These days, we often hear people say they don’t trust the news at all. Yet the moment a truly important topic comes up, they still go looking for somewhere to read or watch, to try and make sense of it. What comes through in that choice is less about taste and more about a person’s social identity, their generation, even their mood. So today, we’ll try to understand: which news sources are most in demand in Kazakhstan? TV, social media, online outlets, or something else?
Aigul Zabirova.
In a spring survey conducted by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS), respondents were asked, “Which sources of information do you trust the most when it comes to news about politics, the economy, and public life in Kazakhstan?” They were given the following options: national television channels, online media outlets, social media platforms and messaging apps, foreign media, print newspapers and magazines, bloggers and public opinion leaders, and radio.
The sociological survey was commissioned by KazISS and conducted between March 20 and April 20, 2025. The sample size was 8,001 respondents. Participants included individuals aged 18 and older from 17 regions of Kazakhstan and the three cities of national significance – Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent.
Respondents could select up to three sources of news. This allows for two types of analysis: one based on the first choice alone, which clearly shows who dominates the media space, and another based on multiple choices, where a person can select up to three sources they trust. The latter approach gives us a broader picture of media consumption patterns and structure.
What’s interesting, however, is that in our analysis, both approaches produced a similar picture, which is a rare and important result.
At the same time, while national television channels continue to hold the lead, Kazakhstan’s media environment clearly reflects a hybrid model, where, alongside television, social media, messaging apps, and digital platforms are playing an increasingly important role. This structure points not only to hybridity but also to the unique character of the national information landscape that still allows for navigating information with a degree of trust, something that is, you will agree, a rarity these days.
So, what does the media landscape of our country look like? National television channels stand out as the country’s main institutional media hub, trusted by 59.1% of respondents. Indeed, television in Kazakhstan continues to serve as the core of official communication. Despite digitalization, for millions of Kazakh citizens, TV remains the primary channel for official information, especially on issues of politics, the economy, and public life.
At the same time, another world is growing in parallel. Every third respondent (34.7%) says they trust social media, which serve as alternative and at times complementary channels, particularly among urban residents and younger audiences. Most likely, these two worlds overlap: in the evening, a person might watch the news on TV, and in the morning, they might scroll through social media.
Kazakhstan’s online media outlets rank third in the trust ratings, with 30.3%. This is a significant result, considering these are platforms that combine traditional journalism with a digital format. They adhere to journalistic standards, receive state support, and publish high-quality content.
Continuing the metaphor of Kazakhstan’s media archipelago, online outlets can be seen as the third island in the media landscape. However, it is a rather diverse category, encompassing both state-supported platforms and independent newsrooms. We deliberately grouped outlets of different origins and editorial policies into a single category to see how much audiences trust the internet as such.
Print newspapers and magazines are in fourth place, trusted by 9.2% of respondents in Kazakhstan. Of course, that is not much compared to television, social media, or online outlets. Yet newspapers and magazines still find their readers, mostly in the regions and among older generations, as well as those who distrust the “sensational” headlines of online media and prefer a more structured, verified presentation of news. For them, print remains a reliable, time-tested source with less emotion, more facts. In other words, Kazakhstan’s media landscape still retains a certain multilayered character, where the printed word continues to have both its audience and its relevance.
Bloggers and opinion leaders were chosen by 8.7% of respondents. At first glance, this is very little. But this figure is more than just a number. It is not merely a fifth place in the trust ranking. It represents a new force that plays by different rules and speaks to audiences in its own, authentic language. They don’t have newsrooms, budgets, or broadcasting licenses, but what they have is the voice of a familiar person. This is something traditional media find extremely difficult to replicate. A blogger is often perceived as one of your own. There is no distance; they speak in a living language, and their posts invite direct replies in the comments. Bloggers share not only the news but also their lives.
Foreign media are trusted by 8.5% of respondents. Symbolically, the presence of international outlets in Kazakhstan’s media space serves as a sign of media pluralism, where different viewpoints coexist, but none dominate. At the same time, their relatively modest share can be seen as an indicator of Kazakhstan’s media sovereignty.
Radio takes seventh place in the structure of media consumption, chosen by 5.4% of respondents. That may not be much, but it is not zero either. Like newspapers, radio is part of our media memory, but it operates differently. It doesn’t require you to look at it, click, scroll, or select. You can listen on the go, in the car, in the kitchen, or simply in the background. That is its strength: it doesn’t impose itself or demand attention; it simply accompanies us. Perhaps that is why people perceive it as a neutral, “unobtrusive” source, which keeps them informed without overwhelming them. Today, radio likely remains with those who trust not so much the format as the habit of listening.
Thus, Kazakhstan’s modern media space resembles an archipelago. On its map, you can clearly see islands of different shapes, with varying population densities, languages, and habits, yet all united by public attention. The largest island is occupied by national television, which continues to hold the trust of the masses. Nearby lie social networks and messaging apps: mobile, noisy, and, importantly, rapidly growing. Online media appear as an island with a complex shoreline, bridging the official and digital worlds, though still unable to overtake their neighbors.
Further across the archipelago, we find newspapers, radio, bloggers, and foreign media. These are niches, smaller in scale, but their significance is undeniable. Some preserve cultural continuity, others represent individual voices, and others provide a global perspective on current events.
In the end, what matters is that Kazakhstan’s media landscape is neither a self-elevating pyramid nor a straight line, but rather a map of islands where each user chooses their own route, sometimes crossing from one shore to another. And the more trust, diversity, and respect for the audience it contains, the more resilient Kazakhstan’s information ecosystem will be.
Aigul Zabirova is a chief research fellow at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan (KazISS). She is a doctor of sociology and a professor.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Astana Times.
