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The processes of social differentiation and social and cultural-value division, which undermine the foundations of spiritual security, are closely associated with the ethno-cultural and confessional characteristics of Russian society. The article presents the results of a sociological study conducted in four border regions of Russia with different levels of socio-economic development and ethnic and confessional composition (Altai Territory, Novosibirsk Region, Altai Republic, Tuva Republic, n = 1600). Spiritual security was assessed through subjective assessments of perceived personal safety, religious security, social well-being, and relationships with the level of religiosity, as measured by the multi-dimensional index of religious centrality developed by S. Huber. The authors identify threats to spiritual security that are significant for the entire population and unique to individual regions, analyzing patterns of associations between these threats. They describe the peculiarities how believers and non-believers perceive the situation in the spiritual realm, pointing to a value divide in their assessment of the current state of social development and its prospects.

Key words: spiritual security, border regions, religious diversity, religiosity, information threats, ideological crisis

DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2024_2_150

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About the authors

 Svetlana G. Maximova – Dr. Sci. (Sociology), Professor, Head of the Department of Social and Youth Policy, Institute of Humanities, Altai State University, 66 Dimitrova str., Barnaul, 656049, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Daria A. Omelchenko – Cand. Sci. (Sociology), Assistant Professor at the Department of Social and Youth Policy,  Institute of Humanities, Altai State University; 66 Dimitrova str., Barnaul, 656049, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Oksana E. NoyanzinaCand. Sci. (Sociology), Head of the Information and Analysis Department of the Main Computing Center of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation; build. 1, 19 Staraya Basmannaya st., Moscow, 105066, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.