The Relationship between Multicultural Ideology, Social Identities and Perceived Permeability of Social Boundaries for Russians in the Post-Soviet Space: The Case of Estonia

Intercultural interaction in the post-Soviet space is determined by several factors, including: the number of Russians in a given country; the country’s internal policy regarding the Russian culture and language (which determines the nature of intercultural contacts), as well as cultural distance and the degree of similarity between groups. The authors of this article conducted a study to examine the relationship between multicultural ideology, social identity and the permeability of social boundaries for the Russians in Estonia. The sample consisted of representatives of the Estonian majority (233 persons, aged 18-70 years, mean age = 33 years) and the Russian minority (186 persons, aged 18-75 years, mean age = 32 years). Paper versions of the questionnaire were distributed to Russian and Estonian respondents. The procedure used the PROCESS Macro moderation analysis method. The results showed that, among both the Estonians and Russians, support for multicultural ideology had no significant impact on the permeability of social boundaries for the Russians. However, place identity would contribute to the permeability of social boundaries for the Russians in both groups. The strong ethnic identity of the Russians in the Estonian context would hinder the Russians’ perception of the permeability of social boundaries.