THE CONNOTATIVE MEANING OF SOCIALLY AND POLITICALLY RELEVANT CONCEPTS AS AN INDICATOR OF SOCIAL CLIMATE – A LONGITUDINAL STUDY IN SERBIA

Ovaj rad predstavlja komparativnu studiju sačinjenu od četiri istraživanja obavljena u periodu od 1997. do 2015. godine. U njima se ispituje konotativno značenje politički relevantnih pojmova kod učenika završnih razreda raznih vrsta srednjih škola. Kako je konotativno značenje ono dodatno, emocionalno obojeno značenje, ta obojenost potiče iz socijalne sredine i duha vremena, te je sa promenama ovoga značenja moguće pratiti i promene dominantnih društvenih vrednosti i društvene klime. Uzorak je činilo ukupno oko 750 učenika koji su u četiri vremenske tačke (poduzorci su u tim tačkama bili ujednačeni po socijalno-demografskim karakteristikama) procenjivali sledeće pojmove: nacija, nacionalizam, socijalizam, vođa, demokratija, mir, levica, desnica, sadašnjost i budućnost. Svaki od pojmova ispitan je Ozgudovom skalom semantičkog diferencijala preko 12 opozitnih parova prideva poput ružan-lep ili bezvredan- vredan. Rezultati su pokazali značajna variranja kako na 12 pridevskih parova na svakom pojmu u jednoj vremenskoj tački – što daje suptilniji profil značenja nego što bi dala opšta, jedinstvena ocena pojmova poput demokratije ili nacije – tako i u četiri vremenske tačke. Variranja tokom godina daju indicije o promeni društvene klime i vrednosti, barem u generaciji mladih, u ovom po Srbiju turbulentnom razdoblju od dve decenije.This paper is a comparative study composed of four studies conducted between 1997 and 2015. The authors examine the connotative meaning of politically relevant concepts in 18-19 years old students from various types of secondary schools. The connotative meaning is an additional, emotionally colored meaning of words, and this coloration originates from the social environment and the spirit of the times. Therefore, with the changes of this meaning it is possible to follow the changes of dominant social values and social climate. The sample consisted of a total of 750 students assessing the following concepts, at four time points (sub-samples at these points were balanced in terms of socio-demographic characteristics): nation, nationalism, socialism, leader, democracy, peace, left, right, present and future. Each of the concepts is examined by Ozgud’s scale of semantic differential, through 12 opposing pairs of adjectives like bad – good or worthless – worthy. The results showed considerable variation in both: 12 adjective pairs on each single concept at a single point in time – giving a more subtle profile of meaning than in case of a general assessment of the concepts – and over time. The variations over the years give indications of a change in social climate and values, at least in the generation of young people, in these turbulent two decades in Serbia