Absenteeism as a type of political behavior

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1.1 The concept and types of political absenteeism

Absenteeism - (lat. absentis - absent) - one of the forms of conscious boycott of elections by voters, refusal to participate in them; passive protest of the population against existing form board, political regime, a manifestation of indifference to the exercise by a person of his rights and obligations. In a broad sense, absenteeism can be understood as the fact of the indifferent attitude of the population to political life, the philistine idea of ​​individuals that nothing depends on them in politics, politics is “not my business”, etc. Such a view is contrary to the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation. If “a person, his rights and freedoms are the highest value”, then their manifestation in political life presupposes the rejection of absenteeism, apoliticality. Article 32 of the Constitution states: "Citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to participate in the management of state affairs, both directly and through their representatives." But this right, in unity with the freedom of a person, gives him the opportunity not to participate in political life, in the election campaign. Thus, absenteeism acts as a sign of human freedom in society. But freedom from non-participation in political life turns into the formation of an absent consciousness, indifference to the socio-political affairs of society and the state. Therefore, we especially emphasize that, having a general and political culture, a person is obliged to freely exercise his rights in political life. Mass absenteeism can blow up the democratic mechanisms of social control, make the population an object of manipulation, absolutely subject to the "tops", form a passive personality. Absenteeism is present in any society: developed and undeveloped, democratic and totalitarian, etc. .

Political absenteeism does not mean, however, the complete exclusion of a person from the field of political power relations, since, as a rule, he remains a law-abiding citizen, a conscientious taxpayer. The position of non-participation taken by man concerns only those species political activity, where he can somehow show himself as an active person: express his opinion, express his involvement in some group or organization, determine his attitude towards this or that candidate for parliament.

Two main types of absenteeism can be distinguished: passive absenteeism - a low political and legal culture of certain segments of the population, which gives rise to indifference to the political process and alienation from it, and active absenteeism - the result of refusal to participate in elections for political reasons, for example, disagreement with putting the issue to a referendum , negative attitude towards all candidates in the presidential elections, etc.

Absenteeism is, first of all, the deliberate avoidance of voters from voting for political reasons.

All over the world, there is a detrimental trend towards a decrease in voter turnout, and this cannot but disturb specialists. The growing passivity of voters, unwillingness to go to the polls, complete indifference is one of the most difficult problems facing the world community and the Russian Federation in particular. According to VTsIOM in the 1979 elections. 63% of voters took part, in 1984. - 61%, 1989 - 58.5%, 1994 - 56.8%, a significant decrease in the number of voters was noted in 1999. - 49.85%, in 2004 their number was 45.7%. Thus, on this moment According to official data, there are approximately 52 million citizens in the Russian Federation who are absentees.

Modern research allows us to identify the categories of absenteeists:

And so absenteeism is a voluntary, deliberate evasion of elections. In this regard, before talking about ways to eliminate this state of affairs, let's look at the reasons for the unwillingness of voters to go to the polling stations on election day.

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political absenteeism and political participation citizens: concept, forms, types.
Political consciousness (psychology and ideology) is an important integral part political culture. However, it would be wrong to be limited only to this component. Just as the criterion of the truth of any theory is practice, the best test of a person's feelings and views is his action or inaction in a certain situation. Of course, it is possible to assume that a person is a patriot after listening only to his statements, but will the prediction made be correct? It may happen that an individual who has positioned himself as a patriot turns out to be a deserter or a deviationist during the war. And, on the contrary, a person who has not publicly declared his love for the Fatherland will consciously defend it with weapons in his hands. This example clearly shows that a complete picture of political culture will develop only when both political consciousness and political behavior are analyzed in a complex. As noted earlier, political behavior can be defined as externally observable and subjectively motivated manifestation of political activity in actions (single acts of behavior). A characteristic of political activity and, accordingly, political behavior is "political activity" showing the measure of manifestation and the degree of intensity of activity. Political activity can be compared to a scale measuring instrument, which shows the minimum and maximum values. The maximum value was discussed above, now you should pay attention to the minimum and the average. Zero indicator political activity personality is political absenteeism(from lat. absens, absentis - absent) - manifestation of an indifferent attitude to political life, avoidance of participation in it, political inactivity.

Researchers distinguish several groups of people who voluntarily refused to participate in political life:

1) ^ Apathetic people, those. not interested in politics due to involvement in their own problems, the demands of a professional career, passions for bohemian life or subculture (youth, racial, religious, etc.). They don't link events. own life with events taking place "outside" their closed world. Some of them consider politics incomprehensible, boring, meaningless.

