Ethnic Minorities and Political Support: An Examination of Mass Attitudes in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus, 1998

Studied the attachment of minorities, especially ethnic Russians outside Russia, to their country of residence and assess their level of support for its institutions and leaders. The survey posed the following questions: If variation in loyalty and support exist within a given minority, what explains the variation at the individual level? Is political support by ethnic minorities a rational calculation or is it the result of subjective, identity-related factors? Respondents were asked a series of questions about their perceptions of nationality, their attitudes toward the independence of their nation, the current state of their country compared with its former existence as part of the Soviet Union, and their financial position and future prospects, as well as the economic condition of their nation and the development of market economies. Additional questions focused on the status of the political system in which they resided, including trust in government, the development of democracy, which groups of people were being served by the government, feelings about personal political rights and the rights of the Russian-speaking population, ties with Russia, relations with other countries in Europe, human rights, the status of Russian culture, and common interests with other nations in the world. Respondents also provided information on their national language, which foreign languages children should study in school, and the importance of the Russian language. In addition, there were a variety of questions about employment, workers' rights, medical care, income levels, free speech, interest in politics, trust in other people, participation in elections, life satisfaction, feelings about other nationalities, preferences for interactions with other nationalities at work and home, and attitudes toward emigration and provision of gifts to government officials. Demographic items include employment status, earnings, citizenship, sex, country of birth, level of education, marital status, household composition, and age.