If you are wondering what creative activity is, then first of all it is necessary to pay attention to the keyword "create". V. Dahl interprets it as "to create something".

However, it is a mistake to understand creative activity as cutting snowflakes from book sheets or sculpting hedgehogs from plasticine. Everything that belongs to this concept should not only have a creative, technical, cultural or scientific basis, but also bring benefit, pleasure or benefit to society or a separate group of people.

A creator can be both a creator (a person with exceptional intellectual or creative abilities) and an ordinary person who creates useful benefits for society.

Let's get acquainted with the well-known examples of human creative activity.

art

Paintings as a subject of fine art are the creative activity of an artist. With the help of paints and brushes, he transforms a blank canvas into a real masterpiece. This is what Ilya Repin did, for example, who painted the picture "Barge Haulers on the Volga".

Sculpture

The result of sculptural art. Work on the creation of the faces of the four American presidents was carried out for 14 years under the leadership of John Gutzon Borglum.

Technologies

Steve Jobs has spent most of his life in the creative field of high technology. The result of his work is the legendary Apple company, which received the highest marks from experts in the IT industry.

The medicine

In 1922, Frederick Bunting and Charles Best saved a boy dying of diabetes with the world's first dose of synthesized insulin.

From that moment on, all people with diabetes in the world were able to lead a fulfilling life. Undoubtedly, such a medicine is one of the greatest and most beneficial achievements in society.

Literature

Creative, constructive, creating Dictionary of Russian synonyms. creative see the creative Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M .: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova ... Synonym dictionary

CREATIVE, oh, oh; flax, flax (high). Creator that n., Creative. Creative activity. Mirny s. work. | noun creativity, and, wives. Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

creative -, oh, oh. High. Creation-related, creative. \u003d\u003d Creative labor (work). pathet. ◘ The working people of Lithuania have adorned their land with the fruits of their creative labor. Sov. Lit., 6. The Soviet Union was free from economic and political ... ... Explanatory dictionary of the language of the Soviets

Adj. 1.rel. with noun creation associated with it 2. Inherent in creation, characteristic of it. Efremova's explanatory dictionary. T.F. Efremova. 2000 ... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

Creative, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, constructive, ... ... Forms of words

Destructive ... Dictionary of antonyms

creative - creative; short form flax, flax ... Russian spelling dictionary

creative - cr.f. sozida / telen, creative / telna, flax, flax; more creative / tighter ... Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

creative - Syn: creative ... Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary

creative - see create; oh, oh. Creative labor. Great power ... Dictionary of many expressions

Books

• Creative revenge, Polyakov Yuri Mikhailovich. Yuri Polyakov is not afraid to appear before the reader in development. His mistakes, delusions, throwing, seduction, disappointment come not from the desire to adapt, snuggle, "fit in", but from ...
• Creative revenge, Polyakov Yu .. Yuri Polyakov is not afraid to appear before the reader in development. His mistakes, delusions, throwing, seduction, disappointment come not from the desire to adapt, snuggle, "fit in", but from ...

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Understand how the universe works and act by its rules. Robert Fritz, who studies the structural dynamics of creativity and its application in the business environment, says that creativity is a window to the universe. Instead of going with the flow, you can act and create. In this article, you will learn how to create ideas that are important to you.

A creative approach

The goal of the creative approach is to overcome the automaticity of thinking and to develop alternative solutions. There is one significant difference between creativity and problem solving. Solving problems means destroying them, and creating means bringing something new into the world. When you get your hands on a big and appetizing problem, you no longer need to think - you have an obsession. What if you suddenly had no problems? What would you think about then? What did you do? The creator is always focused on what he would like to bring into the world.

The primitive tribes living in the jungle consider the passing plane to be a miraculous omen. Airplanes for them are, if not gods, then the chariots of the gods. The unknown often seems incomprehensible. Due to the lack of information, creativity is perceived as a mystical affair - in the same way, the inhabitants of the jungle lack knowledge in the field of modern aviation. In reality, creation is a skill that can be learned and developed like any other: by hard training. To become a creator, you have to create regularly.

Algorithm for achieving goals in the creator mode

The following are the basic steps for any creator. You may have some skills while others may be challenging.

Imagine the outcome you want to achieve

Initially, the creators have a plan. Sometimes it's just an outline, and sometimes it's something specific. Understanding what you need is real art. The education system does not teach us to understand what we want from life. We are coached to choose the “right option” from the limited possibilities life offers. This meager assortment has little to do with our true aspirations, and many are beginning to question their desires. Before the invention of the airplane, the steam engine and the telephone, scientists believed that this was impossible.

Answer the question: what do I want? Try asking yourself this question in different situations. If you get used to thinking about it, you will develop an instinct and you can decide what you want without hesitation. Whenever you feel confused, ask yourself this question and answer it. Much will become clear.

Shape the vision

The Chinese have a saying "one picture is worth a thousand words." A creative person knows how to draw in his mind what he wants to create. The form, structure of creation, impressions and sensations that make up the vision - all of this immediately appears, even in the most simple picture. Let each new creation arise in your mind as if from nothing. Do not take into account everything that has happened in the past, focus on what you want to see brought to life. Start from scratch with an empty field. Imagine the result. Try adding items. Take the risk of removing some of the old ones. Inspect an imaginary creature from the inside, outside, up close, from afar. So, by changing the angle of view, you will accumulate more and more knowledge about what you want to create. The task is to draw a few pictures of what you want in your head. Then try to describe them in words.

"This is an incredible human gift - to see beyond the present and the past, and from that distant, unknown, to extract something that has not existed until now." Robert Fritz

Don't think about the implementation process

If you try to decide what you want based on how you will achieve it, you will limit your ability to determine the desired result. So you reduce everything to what you know how to do or know how to do it. But the creative process is full of discoveries of what you don't know - yet... So for now, focus only on the goal.

Make a choice

First, you examine ideas and try them out. This is how you accumulate knowledge about what you like and what you don't. After that, you need to make your choice, weed out options, in order to end up with one thing. Great creators know what to get rid of and what to avoid.

The more you practice in making decisions, the more the instinct of the right choice is developed, leading to the implementation of creative plans. What do you think: who is more likely to succeed - the one who is wary of making decisions, or the one who was able to develop a flair for the right choice? Give the choice a formal form by saying the words: "I choose ...". You don't have to say the words out loud, say them to yourself. By verbalizing the vision, you will give it concreteness and mobilize energy. Result choice is a powerful force.

Feel the birth of an idea

Inception is a special stage in the creative process. The main thing that distinguishes him is the incredible energy that characterizes the new beginning. Did you experience a burst of energy when you embarked on a new project, started a new research, or when you met your soul mate? Composer Roger Sessions describes inception as "the impulse that sets the mechanism of creativity in motion." For filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, the early days of film represented the sweetest part of the filmmaking process.

Determine what has already been done

When painting a picture, an artist must understand how much he has already done and at what stage his work is. It is very important. If he is not aware of what he has managed to create, then he cannot add new strokes or change what he has drawn. Being aware of what stage you are at is also an art. It is not so easy, because we perceive reality subjectively. Therefore, the next step is important.