2) ^ Alienated from politics – those who believe that politics has abandoned them. They believe that whether they vote or not, political decisions will still be made by a few (the establishment). They do not see any difference between political parties or electoral candidates. These people believe that politics serves only the interests of the elite, and participation in the political process will not bring any benefits to the ordinary person. The alienated, unlike the apathetic ones, are not just passive, but deny the political system as such and can be mobilized by various extremist movements, especially during periods of significant social upheaval.

3) Anomic people - these are those who have lost faith in their own capabilities, goals, social roots, identity with any social group. They feel their own aimlessness and powerlessness, because they have lost the meaning of life. These people see social change as unpredictable and unmanageable, and political leaders as incapable of responding to their needs.

4) ^ Trusting politicians  a group of people who refuse to participate in politics because of their trust in justice, legality, stability, and the fairness of political decisions. Such people believe that the prospects for political life will be favorable without their active participation. However, they can vigorously engage in the political process during a period of depression.

Since the most accessible form of political activity is participation in elections, political absenteeism is manifested in citizens, primarily in their non-participation in elections. According to the data presented in table 47, the average percentage of absenteeism in Russia for the period from 1993 to 2007 is 40.9%. Is it a lot or a little?

This question can be answered by level data.

absenteeism in countries liberal democracy The presented data indicates that the level of non-participation of Russians in the parliamentary elections is quite high. We are second only to the Americans and the Swiss, but the high absenteeism in the United States is due to other reasons:

the difficulty of registering (this occurs weeks before an election and usually in district court), the inability of American parties to mobilize voters, and

also by the fact that Election Day in the United States is a business day. Thus, absenteeism is a common phenomenon in all democratic countries. As noted

Russian researcher V.S. Komarovsky, “widespread absenteeism is a disease of democracy, a relapse of oligarchic rule (the power of a few).” How do Russians explain their absence from the elections? According to the data of a sociological survey, the main reasons for not coming to the polling station, citizens name: a coincidence of circumstances (33.3%), disbelief that the cast vote can change anything (27.6%), lack of interest in elections ( 20%), complaining that no one attracted them (13.7%),

non-observance of legislation by election commissions (2%), unequal position of candidates (1%) and other (4.5%). If we exclude from the answer options references to coincidence and lack of involvement in the elections, which represent obvious excuses,

The main reasons for political absenteeism should be recognized as the lack of interest in politics and disbelief in the ability to influence the political course of the country. Thus, apathetic, aloof and anomic types predominate among Russian absenteeists. It should also be noted that absenteeism in Russia, as well as in other countries, depends on the significance of the elections. In Russia, the proportion of those who did not take part in the presidential elections is significantly less than in the parliamentary elections: in 1991. 25.3% did not vote for the president, in the first round of the 1996 elections -30.3%, in

1999 -38.2%, in 2004 -44.3% political participation(political participation). The pioneers in the study of political participation were the American scholars Sydney Werba, Norman Nye, and Jeon Kim, authors of Participation and Political Equality: A Comparison of Seven Countries (1978). They defined political participation as: "The legitimate actions of private citizens, more or less directly aimed at influencing the selection of government personnel and/or influencing their actions."

In fact, American scholars have defined participation as a legitimate opportunity for citizens to influence the formation and exercise of power, but this interpretation seems to be inaccurate, since its supporters do not consider participation of citizens in prohibited actions or coup d'état. That is, according to the logic of American political scientists, what is not permitted by law cannot be political participation. This is not true.

A more precise definition would be: ^ Political participation – it is the activity of individuals or groups seeking to influence the process of political governance and the formation of political leadership in various ways. Modern researchers distinguish variousforms of political participation , such as

1. reading newspapers and discussing political stories with family and friends;

2. signing petitions to the authorities;

4. contacting authorities, communication with government officials and

political leaders;

5. participation in rallies and meetings;

6. assistance to a party or candidate in an election;

7. participation in strikes, rallies, boycotts, pickets of state bodies;

8. participation in the seizure of buildings and clashes;

9. membership in parties and legal organizations;

10. playing the role of a party activist, etc.

It is quite obvious that among the forms of political participation in all countries of the world, the most common is electoral participation (voting). The only exception is the USA. The most popular among non-electoral participation are meetings, rallies and signing of petitions, while aggressive forms of political participation are relatively uncommon (Czechoslovakia is an exception).

