Civil and ethnic identification of regional youth of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is transitioning to a national state as a new subject of sovereignty. In the Kazakhstan’s case, the national-state construction has received an ethnolinguistic connotation and symbolizes the Kazakh nation’s revival. This complicates the formation of a new national identity on a civil basis and leads to the strengthening of ethnic identifications among younger people, especially in the Kazakh-speaking regions. This highlights the need to study the role and influence which the modal tendencies of nation building have on identification of the regional youth. Meanwhile, the key dimensions of young people’s life include social disorder and insecurity, which, combined with the uncertain prospects of education and employment, worsen social sentiment and complicate their self-identification in this environment. This, in fact, determines the relevance of this study, as well as its scientific and practical significance. The purpose of this article involves a comparative analysis of the role and influence of modal tendencies of nation building in Kazakhstan on the formation of certain types of social identity, namely, civil and ethnic — youth living in various regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The empirical basis of the article includes the results of a survey of young people aged 15-29 years conducted in all the regions of Kazakhstan from 23 April to 6 May 2016. These results show the role and influence of modal trends in nation building on identification processes in regional youth groups and the ethnic conflict potential. The author highlights the specifics of the existing risks associated with the growth of ethnic identity of the young residents of Kazakhstan in the context of potential social and political consequences for the republic.