Posted:
30.09.2021 15:22:00
Where does the Motherland begin?
The Institute of Sociology at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus conducted a survey, entitled Historical Memory in the Assessments of the Population of Belarus. The representative study covered more than two thousand people from all over the country. The results were announced
at a press conference in the House of Press by the Director of the Institute, Nikolai Myslivets.
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By Yelena Kozlovskaya
at a press conference in the House of Press by the Director of the Institute, Nikolai Myslivets.
Answering the question ‘What does Belarus mean to you?’ more than half of the respondents chose the option ‘my homeland’. For almost 48 percent of the respondents this is ‘the country in which I live’, for almost every third respondent this is ‘the land that my grandfathers and great-grandfathers defended’. Every fourth respondent indicated that Belarus is ‘the country I love’ while a little more than 12 percent of the those polled chose the option ‘a country whose culture and language I consider native to me’.
Sociologists asked the respondents what our country is associated with in the first place. More than 44 percent of respondents believed that these are national symbols: stork, auroch and cornflower. Approximately the same number of people answered that they identify Belarus with objects of the cultural heritage: palaces and castles, Slutsk belts, Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
“As we can see, the policy that is being pursued to restore historical monuments is justified,” Nikolai Myslivets said, commenting on the data. “The poll also showed the important role of state symbols, which have been actively popularised recently. For slightly more than 40 percent of the respondents, the country is associated with these symbols.”
When asked with whom the Belarusians identify themselves first of all, i.e who they mean when they say ‘we’, more than 90 percent answered ‘with relatives’. Slightly less — 84 percent — responded ‘with friends’.
“We can talk about the image of a nation, for which the kinship principle is most important,” concludes Mr. Myslivets. “We are, if you can call it that, a ‘home nation’.
Answers to the question ‘What unites us?’ confirmed the love of Belarusian citizens for stability. More than 55 percent of the respondents answered that they are united by the desire to live in stability and prosperity. Slightly more than 40 percent believe that the desire to live in a separate and independent country is a consolidating factor for them. Every third thinks that Belarusians are united by historical heritage, the same number of respondents — that it’s by the national traditions and customs, and the same mentality. Every fifth person believes that the inhabitants of Belarus are united by culture and language.
The citizens of Belarus were asked what they would like to see Belarus achieve on the world stage in 5-10 years. Equal shares of respondents — about 14 percent each — see Belarus in the future as part of the European Union and part of the Eurasian Union. Every fourth respondent wants to see it as a state that has retained neutrality and is not a member of any unions. A large proportion of respondents could not unequivocally state their position. The Director of the Institute of Sociology interprets this as normal, “The realities that we all observe are quite difficult to perceive. And if it’s easier for a person who has special knowledge and who is professionally versed in certain areas to make a choice, then it is difficult for young people and representatives of other socio-demographic groups to comprehend the information that literally falls from all sources. This is the field in which our national humanities, educational and cultural institutions, research institutes and journalists work, and which, of course, needs to be further explored.”
Sociologists asked the respondents what our country is associated with in the first place. More than 44 percent of respondents believed that these are national symbols: stork, auroch and cornflower. Approximately the same number of people answered that they identify Belarus with objects of the cultural heritage: palaces and castles, Slutsk belts, Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
“As we can see, the policy that is being pursued to restore historical monuments is justified,” Nikolai Myslivets said, commenting on the data. “The poll also showed the important role of state symbols, which have been actively popularised recently. For slightly more than 40 percent of the respondents, the country is associated with these symbols.”
When asked with whom the Belarusians identify themselves first of all, i.e who they mean when they say ‘we’, more than 90 percent answered ‘with relatives’. Slightly less — 84 percent — responded ‘with friends’.
“We can talk about the image of a nation, for which the kinship principle is most important,” concludes Mr. Myslivets. “We are, if you can call it that, a ‘home nation’.
Answers to the question ‘What unites us?’ confirmed the love of Belarusian citizens for stability. More than 55 percent of the respondents answered that they are united by the desire to live in stability and prosperity. Slightly more than 40 percent believe that the desire to live in a separate and independent country is a consolidating factor for them. Every third thinks that Belarusians are united by historical heritage, the same number of respondents — that it’s by the national traditions and customs, and the same mentality. Every fifth person believes that the inhabitants of Belarus are united by culture and language.
The citizens of Belarus were asked what they would like to see Belarus achieve on the world stage in 5-10 years. Equal shares of respondents — about 14 percent each — see Belarus in the future as part of the European Union and part of the Eurasian Union. Every fourth respondent wants to see it as a state that has retained neutrality and is not a member of any unions. A large proportion of respondents could not unequivocally state their position. The Director of the Institute of Sociology interprets this as normal, “The realities that we all observe are quite difficult to perceive. And if it’s easier for a person who has special knowledge and who is professionally versed in certain areas to make a choice, then it is difficult for young people and representatives of other socio-demographic groups to comprehend the information that literally falls from all sources. This is the field in which our national humanities, educational and cultural institutions, research institutes and journalists work, and which, of course, needs to be further explored.”
By Yelena Kozlovskaya