However, it should be noted that 1991, when the study was conducted, was the time of the "velvet revolutions" - the period of the overthrow of the socialist governments. This explains the high rates of such forms of participation as meetings, rallies and aggressive forms. Multiple manifestations of political participation made researchers think about their typology. The most common among the typologies of forms of political participation is the dichotomy: conventional(traditional, routine) - unconventional(non-traditional, protest) participation. At the same time, the first type includes 1,3,4,5,6,9,10, and the second - 2.7 and 8 forms of political activity. Depending on the degree of freedom of the participant, researchers distinguish autonomous political participation(conscious and independent) and mobilized(under pressure from other subjects, often leading to a distortion of one's own preferences) participation.

The typology developed by Western researchers M. Kaaze and A. Marsh was recognized as very successful. Political scientists have divided forms of political participation into five types:

 passive - absenteeism, reading newspapers, as well as signing petitions and participating in elections "for the company";

 conformist (accommodative) – episodic conventional participation;

 reformist - more active than under conformism, conventional participation;

 activist - active conventional participation, as well as episodic protest activity;

 protest type of participation - the predominance of non-conventional participation.

Conducted in the late 1980s. A comparative study of political activity in Europe and the United States revealed the following correlation of types of political participation identified by M. Kaase and A. Marsh Analyzing political participation in Western countries, it should be noted that reformism plays a significant role. At the same time, in a number of countries (Netherlands, Germany, Italy), a significant proportion of the population prefers protests to other forms of participation. In Great Britain, Austria and Finland, on the contrary, passive forms of political participation occupy the leading positions. Despite a significant proportion of conformism and activism, these types of political activity have not come out on top in any country. Characterizing the forms of political activity in modern Russia, it should be noted that a significant part of Russians (29-33%) regularly discuss political issues with their relatives, friends and colleagues; another 16% contribute to the conduct of elections; meetings, meetings and conferences are attended by 12%; take part in signing petitions in the media and authorities - 11%; go to rallies and demonstrations - 7%.

But the most massive form of political participation for Russians, as well as for citizens of other countries, is voting in elections. The majority of Russians polled stated that they took part in the past elections and are going to participate in future ones. At the same time, Russian citizens consider federal elections (of the President and the State Duma) to be more important than regional and local ones. If 95 and 84% of respondents declared their participation in the former, then 76, 81, 67 and 72%, respectively, admitted to voting for the governor, mayor and legislative assemblies of the region and city. Citizens of Russia view elections mainly as a means of expressing their attitude towards the authorities (31%) or politicians (25%). Other motives are much less common. 18% of respondents are convinced of the possibility of defending their own interests through voting, 11% consider elections to be participation in the formation of government bodies, and 10% consider them a way to solve social problems. Thus, Russians regard elections as a kind of channel for conveying public opinion to the authorities. This obviously happens because the majority of citizens (53%) are convinced that the election results are determined by the authorities, and only 29-30% of respondents believe that the results correspond to the voting results. Unlike European countries, only 1-2% of Russians participate in protests. Such a small proportion of protesters is obviously related to the peculiarities political consciousness citizens of our country, ready to endure in the hope that life will improve.

The term "absenteeism" comes from a Latin word. In translation, it means "missing". The concept is used in various areas of life. Let's consider it in more detail.

Absenteeism is...

The dean of any department of sociology will be able to explain this term quite well. in plain language. However, not all people in society have the opportunity to attend lectures. There is such a definition as political absenteeism. This concept implies inaction, evasion from participation in public administration. In particular, we are talking about party activities, the organization of demonstrations and rallies, and electoral behavior. Absenteeism of voters is actually non-participation in voting. In many countries, it is believed that electoral behavior is a right of citizens, which they may not use. In some states, voting is the responsibility of the people. In such countries, absenteeism in elections is unacceptable behavior. At the same time, the responsibility of citizens who evade their duties is established. For example, in Italy moral sanctions can be imposed on such citizens. Under Mexican law, political absenteeism is a criminal offense. The legal system of the country provides for fines or imprisonment.

Reasons for absenteeism

Undoubtedly, this phenomenon has a negative character both for society and for state system. This phenomenon can occur due to various circumstances. The causes of absenteeism may be related to:

1. A trait of character, a chosen life position, which manifests itself in the absence of a habit, need and desire to carry out any managerial actions or take part in them.
2. A worldview aimed, for example, at internal perfection.

Absenteeism is a characteristic of a low level of awareness in power issues, infantilism or awareness of one's own managerial impotence. Citizens who show such inaction admit their inability to influence the adoption of administrative decisions. At the same time, there is an alienation of one's own political needs and values ​​from the existing possibilities for their satisfaction. In addition, a high degree of distrust of the electorate towards state institutions and candidates remains.

