The questions of classification of political metaphors are considered. This classification is necessary for the analysis of the data of sociological survey, which was conducted by the team of Smolensk University in 2022 in regions of Russia. The study of the reputational image of power (respondents' answers to the questions: “How would you draw the reputational image of Russian / regional power?”) problematizes the principles of classification. The relevance of the study in working out the diagnosis of the reputational image of power. The novelty of the study is that the analysis was conducted on the basis of folk metaphorization, rather than professional political discourse, which researchers of political metaphorology and political semantics usually deal with. The empirical material for the problematization of the classification was the results of the sociological survey 2021, which included similar questions. The classification of power metaphors on the basis of major philosophical categories and structural relationships (space/time; living/artificial; human/nature/society) is presented, as such principle allows capturing the real diversity and multidimensionality of figurative likenesses proposed by respondents. The results of the study of folk metaphorization adjust the existing classifications of power metaphors, do not fully coincide with the known classifications of metaphorical models of power, also adjust the ideas about the popularity of typical metaphorical models.

The article is based on the data collected in the study of the Russian power reputation space. The study focused on both the Russian power in general (official state and municipal power) and the regional power including the state executive power of the region. The authors defined several levels (federal/regional/municipal) and branches (legislative/executive/judicial) of power as the coordinate system structuring the space of power; and for the regional executive power, also peculiarities of responsibilities carried by the subjects of power. The study aimed at identifying the core and periphery of the reputation space of the Russian power based on the results of the two-stage sociological study - expert assessments and mass survey. The authors argue that the reputation space of both the Russian power in general and the regional power is multi-component and formed by the reputation of different subjects of power with a high degree of mutual influence. The study revealed a significant difference in the definitions of the core of the reputation space by the population and experts. The federal power constitutes the core of the reputation space of the Russian power as structured by its levels, according to experts and public opinion. Experts believe that the executive branch constitutes the core of the reputation space as structured by its branches, while the influence of the reputation of different branches seems balanced for public opinion. The similar situation was identified in the reputation space of the regional power. The authors also identified the significant influence of the personification factor on the reputation space of both the Russian power in general and the regional authorities. This leads to a ‘shift’ of the reputational core, which becomes especially evident in public opinion on the role of the president’s reputation: every third respondent identifies it with the reputation of the entire Russian power.

The article presents the results of the research project on the reputation of the Russian power, which aimed at identifying and explaining the content of the concepts ‘Russian power reputation’ (state and municipal power) and ‘reputation of the levels and branches of the Russian power’ (on the example of the regional executive power), and at assessing their closeness in the conceptual field. The author developed and empirically tested (expert and public opinion polls were conducted in the regions of Central Russia in August - November 2021) a theoretical model of the ‘Russian power reputation’, which has not been independently studied before. The article presents the structure and content of the information field of this concept, which (with a certain degree of convention) is defined as twocored. The basic core is a semantic field of the category ‘reputation’, the substantive core includes characteristics of the concept ‘Russian power reputation’. The author identifies key characteristics constituting the basis of the substantive core or the near periphery of the basic core, and characteristics of the far and extremely far periphery. The content of the concept ‘Russian power reputation’ consists of two main blocks - institutional and activity - in their integrating characteristics (service to the people and effectiveness/efficiency of power). The institutional block characteristics prevail (especially in public opinion), which indicates the priority of the value content of reputation over the pragmatic one. Thus, a new concept is introduced into the scientific discourse - ‘Russian power reputation’, which means a complex national phenomenon of the historically determined social and political reality - it represents a value perception and relatively stable opinion of citizens about the authorities as based on certain experience of communication and estimates of their real actions which determine a sense of trust and embody the purpose of government - to serve the people - in a productive, effective way; and it reflects the system of citizens’ expectations and perceptions of a proper power (honest, responsible, fair, caring and protective).