Social Mobility in Kazakhstan

Abstract

This thesis examines self-assessed intergenerational social mobility in Kazakhstan with the EBRD “Life in Transition” survey data collected in 2016. We test perceived social mobility with the answers of the survey respondents to two questions: “Do we live better than our parents?” and “Will our children live better than we do?” The importance and relevance of these issues are determined by how people perceive their economic and social status at the moment, and how they are set up for the future. The study found that the majority of respondents in Kazakhstan positively assess social mobility. Social mobility between people may depend on a person’s personal character, giftedness, and genetics. Considering these factors, during the analysis, we found that none of the observed characteristics collected with the survey (with only a few exemptions) explains the perception of social mobility in Kazakhstan. We conclude that more research or richer datasets are needed to understand which factors determine perceived social mobility.