the main events of 2020, we conducted a sociological study dedicated to researching social factors impacting the electoral behavior of citizens and the interdependence of economic, political and social processes in the country. The research established the most important socio-political events of the year, as well as a set of conclusions and recommendations.

On features of formation of youth electorate behavior

Examined is the essence of Russia’s electoral behavior, reveals its features. The nature of this phenomenon is considered. Special attention is paid to the selective behavior of young people as the most dynamic social group in society. The study presents their classification. The specification of this phenomenon is highlighted. The presented conceptual aspects of the selective behavior of young people, taking into account the possible options for typological regions in accordance with their specifics. The tendencies of the political participation of young citizens in the country are considered.

The Partisanship of Protestant Clergy in the 2016 Presidential Election

Given their strategic position within American society, clergy continue to remain important actors in American politics. This article examines the partisan identifications and electoral behavior of American Protestant clergy in the 2016 presidential election. Although clergy partisanship may be of interest in any election, the 2016 contest, given the milieu of political polarization and the presence of the Trump candidacy, provides an intriguing context for assessing the profession's electoral behavior, particularly among Republican clergy. Based on survey results from over 2,500 clergy drawn from ten Protestant (five mainline and five evangelical) denominations, the study finds that, during the early stages of the 2016 nomination process, only a small percentage of Republican clergy supported Trump and that, despite the high level of political polarization, a sizable segment of Republican clergy resisted partisan pressures and refused to vote for Trump in the general election. The propensity of both independent and Republican clergy to vote for the GOP nominee varied largely with the level of perceived “threats”: to the Christian heritage of the nation, from Islam, and from the process of “globalization.”

Candidate Preference, State Context, and Voter Turnout: Comparing Non-Voters and Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election

While much attention has been paid to understanding the drivers of support for Donald Trump, less focus has been placed on understanding the factors that led individuals to turn out and vote or stay home. This paper compares non-voters and voters in the 2016 election and explores how self-reported candidate preference prior to the election predicted turnout across three different state contexts: (1) all states, (2) closely contested states won by Trump, and (3) closely contested states won by Clinton. We find that preference for both candidates predicted turnout in the aggregate (all states) and in closely contested states won by Clinton, but only preference for Trump predicted turnout in the closely contested states won by Trump. Moreover, we find that political interest is negatively associated with preference for Clinton when examining candidate preferences among non-voters. Our analysis suggests that non-voters in the 2016 election held meaningful candidate preferences that impacted voter turnout but that state context played an important role in this relationship. This study sheds light on an understudied component of the 2016 election, the attitudes and behavior of non-voters, as well as points to the importance of incorporating contextual variation in future work on electoral behavior and voter turnout.

Spatial Features of Electoral Conformism in Russia in the 2000s

Introduction. The focus of the article is on identifying spatial patterns of the conformist voting results in the federal elections of Russia in the 2000s. The relevance is due to the fact that against the background of growing social tension in the country there is a territorial and meaningful localization of the protest. Therefore, the analysis of the election results acts as a mechanism for assessing socio-political and protest sentiments in the regions. Methods and materials. The methodological basis of the study was the sociological and rationalinstrumental approach, according to which voters vote based on their social affiliation and assessments of economic well-being. Analysis. The main research methods were statistical analysis methods. Through the use of Pearson’s correlation analysis method, the influence of factors on voting was revealed. Calculations of variation coefficients made it possible to analyze the dynamics of electoral behavior for stability in the regions. Based on calculations of average values of loyalty ratios, regions were grouped according to the specifics of electoral behavior. Results. It was revealed that there is a significant negative correlation between the share of the Russian population, the level of urbanization and the results of conformist voting. In the recent federal elections, the influence of these factors is weakening, which is associated with the process of nationalization of the party system of Russia. The grouping of regions according to the specifics of the voting demonstrated the presence of moderate electoral nonconformism in almost all subjects of Siberia and the Far East, which creates the prerequisites for fixing the “eastern belt” of protest sentiments. A similar specificity was revealed in two capitals, a number of regions with a low quality of life index in the central and northwestern part of Russia, the exclave Kaliningrad region, the economically depressed Kurgan region, as well as in the Volgograd and Kirov regions. The highest level of electoral conformism is recorded mainly in regions with a high degree of authoritarianism regimes. An analysis of the voting dynamics showed that in the regions in which large-scale protests took place in recent years, during the period before them, stable nonconformist sentiments in the elections formed.

IMPACT OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN THE REGIONS OF RUSSIA ON ELECTORAL BEHAVIOR

This article examines the relationship between indicators of poverty and inequality and the electoral behavior of the population. For the purpose of the study we use the results of elections of governors of Russian regions and the results of elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. The analysis was carried out on the basis of regional data for 2015–2019. Methods of cross-sectional regression analysis were used to reveal causal relationships. Based on the results of the analysis, it was revealed that the results of the election campaigns of the regional governors do not depend both on the level of poverty in the region and on the scale of socioeconomic inequality. At the same time, the scale of regional inequality had a significant impact on the regionallevel results of elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in 2016. Subsequently, the results of the election campaign in some regions turned out to be unpredictable.

Territorial differentiation of public sentiment in modern Georgia (the experience of sociological survey)

В конце октября 2020 г. в Грузии состоялись парламентские выборы. Стартовал очередной электоральный цикл. Что принесёт он в плане взаимоотношений России и Грузии? После окончания избирательной кампании был проведён социологический опрос среди жителей соседнего государства с целью выяснения их отношения к России, её потенциального влияния на избирательную кампанию, возможных путей развития взаимосвязей двух государств. Опираясь на результаты анкетирования, автор исследует наличие территориальной дифференциации общественного мнения по данным вопросам. Возможно ли выявить «эффект соседства» по отношению к России? Исследование является составной частью большого многолетнего проекта по изучению вероятной трансформации электорального поведения жителей пограничных с Россией государств. Автор приходит к выводу, что, несмотря на довольно серьезные политические противоречия между двумя государствами, существует большой потенциал добрососедских отношений, выражающийся в преобладающем позитивном общественном мнении по отношению к соседнему государству. Приграничные с Россией регионы Грузии не проявляют какой-либо особой лояльности. В работе также выявлены территориальные различия в общественном мнении по линии Север - Юг, которые требуют дополнительного исследования. At the end of October 2020, parliamentary elections took place in Georgia. Another electoral cycle has started. What will it bring in terms of bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia? After the end of the election campaign, a sociological survey was conducted among residents of the neighboring state in order to clarify their attitude towards Russia, its potential impact on the election campaign, and possible ways of developing relations between the two states. Based on the results of the survey, the author finds out whether there is a territorial differentiation of public opinion on these issues. Is it possible to identify the "neighborhood effect" in relation to Russia? The research paper is an integral part of a large multi-year project, which studies the probable transformation of the electoral behavior of residents of the states bordering Russia. The author comes to the conclusion that despite the existing considerable political contradictions between the two states, there is a great potential for good neighborhood relations, expressed in the prevailing positive public opinion regarding the neighboring state. The regions of Georgia bordering Russia do not demonstrates any particular loyalty. It was possible to identify territorial differences in public opinion along the North-South line, which require additional research.