Become aware of reality

Many have to get used to reality. You can lie to yourself, come up with explanations. But as you learn to create, you acquire the ability to tell yourself the truth. Whether she is good, bad, or you don't care - you want to know her. Truth makes us free and helps us create. Only by realizing and accepting the facts of reality can we take advantage of the power of structural tension.

Appreciate structural tension

The discrepancy between what you want and what you currently have forms the most important element in the creative process: structural stress... Creators don't just tolerate differences - they value and stimulate them. Divergence contains energy to help create. As a creator, you can learn to create tension even in unwanted situations and hold it until it is discharged in a natural way.

Channel stress energy in the right direction

Voltage tends to discharge. As a creator, you create tension, use it, manipulate it, and release it by sending it in the direction you choose. Movement causes even more active movement. Even if you are moving in the wrong direction, it will be easier for you to change course and turn in the direction of the result than if you do not move at all. As you move away from your vision, you increase structural tension. It begins to generate more and more energy, more and more pulling you in the direction that you really wanted to go. When you move in the direction of what you want, you build up momentum, and getting closer to your goal becomes easier and easier.

As you embody your creative process, you build up momentum. It is easier to learn a new foreign language if you already know one language. By learning a language, you not only assimilate it, but you also assimilate the ability to learn languages. If you already speak two foreign languages, then the third one will be even easier for you.

Act by your own rules

The education system teaches us to play by someone else's rules, and few people know how to come up with our own. Inventing something of your own is an important skill for a creative person. The main strength of a creator is that he knows how to experiment and evaluate experiments.

Don't stop there

Professional creators don't believe in luck, but in evolution. The creative process doesn't just produce the desired results - it contains growth potential. Who do you think has a better chance of creating what he has in mind - a master or a beginner? Even Mozart - perhaps the most gifted composer of all time - has developed and grown in his work. The music he composed at 30 is more perfect than the music he created at 20. Experience has given him the “acceleration” characteristic of the creative process.

Each completed work is the basis for the next creation. The nature of creative energy is such that it does not wear out, but only accumulates and multiplies itself. After you create one culinary masterpiece, it will be easier for you to create another one. If you create a beautiful garden, you will do even better next year. Completion pushes you forward.

In short:

• Step 1. Describe where you are.
• Step 2. Describe where you want to be.
• Step 3. Make a formal choice of the desired outcome.
• Step 4. Move.

Decisive factor

Many feel hostage to the past, believing that the events of childhood predetermined how their life will turn out in the future. Some are convinced that they have become victims of inappropriate parenting or attitudes. Others believe that their style of behavior is predetermined by genes. Others blindly believe in astrology. And they all believe that the future is largely predetermined and that little can be changed.

A creative approach, on the other hand, suggests that the main deciding factor in your life is yourself. Creating his symphonies, Beethoven, perhaps, was influenced by upbringing, education and social status, but he needed

beethoven's man to write this music. By your presence on the planet, you make possible the emergence of creatures that the world would not otherwise see.

Experiment with the principles described here and get started with the creative process in a wide variety of areas. Each person can become the main creative force in his life. And when you discover this idea, there will be no turning back. Your life will change forever.

Creative activity is when you bring people genuine goodness: material, technical, handy, for the body, for the soul, for the psyche, to increase spirituality, to purify the soul, to develop positive qualities, to expand consciousness, and so on. That is, if you contribute to the improvement or saturation of the human body without any destructive effects in this regard, that is, without harmful chemicals, without eating meat, without taking drugs, alcoholic and smoking substances, you are engaged in creative activities. If you with good intentions help in the repair and maintenance of technical devices, their improvement and modernization, adjustment, maintenance, resolution of problems and malfunctions in computer and technical systems, repair broken equipment or any household items, are engaged in the construction of houses, invention of auxiliary inventions and means, the creation and distribution of various household items necessary for use in life, which are only not intended specifically for use in terms of a negative nature, for example, hunting rifles, explosive substances, drugs, then this is also a manifestation of creative activity on your part, but some people may subsequently to direct the assistance you have rendered, equipment, appliances, household appliances repaired by you to the detriment of yourself or others, that is, in a negative way. But this will already contribute to the development of negative karma by themselves, and not by you, if you helped them with good intentions, and not in terms of some negative motives. If you contribute to an increase in the spirituality of people, the development of their soul of positive qualities, you thus perform even more beneficial creative activity, these can be humanitarians of various professions, preachers of spirituality who bring people the Light of Truth of Higher Knowledge, energy-spiritual healers who provide people with all kinds of help and support, psychologists conducting yoga seminars, spiritual practitioners engaged in various kinds of creativity, which brings positive and uplifting energies to the soul, awakens and expands their consciousness in a certain way, evokes in them pure and bright feelings and emotions, these can be artists, singers, musicians , lyrics and others. If you contribute in a certain way to the destruction of the body and soul of people, bringing them certain physical, mental, mental or spiritual harm, then you are engaged in destructive activity. It includes the production of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, weapons, pornography, all kinds of products containing harmful chemicals, the imposition of low morality and ethics, the showing of films and programs promoting cruelty, violence, immoral behavior, low and rude music, such as techno, metal, rap, punk rock, distribution of unhealthy products and drugs, poisoning and pollution of nature with malignant chemical and other effusions, pollution of the atmosphere in cities themselves from industrial waste and vehicles, violence and murder of living beings, preaching by the media false values, preferences , aspirations, lifestyle, contributing to the hardening of people, the collection of dark-negative energies by their souls, this is all sorts of luring people with material values, career growth, rivalry, dusting and hammering their heads with all sorts of tough business, legal, formal laws and regulations, the struggle for survival and a place in the sun, so that everyone has only money in their eyes, so that young people are attracted by all kinds of low-moral entertainment, so that their speech is foul-mouthed, so that everyone thinks how to earn more, make more of all kinds of good for themselves, all sorts of stereotyped mind and thinking convictions, Yes, most of the professions that exist in the world today are destructive and most people are now engaged in destructive, not creative activities. For example, sellers, cooks, waiters, where people are fed up with alcohol, meat-containing food, chemically harmful products, are engaged in destructive activities, because this is both harmful to health and to the soul, and also accumulates negative karma for everyone who takes part in this. or cite as an example the developers of most computer games, where there are elements of cruelty, violence, immorality, greed, a detrimental effect on the psyche, there is simply a feast of destruction processes and the corresponding consequences for both the souls of developers and inveterate players, in which they simply whip, seethe and overwhelmed with negative energies. In order for your activity to be constructive, it must contribute to the true good for people in any respect, both materially, and physically, and mentally, and in moral, and in moral, and in spiritual. Think about what you are doing by the nature of your activity, what you bring to these people: the energy of creation or destruction. Maybe you should change your job, than you will change the balance between the creative and destructive processes taking place in the world, and also change your own polarity in terms of your professional business orientation. You should think well in this regard, because both the way of life of this world and your own formation of the soul largely depend on this.

