Students’ protest mood: Causes of emergence and readiness to act

The article presents the results of an empirical sociological study of the main causes of students’ protest sentiments. The study included the collection and analysis of data obtained through questionnaires (n=608), in-depth interviews (n=12) and focus groups (n=10) of students of Altai Krai. Reasons of students’ protest sentiments were determined by the analysis of subjective assessments of satisfaction with life and education, attitude to distance education, as well as current problems that could provoke social tension and conflict. Indicators of students’ readiness to protest actions were: attitude towards people attending protests, evaluation of the effectiveness of peaceful and radical protest behaviour; students’ willingness to participate in rallies. The study identified the following trends. Not only the degree of satisfaction with the conditions of their life and educational activities, but also the quality of relationships with others influence the formation of students’ protest mood. Many students suffered from biased and unfair treatment by teachers or peers, which affected their mental state. Various forms of discrimination can trigger protests by young people to claim their rights. The most pressing issues for young people are the economic and political situation. This raises concerns about the financial situation of both students and their families. These problems may encourage protest behaviour. Psychological, religious and ethnic aspects also influence protest mood. The respondents’ opinions on the effectiveness of different ways of expressing protest actions are different. Many respondents note the effectiveness of both peaceful and radical methods in achieving their goals. Students are not ready to take part in protests; however, they do not completely deny this possibility. The results obtained indicate the importance of conducting additional studies to identify other factors of protest mood among young people in order to predict and prevent youth protests and ensure safety in educational institutions.

Keywords

Authors

References