How Sociology Helps Explain Media Preferences in Kazakhstan
After mapping out the main islands of Kazakhstan’s media archipelago in the previous article, from national TV channels to bloggers and radio stations, it’s logical to turn to the next question: how are media preferences divided across social groups? Who chooses television, and who prefers Telegram channels? Are there media platforms that unite generations, and…
Kazakhstan’s Media Archipelago
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…
Justice as Part of Social Consensus in Kazakhstan
What do we really think about justice, and what does it mean in Kazakhstan’s context? Social justice is understood as how people perceive fairness in the distribution of resources. Namely, access to quality education and healthcare, housing, fairness in labor and remuneration, equality before the law, and the protection of rights, as well as the…
Why Optimism is Kazakhstan’s Strength
Kazakhstan is often described as a “transitional” state, neither a poor nor a wealthy society, neither Eastern nor Western in culture, but rather a blend of codes, where young people listen to pop music and respect their grandmothers, speak English, and go to the mosque. It is, according to empirical data, a society marked by…
How Social Connections Support Mental Health in Kazakhstan
A sociological analysis of the state of social connections in Kazakhstan reveals that, while a significant portion of the population still maintains close social ties, there are concerning signs of these relationships narrowing and weakening. According to a sociological survey commissioned by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS), the structure of close family ties…
