Perception of Migrants by Students in Mordovia and Udmurtia

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2026-3/87-100

Authors

  • Vladimir Vorontsov Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology
  • Alexander Martynenko Mordovian State Pedagogical University named after M. E. Evseviev; the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology

Keywords:

Republic of Mordovia, Udmurt Republic, students, migration, migrant phobia, social and cultural adaptation

Abstract

The article is a comparative analysis of the results of surveys on migration problems conducted among students of universities in the Republic of Mordovia and the Udmurt Republic in 2025 according to a questionnaire developed by employees of the Distributed Scientific Center. As part of the survey, students were asked to express their opinions on the need for foreign labor in these republics, their attitudes towards foreign labor and educational migration, and to assess the level of migrant phobia among the local population and the impact of the Internet and the media on shaping the image of a migrant. They were also asked to formulate their migration-related fears and anxieties. In general, the students of Mordovia and Udmurtia demonstrated a fairly high level of interethnic and interreligious tolerance, although manifestations of latent migrantophobia were also evident. It is concluded that the most effective management measures to prevent ethnopolitical and interethnic conflicts related to migration are to maintain a balance between economic interests and national security of the country, interdepartmental and inter-level coordination in the implementation of state national and migration policies. This includes the prevention of extremism and early conflict prevention, as well as constant monitoring of migration processes and interethnic relations.

Author Biographies

  • Vladimir Vorontsov, Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology

    Vorontsov, Vladimir S. — Ph.D. in History, Senior Researcher, Distributed Scientific Center for Interethnic and Religious Problems, the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology; Senior Researcher; Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation). E-mail: vvorontsov@rambler.ru

  • Alexander Martynenko, Mordovian State Pedagogical University named after M. E. Evseviev; the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology

    Martynenko, Alexander V. — Doctor of History, Professor, Senior Researcher, Distributed Scientific Center for Interethnic and Religious Problems, the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology; Rector's Advisor, Mordovian State Pedagogical University named after M. E. Evseviev (Saransk, Russian Federation). E-mail: arkanaddin@mail.ru

    For citation: Vorontsov, V. S., and A. V. Martynenko. 2026. Perception of Migrants by Students in Mordovia and Udmurtia. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 3: 87–100.

    Funding: The study was carried out as a part of the research plan of the Distributed Scientific Center for Interethnic and Religious Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology.

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Published

21.09.2026

Issue

No. 3 (2026): Vestnik antropologii (Herald of Anthropology)

Section

Ethnography of the Urals–Volga Region