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MIGRATION POLICY IN RUSSIA: PUBLIC OPINION AND REFORM MEASURES

Olga Borodkina, V. Romanenko, A. Tavrovskiy

Abstract

The article deals with the results of an empirical study conducted within the framework of the project "Social risks of international youth migration in contemporary Russia". The purpose of the presented study is to identify and assess the main social risks that are constructed in the Russian society in the context of international migration. The telephone survey was used as the main method of gathering empirical information. In 2017, two surveys were conducted covering 15 regions in all federal units; the total number of respondents was 2799 people. The authors explored several types of risks that Russian citizens associate with international migration: (1) cultural risks (tensions caused by cultural differences: traditions, religion and language, cultural and religious expansion); (2) social risks (degradation of the education system, the burden on the social welfare); (3) security risks (increase in crime and conflicts); (4) the risk of spreading infections and diseases; (5) economic risks (unemployment, wage damping, deterioration in the quality of goods and services). The most important zone of risk for respondents is the cultural space, namely the fear of cultural expansion, which also intensifies other risks. As the main measures for reforming migration policy respondents point to a significant restriction on the flows and employment of international migrants and development of educational programs for them which may indicate a reaction of public opinion to the poor integration and low qualification of labor migrants.

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