Place identity: problems of its study and development in the youth of Irkutsk

Kuzmin Mikhail, Vershkova Anna, Mironova Elena

The article presents the study of place identity and ways of its development in the youth of Irkutsk. With the help of a focus group study, the authors identified the key components of the place identity of young people in Irkutsk. Then, a survey was conducted on a sample of 185 subjects aged 18-30 years, aimed at identifying the relevance of the components of place identity for young people. Irkutsk, the actual state of place identity (using the method of "Twenty statements") and differentiation of images that make up the place identity (using the method of Semantic differential). The results of the study showed that for the youth of Irkutsk place identity is not relevant. At the same time, the potential for the development of place identity associated with relevant symbols for young people was discovered.

Keywords:place identity, identity, youth, Irkutsk, "Twenty statements»