Click to listen

The creative activity of people is an important resource for modernization. None. The wording has been known since ancient times: "The voice of the people is the voice of God." Sociologists study the public opinion of the inhabitants of any of the developed modern states. What role does people's opinion play in determining the internal policy of the state? How changeable are the moods of citizens and how to navigate the polyphony of modern society? During a regular meeting of the club "From the First Person", the newspaper's journalists talked about this with the Director General of the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), Professor of the Higher School of Economics Valery Fedorov. Valery Valerievich visited Tyumen as a keynote speaker of the fifth Governor's Readings. We bring to the attention of the readers the text of the conversation, given in an abbreviation. Alexander Skorbenko: - More than two millennia ago, Pythagoras argued that the world is ruled by numbers. Tell me, can everything these days be calculated, expressed in numbers so that the existing reality is fully understood and rationalized? Valery Fedorov: - I must say that sociologists are often confused with statisticians - it is the latter who are responsible for digital calculations. All data as determined by statisticians are assumed to be absolutely accurate. Nobody thinks more precisely. Only statistical departments are capable of, for example, the state population census. By the way, one can treat the results of the last all-Russian census in different ways, but the paradox is that no one has more accurate data. No institution has the resources, and hence the capacity, to conduct an alternative count. Sociological research, in turn, deals with certain errors. Unlike statisticians, we do not pretend that our numbers are the most accurate. They are accurate, but with some "interval". For example, the error in the data of all-Russian opinion polls is 3.4 percent. In other words, if we say that “15 percent of voters can vote for a given politician,” this means that in reality he can vote from 12.6 to 18.4 percent of voters. Sociological research does not claim to contain absolute truth. At the same time, we can say with a certain accuracy what people think and how they plan to act in the future. Alexander Skorbenko: - However, sociologists with the help of research results have the opportunity to influence public opinion ... Valery Fedorov: - There is even a joke: "Public opinion is studied in order to tell the people what they really think." In reality, the poll results are reported not by sociologists, but by journalists - we do not have our own media. The official website of VTsIOM is operating: www.wciom.ru, on which the research results are presented as fully, in detail and with all the notes and reservations. The site is actively visited by analysts and media observers. At the same time, each newspaper, radio and TV channel has its own genre of news presentation and analysis of events. Therefore, they convey to the audience those numbers and data that they consider necessary and important. Sociologists are not responsible for this. Journalists love to operate with figures from the results of opinion polls, because figures give the illusion of clarity. A person, for example, has some kind of opinion that is not formed into a clear thought, it cannot be confirmed by anything. Numerical data confirm this opinion, being a "reinforced concrete argument". Therefore, sociological data are sometimes seen as something that corresponds to the inner convictions of certain interpreters. In fact, the numbers are different, including "crafty". But this is better than no clear data at all. That is why society and the state have a request for the activities of sociological services. It's just that “you need to see the forest behind the trees”, and behind the numbers - the essence of the processes taking place in society. Denis Fateev: - The problem is also how sincerely people answer the questions posed by sociologists. Of course, this factor can be leveled out by a well-designed sample, but still what determines the nature of the responses of citizens in the course of a sociological survey? Valery Fedorov: You know, a person's opinion depends on the situation. When it is bad, painful, hungry, he only wants a piece of bread for happiness. But as soon as he receives bread, it immediately becomes insufficient. And the mood may not improve, but worsen. We sociologists measure the mood of the population by answering our questions. And people's mood is very changeable. How can it be explained? Weather, strife in the family, accumulated internal irritation. Or vice versa, uplifting. The sun peeped out - and it seems to be not so sad to live. One example: we conducted surveys across all UFO regions in April and June 2011. Specific questions were asked: how satisfied is the healthcare system? Estimates obtained with an interval of three months, for many indicators in different regions have changed above the statistical error - by 5-10 percent. What could have changed radically in three months? Never mind! Healthcare and medical services are a serious system, and it will take a long time for something to change significantly. It was just that in June people started their vacations, there were other concerns. Summing up, I will say that sociologists provide data that the authorities, the governing structures should take into account. People can take note of them too. A third of the respondents said that they listen to the data of sociological research, which they receive from the media. This served as the basis for the whole concept of our sociological science, which is called "Return public opinion to the people." That is, let's ask not for the authorities, but for the people themselves. Alexander Skorbenko: - In the everyday consciousness the opinion prevails that the whole society can be "counted", to find out its thoughts, habits and aspirations - up to the preferences of each person. You can only hide from this on a desert island. In your opinion, is this idea of \u200b\u200bthe capabilities of sociologists and statisticians correct? Valery Fedorov: - The opinion that supposedly everything can be counted does not correspond to the real state of affairs. Moreover, quantitative sociology is only a small section of the sociology of public opinion. There are also so-called qualitative methods of sociological science. They do not operate with numbers, but they give more interesting and meaningful answers to questions that interest us. The specificity of the work of sociologists is as follows: everything they know, they know from people through public opinion polls. In other words, if we don't know something, then we go and ask, and people answer. But do people themselves know everything? that's the question! In sociological science, a paradox has long been defined, which indicates the fact that people tend to say one thing, think another, and act in a completely different way. Moreover, they do not dissemble and do not lie, this is how the human brain and personal behavior are arranged. Therefore, I am convinced that sociological data, expressed in numbers, must be treated with attention, but not viewed as "the ultimate truth." This is just one of the research tools. Raisa Kovdenko: - During the Soviet era, there was, at least on a visible level, “nationwide approval” of the measures of the party and government. 99.9 percent of voters always came to the elections. Are there currently mechanisms for managing public opinion? Valery Fedorov: - Sociological research was carried out in Soviet times. Another thing is that their results were not published, since the customers were party bodies and special services. These polls showed that no "monolithic unity of the Soviet people" actually existed. The decomposition of Soviet society into social, professional, and other strata or groups began in the mid-60s - early 70s of the XX century. In 1967, the famous Soviet, Russian sociologist Boris Grushin published a book. By the way, she, by the fact of her publication, approved both the phenomenon of public opinion in the USSR and science for its study. Before that, nothing of the kind could exist within the framework of the dominant Marxist-Leninist ideology in our country. Boris Grushin's studies showed with all clarity that no unity was observed in Soviet society. There is a complex society, which, moreover, has become more and more differentiated. Moreover, each social group of the population had its own interests and beliefs. So the current Russian society is maximally individualized. And if in answer to a number of questions the population is unambiguously in favor, this does not mean that there is no pluralism of opinions in society. On the contrary, it is quite large. People understand this, but I can't say that they really like it - after all, a significant part of Russian citizens were brought up in a collectivist culture. There is nostalgia for the times when everyone was one, were together - at least outwardly. But collectivism is no longer there, and it cannot be returned. Of course, a variety of modern control techniques are available today. A complex informational post-industrial society is inconceivable without modern management techniques. An important one of them is television, which brings collective interests and attitudes into the public consciousness. Oleg Bannykh, Managing Partner of the West Siberian Design Center, Yekaterinburg: - Why then measure popular opinion if it is the result of a certain manipulation? Valery Fedorov: - In world sociology, the topic of how a person lends itself to manipulation is one of the most popular over the past 50 years. There are different points of view. Someone says that today a person is a robot controlled by television and the Internet. Our sociologists put forward a different theory: there is a part of people