Urban and Rural Youth: An Analysis of Life Strategies

Introduction. Social and territorial inequality determines differences in the life prospects of Russian youth. Heterogeneous living conditions in large cities, small towns, and rural areas generate unequal starting opportunities, influencing the formation and implementation of life strategies. The aim of this study is to identify similarities and differences in the social characteristics of urban and rural youth, as reflected in their life dispositions and strategies. Materials and Methods. This article analyzes data from a 2023 online survey conducted in the Belgorod Region among urban and rural youth (schoolchildren, students, and workers) aged 14 to 35 (n = 5,881). The sample was quota-based based on gender, age, settlement type, and area of residence. Participants were recruited using a hot recruitment technique. Data processing was performed using Vortex software, with the construction of linear and cross-tabulation tables (based on respondents' settlement types). The dependent variables were twelve life strategies (economic, political, career, matrimonial, social, migration, self-realization, etc.), operationalized through the categories of ‘‘life dispositions’’ and ‘‘life plans’’. Results. Despite a general value consensus (homogeneity of life dispositions), the life plans of young people demonstrate a stable stratification. Young people in large cities (regional centers) outperform their peers in small towns and villages in terms of aspirations across all strategies studied: from financial practices and career ambitions to reproductive plans and readiness for complex forms of socio-political participation. The statistically significant convergence of life planning indicators among young people in small towns and rural communities suggests the formation of a single continuum of ‘‘peripherality’’. The main mechanisms blocking the realization of ambitions are a lack of resources and a subjectively lower assessment of the opportunities for achieving goals in their region. Discussion and Conclusion. The settlement factor is a significant mechanism of stratification, reproducing inequality in the practical feasibility of life projects. The gap in the complexity and scale of planning between the center and the periphery creates the risk of further concentration of human capital in large cities and depopulation of smaller territories. The materials in this article may be of interest to state youth policy authorities at various levels, as well as to state and municipal administrations; youth organizations; and educational institutions.