Political perception of the country: research models and methodological strategies

The article examines the main theoretical approaches to the study of the image of the country formed at the level of mass political consciousness. The article offers research models for studying this multi-component construct and adaptive methodological strategies for implementing the study in the context of the dynamics of the society psychological state, the emergence of new challenges and threats in social practice. The author draws attention to the specifics of concepts operationalization relevant for studying the phenomenon of country political perception, the logic of choosing research paradigms and interpretative research schemes, the prospects and limitations of the researcher's choice of methodological tools. The importance of using the tactics of triangulation in modern scientific interdisciplinary projects devoted to studying the features of the formation of citizens' ideas about their country is emphasized. The combination of quantitative and qualitative methodology in research into the characteristics of the political perception of the country seems to be a promising direction. It allows us to take into account social contexts, national research traditions, and to consider the political image being studied not in isolation, but in a mental and ideological context; not statically, but dynamically, taking into account changing trends in political perception. In substantiating this statement, the author discusses the merits and prospects of the political-psychological approach in the study of the image of a country, formed in mass political consciousness, under the influence of various factors associated with the object and subject of perception, temporal and spatial dimensions. The issue of considering both rationalized and unconscious aspects of citizens' perception of their country is raised. The importance of choosing this research perspective in the context of different scientific goals, the specifics of the formation of research models and methodological strategies under its influence are discussed. 

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