who really lend themselves to manipulation, but there is a part that is informationally insensitive. That is, whatever you say to them, they have their own point of view on everything. There are a lot of such people in Russia. Take the same electorate of the communists. Under any conditions, they will vote for their ideas. Here is an example for you that manipulation does not always take place and not everywhere. Therefore, of course, public opinion should be measured. Alexander Skorbenko: - Valery Valerievich, does the state invade a person's personal life and how much? Or vice versa: the further, the more personal space will be won back? ”Valery Fedorov:“ In my opinion, convergence is taking place. Twenty years ago, the world was divided by an iron curtain to the west and east. The West was considered a free world, where the state acted as a night watchman. In our country, there was an opinion that the state and the person are one and the same, but this has remained in the past, now they exist separately. The state does not seek to interfere in private life; each individual person is not particularly interesting to him. Moreover, it tries to shake off unnecessary responsibility. From here come social reforms, rationalization of the budgetary sphere, and more. Thus, a private space is created where a person is free to do what he pleases. However, many are not accustomed to this state of affairs and are waiting for instructions, which is understandable: seven dozen marched in a single formation in the direction indicated by the party and government. When the direction was gone, there was a feeling of abandonment, depression, disorientation. This is the bitter price of freedom. We got it, but we often don’t know how to dispose of it, because there are no techniques, strategies, culture of managing freedom, resources. At the same time, in a sense, Russia is one of the freest countries in the world, because laws do not operate in it, customs, traditions have died, and new rules have practically not been developed. In the West, there is an opposite trend: society is becoming more complex, new technical means (the Internet, smartphones, and much more) are being created, which greatly simplify and reduce the cost of state control over a person. At the same time, the risks of terrorist, global warming, man-made disasters and epidemics are increasing in parallel. As a result, I repeat, we become freer, moving away from a totalitarian society, while in the West the process is going in the opposite direction - towards a more manageable system. In my opinion, we are moving towards. The question is: at what point will we converge and will we converge? Konstantin Eliseev: - You have vividly described the atomization of Russian society. The authorities are trying to put forward some common goals, realizing that the country needs a technological, social breakthrough ... But people, apparently, strained themselves during previous mobilizations and are rather cool about appeals. Or am I wrong? What personal interest can help a person to join, for example, the same modernization program? Valery Fyodorov: - As for personal interest, in my opinion, we have only lived with it in the last two decades. Of course, everyone understands it in their own way and lives according to the principle “my house is on the edge” or “my shirt is closer to the body”. If earlier the party and the government were responsible for everyone, now the person himself must bear responsibility. Of course, any society will not be able to exist for a long time in a state of general discord, when everyone is only for himself, therefore, some braces are needed. This is, first of all, universal respect for the law and a system of measures that supports this respect. By the way, in the West the law is much tougher than ours. The system of measures includes a punitive apparatus, that is, the police, the prosecutor's office do not work for their own pocket, but for everyone to understand that the operation of the law is inevitable. The concept of the rule of law - a kind of “sacred cow” of modern Western societies, comes from the independence of the court and the priority of law. In Russia, however, such an internal attitude to the law as to the highest judge has not yet developed - remember the saying "the law is like a tongue ...". Another bond is the so-called national ideology. It is known that the Constitution of the Russian Federation prohibits any nation-wide ideology, which was recorded in 1993 in order to make it impossible to return to the communist past. At the same time, it is clear that in any society, as long as it remains a society, there are unshakable institutions that are universally valid for everyone. Take the United States, for example. Yes, there are liberals and conservatives, republicans and democrats, Bush and Obama, that is, some poles. But at the same time, there are things that, in principle, are not discussed and are the same for everyone. For example, "all Americans are patriots": as soon as the anthem sounds, everyone gets up, sings and even cries. They have a national shrine, a general idea that America is the best country in the world and will always be so. Americans are convinced that only they know how to really live and are ready to teach others. Perhaps this is not spoken out loud, but it is present in everyone's mind. Good or bad, but this is actually a national ideology. Our country, emerging from the communist period and imposing a taboo on a single ideology, did not conclude a certain convention, did not create a common field, beyond which one cannot go beyond. What can be the basis for this convention? Some people think that our "religion" is the Constitution, everyone must comply with it and then everything will be fine. I think this is also a solution. For Americans, the basis of their "civil religion" is also the US Constitution. It is known that it has existed for two hundred years, has never changed - only amendments fit into it. It is quite obvious that our attitude to the Basic Law of the country is somewhat different, so to speak, instrumental. Before Yeltsin's Constitution, there was Brezhnev's, until then Stalin's. The most important thing is that none of them was implemented, so the attitude to the Basic Law of the country is the same as to any law. There are no common norms and values \u200b\u200bin the state that could harmonize personal wills and strategies, but only if they were there would not be an internally contradictory society, but synergy, a general movement forward. Of course, the problem of modernization cannot be solved unless a compromise is found - a way to link personal strategies and the strategy of the country as a whole. This is the main path to successful modernization. Otherwise, everyone who can modernize, that is, the youngest, most active, educated, who have material resources, will implement plans for “personal modernization,” that is, act individually. This means the following: either they will begin to move to the West, because there is a better system for personal well-being and prosperity, there are traditions, relevant institutions are working, and more, or they will physically remain in Russia, but their thoughts will be there. Alexander Skorbenko: - In your opinion, the upcoming elections will harmonize the situation in the foreseeable future? Valery Fedorov: - The situation with the elections is rather complicated. Twenty years ago, when many parties and candidates first appeared, the population had high hopes for the elections. This capital of the people's hopes lasted for about four years. Chosen politicians began to pursue a course that led to radical changes in society. I mean price liberalization, voucher privatization and a number of other painful reforms. It turned out that the majority expected something different. There is a bitter aftertaste after the 90s of the XX century. Unfortunately, the events of almost twenty years ago left a significant negative experience of citizens' electoral behavior. Since then, the attitude towards elections in society has been rather skeptical. If two decades ago they chose according to the principle of who is better, now “no matter what happens” or “the lesser of two evils”. This is also an atomization element. Ideally, they go to the elections to hire a government that will work for the people and improve life. In reality, it turns out that we are going to the polls, but we do not expect anything good. The authorities have a completely different attitude to elections. It is clear that in any democratic society elections are the only legitimate basis for the activities of the authorities. In particular, therefore, she is interested in approving this institution, so that the electoral process comes with a large turnout. This is a paradox: society does not believe in elections, and the authorities care about them. Margarita Shamanenko: - We are used to the fact that Russians' interest in political life wakes up only on the eve of the elections. And what about the electorate of Western countries in this regard? Valery Fedorov: In most Western countries, people look at elections as an instrument. This government does not suit me - I have to go to vote and change it to another one that will suit me. And the government itself refers to this as an instrument. Yes, today the authorities, and tomorrow the opposition, that's okay. I’ll sit in opposition for four or eight years, then I’ll come to power again. That is, there are no emotions. Elections for them are not a war, but a game, a sport. Everyone understands what they are for and uses it. In Russia, elections are more of a ritual than a rational way to solve a problem. We have elections - a war. All or nothing. Therefore, the one who came to power strives to stay there forever. And anyone who takes part in the vote understands that this is more an imitation than a real choice. Such a deformation has occurred. I think