Specificity

Absenteeism is a certain model of behavior of the population. It reflects the desire of ordinary people to step back from state affairs. This desire is due to the fact that many citizens see an ambitious and conceited competition in power structures. Within the framework of the institution, in the opinion of such people, egoistic and group interests, which are in no way connected with the needs of the population, come into play. In the modern world, the influence of religion is much weaker than it was in former times. In this regard, everything sacred or tragic, as a rule, is associated with politics. If it does not live up to expectations, citizens are disappointed in it. As a result, absenteeism begins to appear. This phenomenon is the brighter, the worse the results of certain actions of the authorities. Some researchers associate the phenomenon with the mentality of indifference. It is characteristic of many peoples of the former USSR. In addition, there is a "psychology of conformism." Its dominance of civil society brought incompetent actors into the managerial state sphere. This, in turn, affected the decline in the authority of representative bodies and government in general.

Professional area

In this area, there is also such a phenomenon as absenteeism. This behavior is typical for workers who are systematically absent from their jobs and avoid performing their duties. Such a phenomenon the main problem management. Traditionally, this phenomenon is considered as an indicator of insufficient individual performance. Recent studies in this area have focused on the consideration and evaluation of absenteeism as an indicator of social, psychological and medical adaptation to work.

The care model

The consequences of absenteeism are expressed in the staff turnover at the enterprise. According to psychological model"leaving", the individual begins to shy away from attending work, thus reacting to unsatisfactory working conditions. At the same time, innocent delays begin at first, then absenteeism appears, which ultimately ends in dismissal. The results of a number of psychological studies also indicate the predisposition of workers to absenteeism. As an indicator, as a rule, the total number of days or hours missed, or the frequency of absence of employees on site, is used. At the same time, omissions for both disrespectful and valid reasons are taken into account. The danger of absenteeism lies in the fact that by his disinterest and inaction, the individual causes damage primarily to himself. As a result of his such behavior, his financial condition. At the same time, significant economic damage is caused to the enterprise itself. Along with personnel turnover, absenteeism is seen as a reaction of workers to working conditions. This, in turn, reflects the effectiveness of work with personnel aimed at creating successful individual-organizational compliance.

Modern usage of the term

Absenteeism is the opposite of presenteeism. In the field of labor relations, the concept is used to characterize the frequent absence of employees from their jobs, often without good reason. For example, a day of non-attendance at work due to poor health, but without going to the doctor. The frequent absence of employees can act as an indicator of weak morale or sick building syndrome. The absenteeism rate is the ratio of the number of missed days to total number days of work per month, year.

Problem Research

Organizational psychologists have been studying absenteeism for a long time. For many years it was generally accepted that this phenomenon is a reaction to job dissatisfaction. This assumption is based on the results of numerous studies. The study revealed a moderate negative relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism rates. The lower the first, the higher the second. Some researchers suggest that perhaps cause and effect should be reversed. An alternative theory is that some individuals express job dissatisfaction in order to find an excuse for their proclivity for absenteeism.

Other factors

Over the past few years, the relationship of absenteeism with other variables has been investigated. In particular, among the characteristics that are studied in connection with this phenomenon are: race, gender, education, marital status, age, income. According to a number of researchers, one should also pay attention to the length of service in a particular position, its location in the hierarchical structure of the enterprise. As a result of the analyzes carried out, a relationship was established between absenteeism and each variable.

Floor

Absenteeism has the most stable connection with him. Studies have shown that women are more susceptible to this phenomenon than men. This is explained by various hypotheses. In most cases, the increased level of absenteeism among women is explained by the fact that, in addition to work, they also have family responsibilities. In addition, the fact that, as a rule, women are in positions of a lower level is also important.

Age

Findings that absenteeism in women has more complex causes than in men are further supported by other studies. In particular, when studying the relationship with age. The older a man becomes, the less absenteeism is manifested. In a study of women, no such association was found. The fact that the degree of manifestation of absenteeism does not decrease with age is usually explained by the presence of household duties. But a number of researchers consider this point of view doubtful.

The level of absenteeism in the state characterizes the state of the political system, the attitude of citizens towards it. Ignoring the vote can be both a form of passive approval of the existing political situation, and vice versa - a form of expressing dissatisfaction with the authorities, distrust, leading to alienation of a person from political processes.

Thus, among absenteeists, two main groups can be distinguished:

1) a group of citizens whose decision not to vote is not an expression of their political position and demonstrates conforming behavior;

2) a group of citizens expressing their protest in this way.

