Nancy Lubin and Arustan Joldasov, JNA Associates, Inc./American Foreign Policy Council and Expert Friki Center for Social and Marketing Research

This paper summarizes some of the key findings from a comprehensive public opinion survey conducted in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan first in 1993, and then re-administered almost 15 years later, in January 2007.

The 1993 survey, conducted under the auspices of the US Institute of Peace, was one of the first public opinion surveys to examine Uzbekistani and Kazakhstani attitudes toward a wide range of issues, including democracy and economic reform, corruption and organized crime, Islam (as a faith, identity, and catalyst for political mobilization), ethnic identity (likewise), environmental issues, and foreign policy views, particularly regarding international assistance. The same survey was re-administered in 2007 under the auspices of the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research.