we'll get out of it someday. Timur Khakimov: - Does the government react to your work, to the results of your research? Valery Fedorov: - Of course, the government works very carefully with our data, precisely because it is power in a democratic society. There is simply no other source of legitimacy. Our government is not monarchist. A person becomes president because people elect him, even if they don't believe in elections as an institution. He simply has nothing else to rely on, except for the will of the people. Therefore, he always carefully looks: if the elections were held tomorrow, how many people would vote for me? Sometimes it even turns into paranoia. For example, in the United States, the president does not make a single decision without finding out how the Americans feel about it. Konstantin Eliseev: - It is not the first year that the center has been conducting research in the Tyumen region. What advantages of the region do you see in the light of the research carried out? Valery Fedorov: “Indeed, at the request of the regional government we quite often organize public opinion polls in the Tyumen region. Tyumen looks better against the general background. The strengths include the resource base and the established management tradition: it is obvious that the region has had good luck with the leadership over the last decade. The stability of the socio-economic situation serves as a basis for working for the future. There is attention to the region on the part of the federal authorities and, which is undoubtedly important, the active work of the leadership of the Tyumen region in line with the socio-economic development of the region. According to the results of public opinion research, the living conditions in the region, in comparison with many other subjects of the Russian Federation, satisfy the population. This is a good factor in competitiveness among regions. In the region, there is a high activity of residents - 50 percent of the respondents associate the improvement of life with their own work. Every second Tyumen resident counts not on the state, but on himself. For Russia, this is a very high indicator. There is also a factor of perception of the history of the development of the territory - and this story is alive in the perception of the Tyumen people today. The topic of modernization and discoveries is not alien to the inhabitants of the region - the descendants of the pioneers of Siberia. Another important factor in modernization is that a large proportion of citizens with higher education (11 percent) are employed in the fields of education, science and culture. In addition, 8 percent of the population is student youth. Both together form an impressive basis for the innovative development of the region. The following indicator is also associated with this factor - the satisfaction of the bulk of the population of the Tyumen region with the quality of educational services. According to VTsIOM, 70 to 80 percent of the region's population gives high marks to the quality of education. This gives hope that young people will remain in the region, as well as come from other parts of the country. The quality of educational services is the first factor in the list of opportunities for modernization in the region, the Tyumen region has good potential in this sense. Vladimir Polishchuk: - At one time there were big conversations about the national idea, now they have somehow subsided. Are you an informed person, perhaps there is some kind of working group that continues this work? Alexander Skorbenko: - And what about the regional ideas of the Urals District? Is there a corporate connection of ideas? Small ideas of a small area - area - state. Valery Fedorov: - As far as I know, there is no working group at the federal level. Searches are going on, as they say, in everyone's head. And it seems to me that in the next 15–20 years they will not be crowned with success. Because our nation and people are now in a rather difficult phase - in the phase of realizing that the old way of development, our former behavior as a nation no longer works. Russia was an extensively developing state, expanding within its borders at a tremendous pace. It is no coincidence that they became the largest country in the world, it did not happen "by itself." Any historian will tell that the colonization of the same Siberia looked somewhat different than the myth of the voluntary annexation of the Chukchi and Eskimos. But the state has reached some limits. Moreover, 1991 marked the opposite movement. We began to lose territory. Lost Kazakhstan, Ukraine, in terms of population, so generally half of the country. Where to go next? Trying to return to the traditional, natural for Russia, method of territorial expansion, expansion? In what ways? Especially in a situation where we are weak. Other powers are much more powerful. Or change this national code. Realize our boundaries and understand that we need to equip life here and now. It is necessary, in the words of Vladimir Putin, "like St. Francis of Assisi, daily to cultivate your garden, to hoe it." This is a seemingly simple idea, but for many Russians, unfortunately, it is still very difficult. All the time we lived for the sake of a great goal and did not notice small difficulties like the lack of improvement in residential buildings, did not pay attention to it. And now they have to deal with the arrangement of their lives, but they are not yet used to it. So it’s hard with the national idea so far. As for the regional idea, I think that it is much more difficult at the regional level than at the settlement level. The most lively topic is when a city or village comes up with a certain idea, a certain brand. Tourists go to places where residents love their city. It is cherished, cultivated, adorned, landscaped. For something, residents must love their city, this is the brand. When the city leadership and its residents see that the population is shrinking, leaving and conditionally by 2015 the city will disappear, it becomes a shock. They begin to think about how to stop such dynamics, and interesting projects appear. Everyone now knows about Veliky Ustyug - the homeland of Santa Claus. And about 15 years ago there was no homeland of Santa Claus. This is an absolutely man-made story. In the mid-1990s, a crisis reigned. People thought how to survive, there are no resources, there are no unique industries. They came up with this brand and started promoting it. Now in Veliky Ustyug they are trying to convert a military airfield into a civilian one, because trains and buses cannot cope with the delivery of tourists. This is an example, of course, not of a national or regional idea. But such an urban idea makes its way and really changes the quality of life, dramatically improving it. The quality of life and people's perception of the world has increased. There is a huge space for such ideas in Russia. Denis Fateev: - Tell us at least one unusual study that VTsIOM plans to conduct in the near future. Valery Fedorov: - Together with the National Olympic Committee, we are developing an ambitious research program related to sports. Today sports in Russia are developing mainly at the expense of the state or some kind of state sponsors. This is a very expensive toy, which, unfortunately, does not work as it does in the West, when sport itself makes a lot of money. He only consumes them here. We need to find a formula for how to remove this gigantic burden from the shoulders of the state, how to come up with a self-propelled mechanism for sport. Alexander Skorbenko: - Will VTsIOM research be conducted in the Tyumen region in the near future? Valery Fedorov: - Recently we completed a large study on the socio-political situation in the Tyumen region, which was carried out by order of the regional government. In October, we plan to conduct a district-wide survey throughout the Ural Federal District, including the Tyumen Region. About 50 basic parameters will be measured, including how the population evaluates the quality of public services and the effectiveness of government. --- blitz-survey - Do you have any authorities in science? If so, who? - Russian sociologist Boris Grushin and George Gallup, founder of the scientific sociology of public opinion. - How do you like to spend your free time? - I go to Tyumen. - The most unusual gift you've ever received? - My wife gave me 14 bottles of red wine for the 14th wedding anniversary. I still try to drink it. ”“ And the most unusual gift that you yourself made? ”“ It is still ahead. ”“ Do you have a favorite dish and can you cook yourself? ”“ No, and not again. ”“ Favorite writer and poet? - Lev Tolstoy. At school I read War and Peace, read for three months, it made a very deep impression on me. But there is no favorite poet. It's hard for me with poets. Only prose. ”“ Do you like opera? ”“ Yes. I prefer Italian, mostly Puccini. ”“ What are your favorite performers? ”“ There are many of them. From the living - Jose Carreras. - Are you friends with sports? - Only in the discharge of physical exercises. - Do you like to drive? If yes, which one? - I drive every day - I manage VTsIOM. For eight years now. ”“ But you still have to drive a car? ”“ Of course. But I prefer walking. ”“ Tell us about your family. ”“ Two daughters, the youngest went to school this year. The eldest is in the eighth grade. ”“ Do you read fairy tales for the children? ”“ I read the youngest, of course. - Does your family support you in work and life? “Of course it does.” “Fedorov is a well-known surname. You didn’t track who your ancestors were? ”“ I have such an idea. In November, the House of Cinema Actor will host a presentation of a documentary about the Fedorovs. I was invited to his presentation, I will speak for 40 minutes before the film. There are a lot of Fedorovs, and it is rather difficult to trace your own. But maybe this is a matter of the future. When I retire, I'll do it.

