Social Capital of Youth in the Vologda Oblast: Dynamics and Features

Abstract

In the context of post-pandemic recovery and ongoing geopolitical tensions, the internal resources of communities, based on trust and mutual assistance, are becoming crucial for sustainable development. The social capital of youth acts as a key factor in the adaptation of the new generation to contemporary challenges; however, its dynamics at the regional level remain insufficiently studied. The problem lies in the contradiction between the declared significance of social capital and the scarcity of research tracking its changes over time. The aim of this work is to identify changes in the structure of social capital among the youth of the Vologda Oblast and the nature of its connection with social attitudes between 2024 and 2025. The study is based on an indicator model of social capital, which views it as the result of a synergy between trust, social networks, and shared values. The empirical basis is data from a 2025 public opinion survey conducted by the Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (N=1500, quota sample). The analysis is built on a direct comparison with a similar study from 2024, allowing a shift from a static assessment to an analysis of dynamics. A slight redistribution in the structure of social capital was revealed, with growth in groups possessing medium and high levels. A stable connection between social capital and a positive emotional state, as well as satisfaction with local affairs, was confirmed. However, in 2025, qualitative shifts were recorded in the attitudes of the most socially active youth: a sharp decline in satisfaction with the state of affairs in the country while maintaining loyalty to the regional level, an increase in value uncertainty regarding the "stability vs. change" dichotomy, and a more restrained assessment of the fairness of the social system. It is concluded that accumulated social capital serves not only as a resource for positive perception but also as a tool for critical reflection: the most integrated youth are the first to react to the increasing complexity of the public agenda. The scientific novelty lies in the transition from stating static correlations to identifying their nonlinear dynamics over time.