The level of absenteeism is influenced by many factors that can be conditionally divided into objective and subjective.

Objective factors include such factors as the level and type of elections, the level economic development and the social status of the voter, his demographic characteristics.

The subjective ones include the individual and psychological qualities of the voter, the specifics of his culture, including the political, socio-psychological state at the time of the election.

The number of non-voters is largely determined by the level of elections. At the local and regional level elections, there is a significantly smaller number of voters than at the federal level elections. When predicting the turnout of voters for elections, one should also take into account the specifics of the socio-economic situation. As a rule, with an increase in the degree of economic development, the level of political development falls, which can be seen in the example of developed countries.

The number of absenteeists varies in different age groups. As a person grows older and his level of education increases, political activity increases.

Subjective factors not only explain the reasons for refusal to vote, but also link the manifestations of absenteeism with alienation from politics. Voter evasion from participating in voting is a special case of evading participation in political life in general, an indicator of an indifferent attitude towards it. L.Ya. Gozman and E.B. Shestopal, characterizing the causes of absenteeism, identified factors that have a depressing effect on the intensity of political participation: a sense of powerlessness and frustrating features of self-consciousness. The feeling of powerlessness in most cases suppresses the desire to take part in politics, rarely leads to non-institutional forms of political activity.

The above factors are associated with one of the main causes of absenteeism - distrust of political institutions and processes. Distrust gives rise to such a form of political alienation as self-alienation, which manifests itself in absenteeism. Undoubtedly, absenteeism is a natural historical phenomenon that appeared with the spread of universal suffrage, with the granting of the right to participate in political life to groups that were not interested in this.

Today, absenteeism is an integral part of the political life of a state that has chosen a democratic path of development.

Other causes of absenteeism leading to electoral conflict include:

1. Low political and legal culture of the population, which gives rise to indifference to the political process and alienation from it.

2. Causes of a general social and general political nature. As an example: long-term economic difficulties, the solution of which is not significantly affected by the results of the elections, the low level of trust in the current authorities, the low prestige of the deputy corps in the eyes of the population).

3. Reasons related to the imperfection of the legislation and the work of election commissions. As noted by experts, after each election, held both at the federal and regional levels, shortcomings and imperfection of the legislation are revealed, which leads to the introduction of a number of significant amendments to the basic electoral law, i.e. the federal law of the Russian Federation "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights of Citizens and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation". The very presence of such shortcomings provokes mistrust among the population.

4. Causes related to the peculiarity of a particular election campaign. In particular, an unattractive candidate, uninteresting campaigning.

5. Causes of an accidental nature. For example, weather, health status of the voter.

It should be noted that absenteeism is a form of electoral conflict. We can distinguish the following provisions that most fully characterize absenteeism as an electoral conflict:

1. Absenteeism is a type of electoral conflict, which is very diverse. The latter manifests itself not only in participation or non-participation in elections, but also in voting evasion, as well as in "indifferent" (conformal) voting, protest voting, etc. Each of the above forms of voter behavior indicates the acceptance or refutation of a whole range of social and political norms and values.

2. Absenteeism is, first of all, the deliberate evasion of voters from voting for political reasons.

3. Absenteeism is an indicator of the alienation of citizens from power and property, a form of political protest against the established political system, political regime, form of power, established social order generally. Because of this, an electoral conflict arises.

4. Absenteeism in its extreme manifestations acquires the features of political extremism. A fertile ground for the expansion of extremist sentiments are social crises and conflicts, violations of democratic rights and freedoms, the collapse of moral guidelines and values.

5. Political extremism and absenteeism are manifested among the most active part of the population. Changing the current political situation is the main direction of their activity. When the political aspirations of extremists and absenteeists intersect or coincide, extreme forms of political transformation are possible. It may seem that the “silent” and “passive” constitute a minority in society, but at a certain moment, for example, in elections, it can manifest itself as a “silent majority”.

6. Voter absenteeism reflects not a rejection of politics as such, but a rejection of established modes of political action. Such an assessment suggests that with the next aggravation of the political situation or any serious turn to other ways of implementing politics: the potential energy of the masses can be transformed into political action or conflict.

7. Absenteeism is a natural historical phenomenon, an integral attribute of a political system built on the principles of democracy and freedom. It is a phenomenon of the political life of any democratic society and the rule of law, which has entered the descending branch of its development. The wide spread of absenteeism, both in the countries of classical democracy and those that have recently embarked on the path of democratic development, is associated with the growth of dysfunctional processes in their political systems, the exhaustion of the creative potential of historically established democratic institutions, the emergence of a “subjective” type of political culture among the broad masses. under the influence of the media.

