The author of the article reveals the characteristics of young people's ideas about patriotism. Patriotism is considered a universal value that should be instilled in modern youth through three key principles: citizenship, peace and culture. The author believes that patriotism as a form of attitude to social reality in the youth environment can be a stable vector, preserved in rapidly changing trends in the political, cultural, social spheres. Theoretical analysis of the concept of patriotism revealed its ambivalence: constructive aspects include love for the Motherland, pride in the country and national identity, while destructive aspects include the imposition of opinions from outside the country, narrow nationalism and the glorification of extremism.  Constructive patriotism, as one of the forms of manifestation of citizenship, should have a creative force that can unite people and reduce various discriminatory forms of destructive behavior. The empirical section of the article presents data from studies conducted in 2022-2023, in which young people from the Belgorod region participated. It was determined that young people perceive patriotism through an active civic position, social justice and attachment to the country and the Motherland. Most of the respondents consider themselves patriots (while there is a significant positive trend in relation to 2019). However, there are also some negative influences of an anti-patriotic orientation, which necessitates the formation of optimal forms of social regulation based on ensuring the internalisation of the values of patriotism by modern youth.  The study's findings can be summarised as the identification of a triune form of patriotism, based on socio-cultural values, political features of societal development, and spiritual and moral education.