Sociologists at St Petersburg University find out what encourages young people to stay in the regions

The results of the study presented the main factors influencing the alignment of individual trajectories. The results also identified what Rybinsk young people needed in relation to infrastructure and availability of various types of leisure activities.

The administration of the town of Rybinsk asked the Centre for Sociological and Internet Research at St Petersburg University to find out what dissuades young people from staying in Rybinsk and what encourages them into other cities and regions. What the customer aimed to find out was to identify the differences in assessing the opportunities in the town by local residents and young people who arrived from other regions. St Petersburg University sociologists were also set a task to reveal how the immediate environment of young people influences their choice of educational and career trajectories.

Youth research is among the main activities of the Centre for Sociological and Internet Research at St Petersburg University. Experts regularly conduct applied and theoretically oriented research related to the study of young people. They also develop and test their own methods of data collection to significantly reduce the time to prepare the necessary tools. Each study takes into account the instructions of the customer and the specifics of the region under study.

‘The study focused on a very wide-ranging problem’, said Maiia Rusakova, Head of the Centre for Sociological and Internet Research at St Petersburg University. ‘It includes testing many hypotheses about the role of certain factors of how young people make decision to choose ways to study and build a career. The research team proposed a combination of several sociological methods of data collection. Among them were: a quantitative-questionnaire online survey and qualitative-group focused interviews with representatives of the young people of Rybinsk. Bringing together these methods enabled the researchers to obtain the most complete and versatile picture of the phenomenon and to more effectively interpret the statistical data.’

What makes the study different is also statistical population. The key respondents were young people. This ensured that sociologists could receive first-hand information. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, citizens aged 14 to 35 are regarded as young people. It is a very wide age group that includes people with completely different life experiences. In this regard, sociologists at St Petersburg University needed to break the young people into smaller subgroups and adapt the questionnaire and group interview guide to the characteristics of their representatives. Thus, three questionnaires were developed: for pupils in grades 8-11 of schools; for students of colleges and universities; and for young people aged 24-35 who are mainly engaged in the professional activities. The questionnaires and guides differed in the socio-demographic block of questions; questions about the preferred or chosen job; and the level of awareness and satisfaction with the educational and career opportunities in Rybinsk.

Despite the impressive amount of work and tight deadlines, the study was completed in a month on a turnkey basis. After agreeing on the terms of reference and the developed tools, representatives of the research group visited Rybinsk and independently collected data with the assistance of the town administration. The survey was conducted at schools; colleges; universities; and some companies.

2050

people took part in the survey. 1,988 of them participated in a questionnaire survey, while 62 of them were engaged in group focused interviews.

Regional youth research can help find answers to the specific questions of the customers and understand the view of young people on various aspects of life in the town, said Maiia Rusakova. In other words, the research can reveal what young people aim to get from the town administration and what their needs are in relation to infrastructure and leisure activities. It is also possible to identify systemic problems in education, employment, and interactions in the labour market. ‘In this regard, we can draw point conclusions. Among them are: which career guidance events are most relevant for the young people of the region or which academic programmes the region lacks,’ the sociologist explained. ‘The solutions of specific problems are much easier to incorporate into the current calendar of town events. They are also easier to implement. For young people, such changes will be more noticeable than gradual systemic transformations. The more young people notice them, the higher their level of loyalty will be.’

Today, there is a high demand for applied youth research, said Maiia Rusakova. Many regions are faced with educational and labour migration of young people. In this regard, there is a growing tendency in the relevance of research aimed at identifying the factor influencing the outflow of young people.

The study conducted in Rybinsk did not identify any single factor that would have the strongest influence. Developing educational and career trajectories is influenced by a range of interconnected factors. Among them is the level of satisfaction with life in the town. It includes the quality of infrastructure; the aesthetic component of the town; the level of security; and social and leisure opportunities. Of no less importance are the social ties between young people; the financial situation in families; and the preferred profile of education and lifestyle. Not all of these factors the town administration or anyone else can take into account or exert influence on them.

Another observation obtained from the study was the need to approach the phenomena not in terms of negative perspective, i.e. to determine what drives young people out of the region. Rather, the phenomena should be approached from the perspective of what attracts young people to stay in Rybinsk. By doing so, we will be able to understand what encourages young people to stay in the region or attracts young people from other regions.

More often than not, researchers focus on people who leave the region. Yet, there is much room for the study of those who choose the town as a point of migration and who are attracted by aspects of town life that are not in demand among young people who leave. The study by the sociologists at St Petersburg University provides just such an emphasis.

‘In general, we have a very positive impression of the study. Rybinsk is a very cosy town. It is largely due to the beauty of its ancient architecture and the greatness of the Volga River. The people who live in Rybink only add up to it,’ said Maiia Rusakova. ‘We enjoyed both communicating with the administration and interacting with the young people in the town. They are very cheerful, creative and reasonable. We got acquainted with the town to which we want to return. During the study, we had a huge amount of impressions. We hope that we will develop cooperation between our centre and the town of Rybinsk.’