Samara Youth Asked About Tolerance

In the state institute of the samara oblast the “House of People’s Friendship” had an open house in the framework of the international week of enlightenment actions ”Kristallnacht-Never Again!”. Students from the institution, students of middle specialized study institutions and students from the Samara branch of the Modern Humanitarian Academy visited the establishment.

In the program of the open house, a sociological survey of the event participants which sought to define students’ relations to interethnic relations not only in the world and in Russia, but in Samara itself, was carried out. The results of the research will help to understand which problems currently stand before society and help to find a way towards their resolution.

110 respondents took part in the survey, among them:

Samara institute of industrial technology- 13 students,

Samara aviation institute- 25 students,

Samara branch of the Modern Humanitarian Academy – 17 students,

Samara Metallurgical College – 40 students,

Samara professional institute №34 - 15 students.

Student answers to the survey questions showed the following distribution:

1. Do you know that the Constitution of the Russian Federation (Basic law of Russia) secures the equality of all people, independent of gender, race, nationality etc.?

Knowledge of the Constitution of the Russian Federation was confirmed by a large part of respondents (80.4%), never read the Constitution – 8.4%; for 6 people (5.6%) it didn’t matter what is written there; 4 people (3.7%) had never thought about it and 2 people (1.9%) could not answer the question.

2. Xenophobia- this is:

- xenophobia was defined as intolerance towards people of a different nationality, view, religious belief by 45.9% of those surveyed,

- phobia of losing one’s national culture – 11.0%,

- Phobia of Xenon – 8.3%,

- disease – 8.3%,

- found it difficult to answer: more than a quarter of participants (26.6%).

3. Tolerance– this is:

- 73.4% defined tolerance as relating respectfully to people of different ethnicities, views, religious beliefs;

- 8.3% – as meekness and non-resistance to evil,

- 3.7% answered that tolerance is a rare eye illness;

- 3.7% - that this is a process of destruction of ethnic cultures and their replacement by uniform pop-music;

- 11.0% found it difficult to answer.

4. For you, a nationalist is:

- 48.2% a person who believes that representatives of their ethnicity are better than all other people;

- 29.1% a person who thoroughly knows their ethnic culture;

- 2.7% someone who writes books about the merits and deficiencies of representatives of their ethnicity,

- 2.7% someone who infringes highway regulation laws abroad;

- 17.3% found it difficult to answer.

5. Migrants and refugees are first of all:

- 70.2% defined migrants and refugees as people who for political or economic reasons are forced to leave their permanent place of residence;

-15.7 % - as people who are prepared for any journey;

- 6.1% - as criminals who are hiding on the run;

- 6.1% - as beggars on the street;

- 6.1% found it difficult to answer.

6. Residents of the Caucuses are first of all:

- hundreds of peoples who live in the Caucuses (54.5%);

- sellers in markets (15.7 %);

- malicious, always belligerent bearded terrorists (12.4%);

- jolly people who love good wine (10.7%);

- 6.6% found it difficult to answer.

7. Do you support the police practice of checking the documents of people with a non-Slavic appearance on the street?

- 41.7% youth considered that this must be made compulsory;

- 12.6% answered that it is necessary to check documents indiscriminately;

- 15.5% do not support such a practice in any situation;

- 18.4% answered that they do not care;

- 10.7% support such practices in some cases (“yes, if they look suspicious”, “when they arise suspicion”, “if he causes doubt or looks like a criminal);

- 1.0% chose “other”.

8. How do you usually relate to the fact that people of a different nationality or religion live in your place of residence/town?

- 54.5% answered that they did not care (“they don’t bother me”, “they are just people”, “they are people too”, “because I can’t do anything about it” , “I am not a Nazi”, “it’s important who the person is”, “because it’s their life, let them live it”, “I completely normally relate to different national backgrounds”, “I relate to people on the basis of their characters”);

- 17.8% answered that this is good (“as friendship with different people is interesting”, “you can learn something new”, “because everybody is equal”, “you need to talk to everyone-it’s interesting”, “because I am a Kazak and I live among Russians”, “it is interesting”);

- 12.9% negatively related to the fact that people of different nationalities or religions live in their place of residence or city (“they are cluttering my region”, “they are insolent”, “they are chocks”, “I don’t like them”, “they are bad”);

- 14.9% found it difficult to answer.

9. Has anyone every treated you badly because of some attribute?

- 59.2% stated that they had never been treated badly;

- 17.8% recognized that they had been treated badly because of different reasons (“moral”, “I don’t wear glasses”, “aversive opinion”);

- 4.9% recognized that they had been treated badly because of national attribute; 4.9% - because of property attributes;

- 13.9% found it difficult to answer.

10. Have you ever shown intolerance to representatives of any minority?

- 51.5% answered that they had never shown intolerance to representatives of any minority;

- 13.4% admitted that they had shown intolerance to representatives of one minority or another because of different attributes;

- 8.2% expressed intolerance to representatives of one minority or another because of national attributes;

- 5.2% showed intolerance to representatives of one minority or another because of property attributes;

- 21.7% found it difficult to answer.

11. Do you support organizations which are against migration and for “Russia for Russians”?

- 35.9% support such organizations, but do not intend to join them;

- 16.5% fully support usch organizations and are ready to be members;

- 32.0% do not support such positions;

- 8.7% consider that such organizations should be forbidden;

- 6.8% chose “other”.

12. Have you encountered situations of someone’s derision because of their nationality or religion?

- 30.1% personally observed cases of derision because of their nationality or religion;

- 18.6% heard about such cases from their friends;

- 16.8% read about such cases in newspapers;

- 12.4% never encountered such situations;

- 11.5% saw similar subjects on television;

- 8.9% never paid attention to such matters;

- 1.8% experienced it themselves.

13. In your opinion, does intolerance towards people of a different nationality or religion exist in your region?

- 28.7% noted that in their region, intolerance towards people of a different nationality or religion exists, and it is a big problem; - 25.7% noted that it is rare in their region, but intolerance towards people of a different nationality or religion is met;

- 14.9% consider that in their region, people relate to each other indiscriminately well;

- 8.9% do not want to think about it;

- 2.0% consider that people relate to each other indiscriminately poorly;

- 19.8% do not know the answer.

14. What sort of manifestations of intolerance have you encountered?

- 21.7% had not encountered manifestations of intolerance;

- 20.2% noted the dissemination of fascist symbols in the form of leaflets, posters, drawings;

- 20.2% saw direct physical violence (beatings, etc.);

- 12.4% - protests, gatherings and other public demonstrations of nationalists and fascists;

- 11.6% - fascist literature;

- 10.9% - publications in the press, offensive for some nationalities or religions.

15. Do you consider the activity of youth antifascist organizations useful?

- 42.4% do not consider the activity of youth antifascist organizations useful;

- 23.9% consider the activity of such organizations useful, as they give youth the opportunity to express their opinions;

- 20.7% consider the activity of youth antifascist organizations useful, as they fight against neo-Nazism and neo-fascism;

- 12.0% consider the activity of such organizations useful, as they can have influence on authorities’ decision making;

- 5.4% chose “other”.

16. Which anti-fascist organizations are you ready to join?

- 22.1% are ready to take part in street actions;

- 21.2% are ready to take part in seminars or discussions;

- 21.2% are ready to take part in carrying surveys among friends;

- 17.3% are ready to take part in signing appeals to the authorities;

- 18.3% chose “other”: “destruction of chocks”

Olga Alexandrova