Empirical comparative study of mentalities of Russia and countries characterized by different level and pace of socio-economic development

The present study was performed from the standpoint of the transdisciplinary concept of the ethno-functional synthesis of chaotic (archaic) and cosmizing (premodern and modern) ideas, understood as a source of humanitarian systems development. An empirical comparative study of the mentality of Russia and countries with high and low rates and levels of socio-economic development was carried out on the basis of statistical analysis of Internet queries reflecting the interests of users: “Nature” (archaic), “God” (supra-ethnic-religious ideas — pre-modern) and “Knowledge” (modern). Compared with countries with high and low levels of socio-economic development, the Russian collective subject has the largest gap between a high interest in archaic and a less pronounced interest in religion; at the same time, the interest in knowledge occupies a middle position. This result can be interpreted as a relatively low expression of the inner need for religion (God) and knowledge (Knowledge), despite the fact that the values of Knowledge and Religion (God) are significantly represented in Russian education system and media. It is established that the countries with high rates of socio-economic development have predominant interest in knowledge (the query “Knowledge”), and there is also a relative integration (balance) of archaic (the query “Nature”) and supra-ethnic-religious (the query “God”) ideas. In developed and underdeveloped countries, compared with countries with high rates of development, interest in “God” and “Nature” prevails while interest in “Knowledge” is relatively low.