Population Migration in the Russian Arctic as Reflected in the Media

Annotation

The purpose of this article is to analyze the informational content of the media in terms of its coverage of population migration processes in the Arctic zone of Russia. In order to achieve this goal, a content-analytical research program was developed, which allows not only studying the popularity and “demand” of the topic of population migration in the Arctic territories in the news space, but also determining the nature of news reports and identifying related semantic elements. Automated data collection and filtering tools in the Python development environment were used to generate a sample of news publications. The final sample size was 735 articles for the period from 2020 to 2023 (formed from 1 online publication of a federal-level media outlet and 9 online publications of regional media outlets — one for each Arctic region). Content analysis of the collected array of media materials was carried out using the specialized program QDA Miner Lite. As a result, it was revealed that public opinion on issues of population migration in the Russian Arctic is not intensively formed in the media examined. The media agenda is characterized by fragmentation, insufficient transparency, and the field of communication most often includes news materials about the influx of medical and teaching personnel under state support programs. Regional differentiation in the information agenda broadcast by the media about population migration in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation was revealed. The media of the Republic of Karelia, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug cover this topic the least intensively and deeply. The media of the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Oblasts, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Krasnoyarsk Krai form public opinion on the migration situation in a more comprehensive manner. Based on the results of the analysis, general conceptual recommendations were developed to improve the information model for creating thematic content in the media, including facilitating the attraction and retention of the population in the Russian Arctic.

About authors

Irina S. Stepus, Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Leading Researcher
stepus@petrsu.ru, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5070-0273
Petrozavodsk State University, ul. Lenina, 33, Petrozavodsk, Russia

Inna V. Rodion, Postgraduate Student
irodion@petrsu.ru, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6243-4010
Petrozavodsk State University, ul. Lenina, 33, Petrozavodsk, Russia

Keywords

population migration, Arctic Zone of Russia, media, content analysis

DOI

https://doi.org/ 10.37482/issn2221-2698.2025.60.241

UDC

[314.15+316.774](985)(045)