8. The scale of absenteeism and the forms of its manifestation are directly related to the historical conditions for the formation of democratic institutions, with differences in the mentality of peoples, with the existence of various traditions and customs in a given society.

9. The interpretation of the electoral conflict (one of the types of which is absenteeism), present in the works of Western authors, deserves critical evaluation, because it is extremely broad and equates the electoral conflict and political conflict. Meanwhile, the electoral conflict is only one of the forms of political conflict. Electoral conflict value-orientational contradictions over the choice of a certain political force, existing in the form or political institution or personified.

10. Voter turnout is significantly influenced by many factors, including the type of elections, the characteristics of the region, the characteristics of the election campaign, the level of education, the type of settlement, the type of political culture that dominates the society, and the type of electoral system. Voter participation rates are lower in countries that use majoritarian or majority-proportional counting systems and higher in countries with proportional electoral systems.

In this way, absenteeism in modern society observed for a long time, is stable. So far, there are no clear signs of narrowing its scope. At the same time, the political elite, parties, society as a whole cannot be indifferent to this phenomenon, which does not fit into the contours of the democratic process. Since absenteeism is a multifactorial phenomenon in nature and conditionality, taking it into account will make it possible to concentrate efforts on eliminating problem points in the political space. Absenteeism has a negative impact on the development of the electoral process. In addition, it demonstrates the dissatisfaction of the population with the possibilities of political choice. Further study of the content, factors, causes influencing the emergence and spread of absenteeism seems important condition expanding the space for political activity of the masses in Russian society.

Social practice convincingly shows that the participation of the population in the political process and, above all, in the formation of elected authorities is a condition for the successful functioning of any society built on democratic principles. None of the scientists and politicians committed to the principles of democracy questions the fact that the exclusion of representatives of certain social groups from active political life, the increase in the number of those who consciously distance themselves from politics, inevitably hinders the formation of civil society structures, negatively affects the effectiveness activities of elected authorities.

It is obvious to almost everyone who deals with the problems of politics in scientific and practical terms that the growth in the number of absenteeists is evidence of the imperfection of the existing political system, an indicator of the growth of distrust in democratic institutions, an indicator of the growth of social tension in society. It is with this circumstance, first of all, that close interest in the problem of absenteeism, which is demonstrated by many of domestic and foreign scientists, is connected.

Absenteeism is a natural historical phenomenon, an integral attribute of a political system built on the principles of democracy and freedom. It is a phenomenon of the political life of any democratic society and the rule of law, which has entered the descending branch of its development. The wide spread of absenteeism, both in the countries of classical democracy and those that have recently embarked on the path of democratic development, is associated with the growth of dysfunctional processes in their political systems, the exhaustion of the creative potential of historically established democratic institutions, the emergence of a “subjective” type of political culture among the broad masses. under the influence of the media.

The scale of absenteeism and the forms of its manifestation are directly related to the historical conditions for the formation of democratic institutions, with differences in the mentality of peoples, with the existence of various traditions and customs in a given society.

As is known, one of the characteristic features of the political life of a post-industrial society is a sharp decline in the political activity of citizens. An increase in the number of absentees is recorded in almost all highly developed countries. economic terms countries from England to Japan. Thus, we can say that absenteeism has become a kind of "calling card" of modern times.

The number of absenteeists is also growing in Russia, where from 40 to 70% of potential voters do not participate in elections at various levels, while in the late 80s and early 90s in the elections of deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, and then deputies of the first and second State Dumas RF participated more than 85% of those included in the lists of voters.

Some modern politics note the simple laziness of voters as the reason for the growing absenteeism. Such an argument is hardly persuasive. The reasons, of course, are deeper, more serious and require special research. The analysis of political scientists and sociologists reveals the following reasons for the growing absenteeism:

• 1. Causes of a general social and general political nature. As an example: long-term economic difficulties, the solution of which is not significantly affected by the election results, low level of trust in the current authorities, low prestige of the deputy corps in the eyes of the population.
• 2. Reasons related to the imperfection of the legislation and the work of election commissions. As noted by experts, after each election, held both at the federal and regional levels, shortcomings and imperfection of the legislation are revealed, which leads to the introduction of a number of significant amendments to the basic electoral law, i.e. Federal Law of the Russian Federation "On Basic Guarantees of Citizens' Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation" Russian Federation". The very presence of such shortcomings provokes mistrust among the population.
• 3. Causes related to the peculiarity of a particular election campaign. In particular, an unattractive candidate, uninteresting campaigning.
• 4. Causes of a random nature. For example, weather conditions, the state of health of the voter Mikova E. Causes of absenteeism in the youth environment and possible ways to eliminate it [ Electronic resource] / E. Mikova. - Access mode: http://do.gendoss.ru/doss/index-38515.html (November 27, 2013).

