Abstract
<jats:p>The article examines issues of civic engagement and institutional mechanisms of representation in the labor sphere in Russia. It analyzes the challenges arising from the gap between declared values and the actual conditions of contemporary labor relations. The study demonstrates that the formal recognition of rights does not necessarily lead to their effective implementation, due to both formal and informal barriers. Drawing on panel survey data collected by the Department of Comparative Political Studies at the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2018–2022), the article explores respondents’ perceptions of the level of protection of rights in the social and labor sphere and their trust in existing protection mechanisms. The paper presents empirical findings from surveys conducted over recent decades, which are considered as indicators of the transformation of forms of civic participation in the labor sphere and may reflect the broader condition of Russia’s political and legal environment.</jats:p>