POLITICAL POTENTIAL OF YOUTH: ACCORDING TO SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

The issues of studying political values and orientations of youth are of significant scientific interest from standpoint of analyzing socio-cultural components of youth political potential. From a practical point of view, comprehensive study of peculiarities of youth political potential is important for assessing their readiness and participation in political life of the country, since today's youth, having come into politics in the near future, will determine vectors of country's development. The research goal is to study the socio-cultural characteristics of political potential of modern youth. The novelty of this work is development of author's structural model of youth political potential and analysis of features of its formation and implementation in youth environment. Value components of youth political potential act as resources and reserves that determine content and nature of young generation participation in political sphere. They shape youth attitude to politics, willingness to be included in political process and political participation of young people. The use of materials from the author's sociological research and secondary analysis of other studies made it possible to analyze political values and orientations, attitudes and interest in politics, opportunities, willingness to participate, and involvement of youth in political life of the country. Research materials indicate a low interest of youth in politics, readiness to participate in political life, which is largely due to redistribution of youth interests towards personal priorities that are relevant for younger generation: family, work, etc. All this requires an appeal to comprehensive analysis of political orientations and features of political participation of modern youth, identifying resources for involving young people in politics through development and implementation of their political potential.