It is worth noting that these reasons affect all categories of citizens. But young people are recognized as the most active social group, but it is they who, as a rule, form the basis of modern absenteeists. A young man aged 18-25 does not attend a polling station for a number of reasons: a look at his parents, individual interests, lack of faith in the power of his own voice. As studies by political scientists show, a person becomes socially mature and adapted to modern conditions of society by the age of 21, that is, this is the middle of youth, after this milestone it is quite difficult to change preferences, including political views. If we imagine that even now a modern young man, a worthy part of society and the state, ignores participation in the life of his country by choosing a representative of power, then the future situation in this country does not seem so cloudless.

Today among the problems public consciousness associated with absenteeism, the most relevant is youth absenteeism. At the same time, it should be noted that the low level of political participation of young people, or political absenteeism, is not an exclusively Russian problem. "Absenteeism is more observed among young people" regardless of their citizenship. Even in developed democratic countries In Europe, attracting young people to participate in elections - the most massive, accessible, simple and least time- and resource-intensive form of political participation - is by no means a trivial task. Measures aimed at increasing the level of political participation of young people are taken at the very high level, programs are created, funds are allocated, but young people still refuse to come to the polls.

In Russia, the situation is more complicated. If we talk about the reasons for the political absenteeism of young people in Russia, then experts identify a whole range of those, among which the following seem to me to be the most important.

“Firstly, the low level of political culture and political and legal literacy of young people, which leads to the fact that young people, especially those who live in the regions, do not have a clear idea of ​​​​the mechanisms for translating their interests into power, as well as ways of influencing on the political process and state power, mechanisms for monitoring the execution of a public request, etc. In the context of democratization and reform, it is especially important that the population, in particular, the young, adequately perceive the ideological and other foundations of the political course, decisions made and political actions of the authorities. This provides legitimacy, that is, support for ongoing reforms. That is why the low level of political literacy causes either apolitical or protest moods.

Secondly, the loss of confidence in state bodies and procedures, for example, in the electoral process. This happens either when the public request at the “input” does not correspond with the political decision at the “output”, or when the situation has already developed, according to which the results of the political participation of young people do not find a response in state structures, due to which she loses faith that she is able to destroy this barrier and change something in the political system or political course. In addition, the corruption of the political system, both at the regional and national levels, contributes to the assertion of the opinion among young people that any important reforms can be “slowed down” or rejected, and instead changes will be carried out that are beneficial to the political or economic elite.

Thirdly, there is still an idea that there is no dialogue between civil society and the authorities, but there are almost confrontational relations. This is due to the formation throughout history Russian state the tradition that a strong government in the country is the main subject of the political process, which regulates the life of the population, chooses and implements the political course and reforms both by legal and violent methods. And the people, in turn, is a kind of opposition to state power, which is always “on the periphery” of the political process and is mobilized only during the crisis of the political system (transitional periods). This is how the apoliticality, the passivity of the population in relation to politics in the country was formed. That is, we can conclude that this reason closely interacts with the type of political culture. Until recently, in Russia, it was designated as a subject, that is, there was a weak participation of the population in politics, its massive resignation to the fact that the political course would be carried out by state power with almost no regard for public opinion, along with the expectations that a strong government would satisfy all needs and provide a decent standard of living. However, now, in my opinion, there is a gradual transformation of the subservient political culture into a culture of participation (activist political culture). To verify this statement, it must be said that more and more people are striving to take an active part in the formation and implementation of policies, regardless of what methods they choose - legal or illegal, positive or protest.

Fourthly, the already mentioned standard of living of young people also plays a significant role, since, having a low income level, a young person is more likely to overcome his financial problems than political ones. The latter, logically, are relegated to the background. Fifth, the absence of constantly and effectively functioning socio-political “elevators” - that is, those factors and mechanisms, perhaps even qualifications, that decisively influence the vertical social mobility population, in this case political sphere. This is directly related to the recruitment of new competent members from the society into the ranks of the country's political elite, which in practice is replaced by the selection of new "political personnel" through personal connections or corruption machinations. Another problem within this reason is the resistance of the older generations, who have been firmly occupying a place in politics for a long time, aimed at preventing the younger generation from ruling. Most often this is due to the lack of qualifications of new cadres or their radical desire to change the political course, but the main reason is the fear of the older generation to lose their posts.

