Human Dignity As a Dependent Variable: Introductory Results from the Sociological Survey “Religion, Youth and Human Rights” in Belarus

Together with the comparative analysis of secular and theological approaches towards human dignity in Russian Orthodox Church, this paper will bring empirical evidence about the attitudes of young Belarusians towards the human dignity. The first findings from the international research project “Religion, Youth and Human Rights” reveal how far the position of young people in Belarus is in consensus with the convictions of the Russian Orthodox Church on the human dignity issues. The empirical data will demonstrate the perception of human dignity concept by the young Belarusians in correlation with the individual dispositions of respondents, religiosity, family socializing impact, and values of the political culture. The individual disposition towards human dignity will be examined with the multidimensional psychometrical scales measuring personality traits and interpersonal awareness. The data on individual religiosity and disposition towards empathy will be observed as predictors of human dignity at the personal level. The influence of family socializing process on human dignity attitudes of young Belarusians will be observed with the characteristics of parents’ education and religiosity which, we assume, are the predictors of human dignity as well. The position of Belarusian youth towards authoritarianism, openness to multiculturalism, and public role of religion will be analyzed as the wider socio-cultural and political context which influences the understating of human dignity phenomenon.