The wording has been known since ancient times: "The voice of the people is the voice of God." Sociologists are engaged in the study of public opinion of the inhabitants of any of the developed modern states. What role does people's opinion play in determining the internal policy of the state? How changeable are the moods of citizens and how to navigate the polyphony of modern society? During a regular meeting of the club "From the First Person", the newspaper's journalists talked about this with the Director General of the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), Professor of the Higher School of Economics Valery Fedorov. Valery Valeryevich visited Tyumen as the main speaker of the fifth Governor's Readings. We bring to the attention of the readers the text of the conversation, given in abbreviation.
Alexander Skorbenko:
- More than two millennia ago, Pythagoras argued that numbers rule the world. Tell me, can everything these days be calculated, expressed in numbers so that the existing reality is fully understandable and rationalized?
Valery Fedorov:

- I must say that sociologists are often confused with statisticians - the latter are responsible for digital calculations. All data as determined by statisticians are assumed to be absolutely accurate. Nobody thinks more precisely. Only statistical departments are capable of, for example, the state population census. By the way, one can treat the results of the last all-Russian census in different ways, but the paradox is that no one has more accurate data. No institution has the resources, and hence the capacity, to conduct an alternative count.

Sociological research, in turn, deals with certain errors. Unlike statisticians, we do not pretend that our numbers are the most accurate. They are accurate, but with some "interval". For example, the error in the data of all-Russian opinion polls is 3.4 percent. In other words, if we say that “15 percent of voters can vote for a given politician,” this means that in reality he can vote from 12.6 to 18.4 percent of voters.

Sociological research does not claim to contain absolute truth. At the same time, we can say with a certain accuracy what people think and how they plan to act in the future.

Alexander Skorbenko:
- However, sociologists with the help of research results have the opportunity to influence public opinion ...
Valery Fedorov:

- There is even a joke: "Public opinion is studied in order to tell the people what they really think." In reality, the poll results are reported not by sociologists, but by journalists - we do not have our own media. The official website of VTsIOM is operating: www.wciom.ru, on which the research results are presented as fully, in detail and with all the notes and reservations. The site is actively visited by analysts and media observers. At the same time, each newspaper, radio and TV channel has its own genre of news presentation and analysis of events.

Therefore, they convey to the audience those numbers and data that they consider necessary and important. Sociologists are not responsible for this.

Journalists love to operate with figures from the results of opinion polls, because figures give the illusion of clarity. A person, for example, has some kind of opinion that is not formed into a clear thought, it cannot be confirmed by anything. Numerical data confirm this opinion, being a "reinforced concrete argument". Therefore, sociological data are sometimes seen as something that corresponds to the inner convictions of certain interpreters. In fact, the numbers are different, including "crafty". But this is better than no clear data at all. That is why society and the state have a request for the activities of sociological services. It's just that “you need to see the forest behind the trees”, and behind the numbers - the essence of the processes taking place in society.

Denis Fateev:
- The problem is also how sincerely people answer the questions posed by sociologists. Of course, this factor can be leveled out by a well-designed sample, but still what determines the nature of the responses of citizens in the course of a sociological survey?
Valery Fedorov:

- You know, a person's opinion depends on the situation. When it is bad, painful, hungry, he only wants a piece of bread for happiness. But as soon as he receives bread, it immediately becomes insufficient. And the mood may not improve, but worsen. We sociologists measure the mood of the population by answering our questions. And people's mood is very changeable. How can it be explained? Weather, strife in the family, accumulated internal irritation. Or vice versa, uplifting. The sun peeped out - and it seems to be not so sad to live.

One example: we conducted surveys across all UFO regions in April and June 2011. Specific questions were asked: how satisfied is the healthcare system? Estimates obtained with an interval of three months for many indicators in different regions have changed above the statistical
errors - by 5-10 percent. What could have changed radically in three months? Never mind! Healthcare and medical services are a serious system, and it will take a long time for something to change significantly. It was just that in June people started their vacations, there were other concerns.

Summing up, I will say that sociologists provide data that the authorities, the governing structures should take into account. People can take note of them too. A third of the respondents said that they listen to the data of sociological research, which they receive from the media. This served as the basis for the whole concept of our sociological science, which is called "Return public opinion to the people." That is, let's ask not for the authorities, but for the people themselves.

Alexander Skorbenko:
- In everyday consciousness, the opinion prevails that the whole society can be "counted", to find out its thoughts, habits and aspirations - up to the addictions of each person. You can only hide from this on a desert island. In your opinion, is this idea of \u200b\u200bthe capabilities of sociologists and statisticians correct?
Valery Fedorov:

- The opinion that supposedly everything can be counted does not correspond to the real state of affairs. Moreover, quantitative sociology is only a small section of the sociology of public opinion. There are also so-called qualitative methods of sociological science. They do not operate with numbers, but they give more interesting and meaningful answers to questions that interest us.

The specificity of the work of sociologists is as follows: everything they know, they know from people through public opinion polls. In other words, if we don't know something, then we go and ask, and people answer. But do people themselves know everything? that's the question!

In sociological science, a paradox has long been defined, which indicates the fact that people tend to say one thing, think another, and act in a completely different way. Moreover, they do not dissemble and do not lie, this is how the human brain and personal behavior are arranged. Therefore, I am convinced that sociological data, expressed in numbers, must be treated with attention, but not viewed as "the ultimate truth." This is just one of the research tools.

Raisa Kovdenko:
- During the Soviet era, there was, at least on a visible level, "popular approval" of the measures of the party and government. 99.9 percent of voters always came to the elections. Are there currently mechanisms for managing public opinion?
Valery Fedorov:

- Sociological research was carried out in Soviet times. Another thing is that their results were not published, since the customers were party bodies and special services. These polls showed that no "monolithic unity of the Soviet people" actually existed.

The decomposition of Soviet society into social, professional, and other strata or groups began in the mid-60s - early 70s of the XX century. In 1967, the famous Soviet, Russian sociologist Boris Grushin published a book. By the way, she, by the fact of her publication, approved both the phenomenon of public opinion in the USSR and science for its study. Before that, nothing of the kind could exist within the framework of the dominant Marxist-Leninist ideology in our country.

Boris Grushin's studies showed with all clarity that no unity was observed in Soviet society. There is a complex society, which, moreover, has become more and more differentiated. Moreover, each social group of the population had its own interests and beliefs.

