Social distance of youth of Luhansk region: survey results

The article is devoted to the study of the social distance of the youth of Luhansk region. Social distance described as a certain degree of closeness and remoteness of people in relation to each other. It illustrates social relationships among people of different cultures, nationalities, social groups, so it is relevant for research. Exploring the problem of social distance, the author turns to the scientific works and research of such scientists as R. Park, E. Bogardus, V. Paniotto, N. Panina and others, describing their contribution to the development of science on this topic. The purpose of this article is to study the social distance of young people in Luhansk region, by conducting this study at the local level, which indicates the lack of such experience before. For this purpose, we chose the method of questionnaires, and 418 young people of Luhansk region of different ages and fields of activity acted as respondents. The study used a simplified method of E. Bogardus to measure the degree of social distance of respondents to representatives of certain social groups, and the terminology of interpretation of social distance by N. Panina. Also, a simplified scale of social distance was used, limited to three possible answers: "I agree to communicate with them personally", "I agree to accept them in society, but would like to avoid personal communication" and "No I want them to be in our society in general, ”and not only national minorities but also social groups of a marginal nature and representatives of sexual minorities were chosen as social groups. Particular attention was paid to the description of the results of the study. The study found that young people in Luhansk region have social closeness to residents of the European Union, are tolerant of people with disabilities, people with COVID-19 and IDPs, as well as socially distant from marginalized groups, sexual minorities and more. As a result, it was proved that the students have an average level of social distance.