Yuri Levada What is "truth" and "truth" in public opinion? Do the Russians want to know the whole truth about current and historical events? And who is to blame for the concealment of truth? “Polit.ru” publishes the chapter “Truth” and “Pravda” in public opinion: the problem of interpretation of concepts ”, which included in the book of Yuri Levada“ We are looking for a person ”( Levada Yu. Looking for a person: Sociological essays, 2000–2005. - M.: New Publisher, 2006. - 384 p.

Yuri Levada On November 16, one of the largest sociologists of Russia and the world , Yuri Levada - professor, doctor of philosophical sciences, head of the analytical center Yuri Levada, passed away. “Polit.ru” publishes his last article “Dissatisfied person?”, In which Levada turns to one of the most important paradoxes of Russian reality.

Let's start with the paradox that immediately appears when the question about “youth” is posed. It so happened that research of this kind had to be carried out more than once, but whatever their particular results were, they gave the same general result. At first it seemed paradoxical, then it became more and more meaningful. The result, which, to sharpen it a little, can be formulated as follows: there are no “youth”.

Yuri Levada The process of separating the state from society, which occurred in European -type countries in the 19th century and ensured the legal contours of modern legal states, in Russia remains the problem of the future.

Yuri Levada Traditionally, the study of socio-political processes is based on an analysis of various components-power, elite, society. However, these structural components can be considered in a distinguished state characteristic of them only in the conditions of a calm course of processes. Meanwhile, in the conditions of the crisis, special consolidating mechanisms are launched, uniting all these components that are little communicating under ordinary conditions.

Yuri Levada Today, the concept of choice plays more than ever a significant role: parties are selected, presidential elections are planned, and sociological surveys are conducted weekly in order to outline the trend of public preferences. At the same time, there are discussions about the “left” reforms and new political programs are proposed. So what do Russians choose today and what socio-political importance does their voice have?

Yuri Levada For many years, ratings have been the most important factor when making a decision regarding the policy or strategy of any enterprise. A high rating almost always ensures the continuation of the project, and low makes it think about the causes of unpopularity and further necessary transformations. However, in Russia, the business with ratings is much more complicated, and far from always a stable high rating means public approval.

Yuri Levada In early 2005, a wave of mass protest was held in the country against the so -called “monetization” of social benefits, which revealed a serious crisis at the level of mechanisms of relations between power structures and society.

Yuri Levada “Polit.ru” represents an article by Yuri Levada “Twenty years later: restructuring in public opinion and public life”, in which the author addresses the already repeatedly raised problem of historical results of perestroika (see, for example, the work of Vladimir Mau “Perestroika through the prism of two decades”).