So the current Russian society is maximally individualized. And if in answer to a number of questions the population is unambiguously in favor, this does not mean that there is no pluralism of opinions in society. On the contrary, it is quite large.

People understand this, but I cannot say that they like it very much - after all, a significant part of the citizens of Russia was brought up in a collectivist culture. There is nostalgia for the times when everyone was one, were together - at least outwardly. But collectivism is no longer there, and it cannot be returned.

Of course, a variety of modern control techniques are available today. A complex informational post-industrial society is unthinkable without
modern management techniques. An important one of them is television, which brings collective interests and attitudes into the public consciousness.

Oleg Bannykh, Managing Partner of the West Siberian Design Center, Yekaterinburg:
- Why then measure popular opinion if it is the result of a certain manipulation?
Valery Fedorov:

- In world sociology, the topic of how a person lends itself to manipulation is one of the most popular over the past 50 years. There are different points of view. Someone says that today a person is a robot controlled by television and the Internet. Our sociologists have put forward a different theory: there is a part of people who really lend themselves to manipulation, but there is a part that is informationally insensitive. That is, whatever you say to them, they have their own point of view on everything. There are a lot of such people in Russia. Take the same electorate of the communists. Under any conditions, they will vote for their ideas. Here is an example for you that manipulation does not always take place and not everywhere. Therefore, of course, public opinion should be measured.

Alexander Skorbenko:
- Valery Valerievich, does the state intrude into a person's personal life and to what extent? Or vice versa: the further, the more personal space will be won back?
Valery Fedorov:

- In my opinion, there is convergence. Twenty years ago, the world was divided by an iron curtain to the west and east. The West was considered a free world, where the state acted as a night watchman. In our country, there was an opinion that the state and the person are one and the same, but this has remained in the past, now they exist separately. The state does not seek to interfere in private life; each individual person is not particularly interesting to him. Moreover, it tries to shake off unnecessary responsibility. From here come social reforms, rationalization of the budgetary sphere, and more. Thus, a private space is created where a person is free to do what he pleases. However, many are not accustomed to this state of affairs and are waiting for instructions, which is understandable: seven dozen marched in a single formation in the direction indicated by the party and government.

When the direction was gone, there was a feeling of abandonment, depression, disorientation. This is the bitter price of freedom. We got it, but we often don’t know how to dispose of it, because there are no techniques, strategies, culture of managing freedom, resources. At the same time, in a sense, Russia is one of the freest countries in the world, because laws do not operate in it, customs, traditions have died, and new rules have practically not been developed.

In the West, there is an opposite trend: society is becoming more complex, new technical means (the Internet, smartphones, and much more) are being created, which greatly simplify and reduce the cost of state control over a person. At the same time, the risks of terrorist, global warming, man-made disasters and epidemics are increasing in parallel.

As a result, I repeat, we become freer, moving away from a totalitarian society, while in the West the process is going in the opposite direction - towards a more manageable system. In my opinion, we are moving towards. The question is: at what point will we converge and will we converge?

Konstantin Eliseev:
- You have vividly described the atomization of Russian society. The authorities are trying to put forward some common goals, realizing that the country needs a technological, social breakthrough ... But people, apparently, strained themselves during previous mobilizations and are rather cool about appeals. Or am I wrong? What personal interest can help a person to join, for example, the same modernization program?
Valery Fedorov:

- As for personal interest, in my opinion, we live only with it in the last two decades. Of course, everyone understands it in their own way and lives according to the principle "my house is on the edge" or "my shirt is closer to the body." If earlier the party and the government were responsible for everyone, now the person himself must bear responsibility. Of course, any society cannot exist for a long time in a state of general discord, when everyone is only for himself, so some kind of braces are needed. This is, first of all, universal respect for the law and a system of measures that supports this respect. By the way, in the West the law is much tougher than ours.

The system of measures includes a punitive apparatus, that is, the police, the prosecutor's office do not work for their own pocket, but so that everyone understands that the operation of the law is inevitable. The concept of the rule of law - a kind of “sacred cow” of modern Western societies, comes from the independence of the court and the priority of law. In Russia, however, such an internal attitude to the law as to the highest judge has not yet developed - remember the saying "the law is like a drawbar ...".

Another bond is the so-called national ideology. It is known that the Constitution of the Russian Federation prohibits any nationwide ideology, which was written down in 1993 in order to make it impossible to return to the communist past. At the same time, it is clear that in any society, as long as it remains a society, there are unshakable institutions that are universally valid for everyone. Take the United States, for example. Yes, there are liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, Bush and Obama, that is, some poles. But at the same time, there are things that, in principle, are not discussed and are the same for everyone.

For example, "all Americans are patriots": as soon as the anthem sounds, everyone gets up, sings and even cries. They have a national shrine, a general idea that America is the best country in the world and will always be so. Americans are convinced that only they know how to really live and are ready to teach others. Perhaps this is not spoken out loud, but it is present in everyone's mind. Good or bad, but this is actually a national ideology.

Our country, emerging from the communist period and imposing a taboo on a single ideology, did not conclude a certain convention, did not create a common field, beyond which one cannot go beyond. What can be the basis for this convention? Some people think that our "religion" is the Constitution, everyone must comply with it and then everything will be fine. I think this is also a solution. For Americans, the basis of their "civil religion" is also the US Constitution. It is known that it has existed for two hundred years, has never changed - only amendments fit into it.

It is quite obvious that our attitude to the Basic Law of the country is somewhat different, so to speak, instrumental. Before Yeltsin's Constitution, there was Brezhnev's, until then Stalin's. The most important thing is that none of them was implemented, so the attitude to the Basic Law of the country is the same as to any law. There are no common norms and values \u200b\u200bin the state that could harmonize personal wills and strategies, but only if they were there would not be an internally contradictory society, but synergy, a general movement forward.

Of course, the problem of modernization cannot be solved unless a compromise is found - a way to link personal strategies and the strategy of the country as a whole. This is the main path to successful modernization. Otherwise, everyone who can modernize, that is, the youngest, most active, educated, who have material resources, will implement plans for “personal modernization,” that is, act individually. This means the following: either they will begin to move to the West, because there is a better system for personal well-being and prosperity, there are traditions, relevant institutions are working, and more, or they will physically remain in Russia, but their thoughts will be there.

Alexander Skorbenko:
­
- In your opinion, will the upcoming elections harmonize the situation in the foreseeable future?
Valery Fedorov:

- The situation with the elections is rather complicated. Twenty years ago, when many parties and candidates first appeared, the population had high hopes for the elections. This capital of the people's hopes lasted for about four years. Chosen politicians began to pursue a course that led to radical changes in society. I mean price liberalization, voucher privatization and a number of other painful reforms. It turned out that the majority expected something different. There is a bitter aftertaste after the 90s of the XX century.

Unfortunately, the events of almost twenty years ago left a significant negative experience of citizens' electoral behavior. Since then, the attitude towards elections in society has been rather skeptical. If two decades ago they chose according to the principle of who is better, now “no matter what happens” or “the lesser of two evils”. This is also an atomization element.

Ideally, they go to the elections to hire a government that will work for the people and improve life. In reality, it turns out that we are going to the polls, but we do not expect anything good.

