In the past 10 years, there has been a tendency in Kalmykia to drift away from traditional culture, the foundation of which has been the Buddhist teaching adopted by the Kalmyks in the 17th century, and also, most directly, the Kalmyk language, which has lost its definitive importance in Kalmyk society. Young people of Kalmykia today express themselves exclusively in Russian, and are beginning to lose their native culture. In order to find out the extent to which the Kalmyk culture can be passed on and how important it is for young people, in the summer of 2004 a quantitative survey was carried out for the purpose of studying the degree to which the younger generation of the republic perceives, understands, and identifies with the Kalmyk culture. The survey was conducted in the form of an in-depth formalized interview. The aggregate sample was made up of young people between the ages of 17 and 26, a total number of 100 people in Elista, the capital city of Kalmykia, and also in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don. Results show that despite increasing contact with other cultures, Kalmyk youth continues to identify with Kalmyk culture, although language use and religious practice may be weakening. (Contains 3 figures and 3 notes.)