1.
What factors divide and consolidate
Russian population in Estonia?
Prof. Triin Vihalemm
University of Tartu, Estonia
International conference „Integration Challenges in a Radicalizing World“
29 – 30 November 2016, Tallinn, Estonia

2.
Intro:
Solidarity grounds in Estonian society
85
20
13
26
22
27
19
30
34
48
67
48
45
84
68
91
39 38
56
12 12
96
16
13
30
25
17
34 34
39
43
58
63
46
83
74
90
25
31
46
9 7
19
56
52
19
42
19
29
12 12
28
31
42
33
47
66 64
75
43
28
50
16
6
14
75
52
18
41
16
13
28
7
18
24 23
35
45
60
70 71
13 15
21
9
2
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Est 2002* Est 2014
Est. Rus 2002* Est. Rus. 2014
* For some categories the first data is from 2005 (Ukrainians etc;
religion; party supporters; lifestyle followers)
With whom do you feel certain togetherness?

3.
Questions for discussion
• What are the patterns of social involvementamong Estonian
Russian population?
• Patterns – combinationsof several features
• How transnational are the members of clusters of social
involvement?
• What are the prospects for further developmentof solidarity,
common values and civic thinkingamong the groups of
involvement?

4.
Dimensions of social involvement
60
53
49
76
65
20
47
54
14
32
29
17
22
51
32
29
26
15
22
7
13
29
21
17
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT (citizenship, elections, solidarity with
co-citizens)
NGO INVOLVEMENT (NGO member; trust in NGOs; elected to a
representative body, voluntary work)
TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS (parliament, president, government,
mass media, churches, courts, the police, the educational …
ALTERNATIVE DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION (meetings;
demonstrations; protests; petitions; political "wearables").
ECONOMIC INVOLVEMENT (entrepreneur; business/EU
projects, lifelong learning; real estate; sufficiency of money)
PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC SPACE (following of local news; public
(mass) sports and culture activities, commemorations etc)
USE OF ESTONIAN (multifunctional Est. language use
(incl.media); solidarity with Estonians)
ETHNO-CULTURAL IDENTITY (folk holidays; ethno-cultural
associations; religiosity; feeling of belonging)
missing/weak moderate strong
Source: Me. The World. Media 2014

5.
Patterns of social involvement
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
participation in public
space
economic involvement
political involvement
NGO involvement
trust in institutions
alternative democratic
participation
networking in Estonian
ethno-cultural identity
DIASPORA CIVIC/ETHNIC SOCIALLY PASSIVE SOCIALLY ACTIVE
Source: Me. The World. Media 2014

6.
Patterns of social involvement
SOCIALLY ACTIVE 19%
• 83% citizens; Est knowledge
• active (foreign) media use
• mobile
• multifarious solidarities
• 67% females
• 48% higher education
CIVIC/ETHNIC 35%
• 78% citizens; moderate Est
knowledge
• active (foreign) media use
• (pan)regional solidarities
• immobile
• 34% higher education
DIASPORA 26%
• Russian/undetermined cc
• 90% do not speak Est
• 80% in NGOs
• 49% are religious
• 20% basic education
• oldest cluster
SOCIALLY PASSIVE 21%
• undetermined /Russian cc
• voluntary & structurally
precsribed non-participation
• few resources: educational,
financial and social network
• older cluster

7.
Current status, further prospects
SOCIALLY ACTIVE
• high individual mobility plus social
capitals
• flexible practical and discursive
consciousness, prone for new
ideologies and lifestyle changes
• high expectations, „voice“
• negotiating reception of legitimizing
narratives
CIVIC/ETHNIC
• stability as norm
• accepatence of major legitimizing
narratives
• silence as communication
• high mediating potential
(employment in service sector,
counceling jobs)
DIASPORA
• low agency as employee and national
electorate member, limited
possibilities to respond to lifestyle
changes
• oppositionalreception of legitimizing
narratives
• good civic competences to influence
politics via NGOs and activism
• clear value set, value-driven
rationality
SOCIALLY PASSIVE
• the institutional channelsand forms
to communicate are practically
missing
• passivityas a protectingbuffer
against larger mobilization; „sleeping“
anxieties ?

8.
Transnationalism
Aggregated index
variable:
• following
foreign media
channels;
• social media
contacts
abroad;
• visits abroad;
• acquaintances
abroad
52%
34%
34%
13%
18%
22%
22%
12%
30%
44%
44%
74%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Socially passive
Diaspora
Civic/Ethnic
Socially active
missing/weak moderate strong

9.
Thank you!
triin.vihalemm@ut.ee

10.
Presentation given at International conference
Integration Challenges in a Radicalising World
29 – 30 November 2016 in Tallinn, Estonia
For more conference materials and presentations
please visit www.misakonverents.ee