The authorities have a completely different attitude to elections. It is clear that in any democratic society elections are the only legitimate basis for the activities of the authorities. In particular, therefore, she is interested in approving this institution, so that the electoral process comes with a large turnout. This is a paradox: society does not believe in elections, and the authorities care about them.

Margarita Shamanenko:
- We are used to the fact that Russians' interest in political life wakes up only on the eve of the elections. And what about the Western electorate in this regard?
Valery Fedorov:

- In most Western countries, people look at elections as a tool. This government does not suit me - I have to go to vote and change it to another one that will suit me. And the government itself refers to this as an instrument. Yes, today the authorities, and tomorrow the opposition, that's okay. I’ll sit in opposition for four or eight years, then I’ll come to power again. That is, there are no emotions. Elections for them are not a war, but a game, a sport. Everyone understands what they are for and uses it.

In Russia, elections are more of a ritual than a rational way to solve a problem. We have elections - a war. All or nothing. Therefore, the one who came to power strives to stay there forever. And anyone who takes part in the vote understands that this is more an imitation than a real choice. Such a deformation has occurred. I think we'll get out of it someday.

Timur Khakimov:
- Does the government react to your work, to the results of your research?
Valery Fedorov:

- Of course, the government is working very carefully with our data, precisely because it is power in a democratic society. There is simply no other source of legitimacy. Our government is not monarchist. A person becomes president because people elect him, even if they do not believe in elections as an institution. He simply has nothing else to rely on, except for the will of the people. Therefore, he always carefully looks: if the elections were held tomorrow, how many people would vote for me? Sometimes it even turns into paranoia. For example, in the United States, the president does not make a single decision without finding out how the Americans feel about it.

Konstantin Eliseev:
- It is not the first year that the center has been conducting research in the Tyumen region. How do you see the advantages of the region in the light of the research carried out?
Valery Fedorov:

- Indeed, at the request of the regional government, we quite often organize public opinion polls in the Tyumen region. Tyumen looks better against the general background. The strengths include the resource base and the established management tradition: it is obvious that the region has had good luck with the leadership over the last decade. The stability of the socio-economic situation serves as a basis for working for the future. There is attention to the region on the part of the federal authorities and, which is undoubtedly important, the active work of the leadership of the Tyumen region in line with the socio-economic development of the region.

According to the results of public opinion research, the living conditions in the region, in comparison with many other subjects of the Russian Federation, satisfy the population.

This is a good factor in competitiveness among regions. In the region, there is a high activity of residents - 50 percent of the respondents associate the improvement of life with their own work. Every second Tyumen resident counts not on the state, but on himself. This is a very high figure for Russia.
There is also a factor of perception of the history of the development of the territory - and this story is alive in the perception of the Tyumen people today. The topic of modernization and discoveries is not alien to the inhabitants of the region - the descendants of the pioneers of Siberia.

Another important factor in modernization is that a large proportion of citizens with higher education (11 percent) are employed in the fields of education, science and culture. In addition, 8 percent of the population is student youth. Both together form an impressive basis for the innovative development of the region.

The following indicator is also associated with this factor - the satisfaction of the bulk of the population of the Tyumen region with the quality of educational services.

According to VTsIOM, 70 to 80 percent of the region's population gives high marks to the quality of education. This gives hope that young people will remain in the region, as well as come from other parts of the country. The quality of educational services is the first factor in the list of opportunities for modernization in the region, the Tyumen region has good potential in this sense.

Vladimir Polishchuk:
- At one time there were big talks about the national idea, now they have somehow subsided. You are an informed person, perhaps there is a working group that continues this work?
Alexander Skorbenko:
- And what about the regional ideas of the Urals District? Is there a corporate connection of ideas? Small ideas of a small area - area - state.
Valery Fedorov:

- As far as I know, there is no working group at the federal level. Searches are going on, as they say, in everyone's head. And it seems to me that in the next 15–20 years they will not be crowned with success. Because our nation and people are now in a rather difficult phase - in the phase of realizing that the old way of development, our former behavior as a nation no longer works. Russia was an extensively developing state, expanding within its borders at a tremendous pace. It is no coincidence that they became the largest country in the world, it did not happen "by itself."

Any historian will tell that the colonization of the same Siberia looked somewhat different from the myth of the voluntary annexation of the Chukchi and Eskimos. But the state has reached some limits.

Moreover, 1991 marked the opposite movement. We began to lose territory. We have lost Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and half of the country in terms of population. Where to go next? Trying to return to the traditional, natural for Russia, method of territorial expansion, expansion? In what ways? Especially in a situation where we are weak. Other powers are much more powerful. Or change this national code. Realize our boundaries and understand that we need to arrange life here and now. It is necessary, in the words of Vladimir Putin, "like St. Francis of Assisi, daily cultivate your garden, hoe it."

This is a seemingly simple idea, but for many Russians, unfortunately, it is still very difficult. All the time we lived for the sake of a great goal and did not notice minor difficulties like the lack of improvement in residential buildings, did not pay attention to it. And now they have to deal with the arrangement of their lives, but they are not yet used to it. So it’s hard with the national idea so far.

As for the regional idea, I think that it is much more difficult at the regional level than at the settlement level. The most lively topic is when a city or a village comes up with an idea, a brand.

Tourists go to places where residents love their city. It is cherished, cultivated, adorned, landscaped. For something residents should love their city, this is the brand.

When the city's leadership and its residents see that the population is shrinking, leaving and conditionally by 2015 the city will disappear, it becomes a shock. They begin to think about how to stop such dynamics, and interesting projects appear. Everyone now knows about Veliky Ustyug - the homeland of Father Frost. And about 15 years ago there was no homeland of Santa Claus. This is an absolutely man-made story.

In the mid-1990s, a crisis reigned. People thought how to survive, there are no resources, there are no unique industries. They came up with this brand and started promoting it. Now in Veliky Ustyug they are trying to convert a military airfield into a civilian one, because trains and buses cannot cope with the delivery of tourists.

This is an example, of course, not of a national or regional idea. But such an urban idea makes its way and really changes the quality of life, dramatically improving it. The quality of life and people's perception of the world has increased. There is a huge space for such ideas in Russia.

Denis Fateev:
- Tell us about at least one unusual study that VTsIOM plans to conduct in the near future.
Valery Fedorov:

- Together with the National Olympic Committee, we are developing an ambitious research program related to sports. Today sports in Russia are developing mainly at the expense of the state or some kind of state sponsors. This is a very expensive toy, which, unfortunately, does not work as it does in the West, when sport itself makes a lot of money. He only consumes them here. We need to find a formula for how to remove this gigantic burden from the shoulders of the state, how to come up with a self-propelled mechanism for sport.

Alexander Skorbenko:
- Will VTsIOM research be carried out in the Tyumen region in the near future?
Valery Fedorov:

- We recently completed a large study on the socio-political situation in the Tyumen region, which was carried out by order of the regional government. In October, we plan to conduct a district-wide survey throughout the Ural Federal District, including the Tyumen Region. About 50 basic parameters will be measured, including how the population evaluates the quality of public services and the effectiveness of government.

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