COGNITIVE RESISTANCE TO POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGES IN RUSSIA

Abstract

The article presents the result of a cognitive-based sociological examination of the initiative to depersonalize the design of alcoholic beverages. Existing studies show that depersonalized bottles reduce the attractiveness of alcohol brands and contribute to focusing attention on warning labels. At the moment, there is a project to introduce a standardized design of alcoholic beverages in Russia, but the presence of favorable conditions in our country for the emergence of cognitive resistance to social influences of this kind remains unexplored. The authors consider the phenomenon of "cognitive resistance" as blocking by individuals of a certain behavior, which is stimulated by a purposeful external influence on them. The article is devoted to testing the hypothesis that in modern Russia there are favorable conditions that stimulate cognitive resistance to not only manipulative, but also positive social influences, such as the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. The results of an empirical study are presented, the purpose of which was to test the hypothesis about the presence of such resistance. The method of a survey experiment of the "split poll" type was used. The field work was carried out from July 27 to August 3, 2015 by the Autonomous Non-profit organization "Center for Expert Market Research" in the form of an Internet survey on a sample of adult residents of Russia recruited from an online panel anketer.org. The experiment used the division of the sample into two randomized groups, each with a volume of 500 people. During the mass survey, the experimental group was offered impersonal designs of alcoholic products, and the control group was offered traditional designs. The analysis of the research results confirms the existence of the phenomenon of cognitive resistance in Russian society on the example of the impersonal design of alcoholic beverages. For the simulated case of alcohol bottles, under certain circumstances, this may even lead to a complete lack of effect from an expensive and complex social impact measure. The detected effect may also indicate a reduced demand for state paternalism in the field of personal choice in Russia