Summarizing all of the above, the problem of absenteeism as one of the basic variations of the political participation of young people in Russia is now quite acute, because all of the above reasons persist to this day "Katusheva K. Trends in political participation of youth in Russia: political absenteeism, autonomous and mobilized participation resource] / K. Katusheva. - Access mode: http://rud.exdat.com/doss/index-727397.html (November 30, 2013). I would like to note one more important fact. Since the institution of elections was brought to Russia from Western democratic regimes, which in the first decades of democratization and modernization in the world (50s of the XX centuries) were considered a universal tracing paper for building democracy, it has not yet fully taken root in our country due to the national specifics and historical development. Instead of receiving support from the population, it is rather losing its value in the eyes of citizens, which is caused by corruption, political traditions, and many other factors. All this leads to political absenteeism or the growth of protest moods.

Among the reasons listed above, the most serious for young people is the low political and legal culture, indifference and alienation from the electoral process. To eliminate it, it is necessary to increase the activity of the young voter, not only to acquaint him with the constitutional right to elect and be elected, but also to show the mechanism for the implementation of this right. Legal activity should be understood, first of all, as free, lawful behavior in terms of exercising one's subjective electoral right. For the purpose of the most comprehensive analysis of the causes of youth absenteeism and the possibilities for its elimination, we can note the elements that make up the legal activity of citizens - this is legal education, legal culture and legal awareness.

As a result legal education a citizen develops legal needs, interests, attitudes, value orientations, which are largely important components socio-psychological regulation of lawful behavior. The main thing here is that people's simple knowledge of the laws, the structure of the state, and legal proceedings is not yet a guarantee of the citizenship of these people's actions in the political and legal sphere. Legal culture also acts as an element of the legal activity of citizens, being its foundation. It is expressed in the unity of the lawful and socially active behavior of the individual, his active life position in the field of law, legality and striving for the rule of law.

As for legal awareness as one of the elements of the legal activity of citizens, the main thing here is the readiness of a citizen for the process of implementing legal norms in his behavior.

Legal awareness also takes into account the moral and spiritual potential of the population, historical features and character traits Russian society. It is recognized that citizens themselves, based on their universal, natural essence, must find the most correct real way of applying legal activity, in particular, in the electoral law, where the need for choice is dictated already in the definition.

So, there are quite a few reasons for evading elections, but among the reasons listed above, the most serious for young people is low political and legal culture, indifference and alienation from the electoral process, which obviously leads us to not a better future. It is necessary to change the stereotype that exists in society, because free elections are not the freedom to go or not go to the polls, but the freedom to choose among the candidates presented.

In modern Russia, the proportion of politically apathetic people in the population is quite large. This is due to the crisis of mass consciousness, the conflict of values, the alienation of the majority of the population from power and distrust of it, political and legal nihilism. Many have lost faith in their own abilities, they do not believe that they can influence political processes, they believe that political decisions are made regardless of their participation in voting and other political actions. People do not feel personal gain from participating in politics, believing that it serves the interests of the elite.

Absenteeism of a certain part of the Russian population was significantly influenced by the collapse of the myth about the speedy entry into the circle of highly developed countries.

Assessing the role of absenteeism in political science is ambiguous. Some researchers insist on the need to involve as many people as possible in various forms of political participation. Others believe that limited participation and non-participation can be considered as a stabilizing factor, since the activation of apolitical sections of the population, their inclusion in the political process can lead to destabilization of the political system.

The Russian practice of the development of the political process testifies to the unpredictable, and sometimes contrary to expectations, the nature of the behavior of the Russian voter. The trend towards a weakening of the relationship between social status, belonging to a certain group and electoral choice, which appeared in the last decades of the 20th century, suggests that there is no correlation between political choice, socio-professional affiliation and the social status of the individual who makes this choice. In that distinguishing feature development of the political process in Russia. The problem of absenteeism is one of the key problems of Russian democracy.

The rapid expansion of absenteeism in last years speaks of the instability of the political system that has developed in Russia. The decrease in electoral activity is, first of all, an expression of the population's disillusionment with the Russian electoral system, the loss of confidence in the authorities, evidence of the growing protest potential in various social groups, a nihilistic attitude towards democratic institutions, political parties and their leaders Political Science: Textbook / Ed. M.A. Vasilika. - M.: Gardariki, 2005.