Sociocultural Characteristics of the Population in the Context of the Binary Nature of Russian Culture (On the Example of the Vologda Region)

Recently, the attention of scientists has been focused on culture as a factor in the social development and economic success of a nation. Very often they talk about a cultural code and the construction of a mobilization culture with the aim of consolidating society in the face of the challenges of a civilizational conflict. At the same time, the culture itself is changing dynamically under the influence of generational changes, the emergence of new standards and institutions, etc. In general, in science the topic remains open for discussion in which direction the culture of the population is changing and whether it creates an ideological basis for the integration of society. Within the framework of the article, we raise the question of the current state of the population’s culture and its distinctive features. The purpose of the study is to identify indicators that reflect the cultural characteristics of the Russian population. We put forward a working hypothesis about the heterogeneity of the culture of the Russian population, which is determined by the aspirations for a high power distance, feminine mentality, avoidance of uncertainty, maximum use of life resources to work in extreme situations, on the one hand, and low power distance, masculine mentality, desire for change, minimal use of life resources in extreme situations, on the other. As part of the study, we defined an approach to culture as a set of values and behavioral attitudes that determine the thoughts, feelings and standards of thinking. Based on the theory of cultural code A. A. Auzan developed a theoretical model for studying the object of study, considering the features of two polar types of culture. The author presents the results of testing the theoretical model on data from representative sociological studies conducted by the Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences among the population of the Vologda region in 2000–2022. The results of the study confirmed the fact of the coexistence of two polar cultures in Russian society and their gradual rapprochement in the process of civilizational development. In conclusion, the authors’ reflections on the features of development and prospects for the existence of culture in the future of the country are presented.