It is unlikely that in the era of technology, innovation and, as many people think, raising public awareness due to informatization, one can meet a person who has never heard of political science. Of course, every citizen considers himself to be at least half understanding what is happening at the top of the government, because this is spoken about in the media. In addition, the news every day proclaims that political science in modern Russia has reached new frontiers, but only which and by what criteria is a mystery.
So the level of literacy of the population leaves much to be desired. Few people know what constitutes, for example, electoral behavior, how it is associated with each of us. How to use this concept to determine the true motives for their participation in the life of the country. Ideally, a citizen needs to know how the types of political participation differ. I would like to talk about all this in more detail.
Electoral behavior - actions of a citizen that are associated with the selection of candidates for government at all levels. In addition to standard elections, referenda also apply here.
It should be noted that not every one of us ever voted at all, but if he did, then he chose the favorites according to certain criteria. Everyone has their own criteria, and therefore it is impossible to say that electoral behavior is homogeneous. We distinguish three groups.
The first includes rational voters who focus solely on the actions of candidates, assess the prospects for their “prosperity at the helm”, and then draw conclusions. There are almost no such responsible citizens in Russia, or they are very well disguised.
In the second group, voters depend on the opinions of others. This includes the usual way of voting “so that things don't get worse”, that is, for the party that is. Thus, we simply relieve ourselves of responsibility, go with the flow, and this, unfortunately, is happening everywhere in Russia.
The third group is cognitive behavior, or mixed. It is important both your opinion, which is influenced by education, books read, places of work, etc., as well as the foundations, traditions of the family.
It is also important to consider the concept of types of political participation. According to the methods of activity, they are divided into conventional participation, when any actions taken do not go beyond the existing norms, and unconventional (unauthorized rallies, etc.). Electoral behavior is closely intertwined with this category.
Conventional, in turn, is divided into passive participation, when the individual is interested in politics, but is not an actor, conformist, in which there is support for the existing regime because the majority believes so, and the protest.
Protest behavior is activist and reformist. The first involves drastic measures to change the existing political order, while the second is aimed at gradual improvement through peaceful reforms.
The types of political participation differ not only in methods of activity, but also in terms of motives: autonomous and mobilization. Under the first, citizens actively express their political position of their own free will, and according to the second, only by compulsion.
Political science in modern Russia considers many concepts besides those described above. However, it should be borne in mind that our citizens do not have political thinking as such, because there are no prerequisites for that: there is a low popularity of the departments of political science at which a new political elite could be educated. And those who have received a similar higher education earlier are unlikely, due to their age and Soviet upbringing, to actively advocate for radical changes in the country.
Of course, the authorities are making attempts to make people better aware of the reforms that are being carried out, to realize the advantages of democracy and become active residents of their country. However, in reality, it turns out that citizens who are interested and understand are “pushed” so that they do not spoil their opinion with the general favorable picture. While illiterate, but supportive of all endeavors, they often find themselves at the top. Here is a paradox.
