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Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 15:30:11 UT Kazakstan Opinion PollSlava Kozlov in Almaty, September 1997Dear CenAsia Netters: Here are more polls and other, very interesting info from Slava Kozlov in Almaty; almost all of it is on Kazakstan. Cheers, Keith Martin, List Manager
From: Slava Kozlov OPINIONMonthly Bulletin of Opinion Polls, Social Surveys & Information Sources in Central Asia #3 (3) September 1997 In This Issue:
PUBLIC OPINION POLLSBRIBES IN ALMATYThree of four (73%) Almaty respondents said they either gave or were given bribes, according to the poll of Vashe pravo (Your Right) newspaper. Of those who did not give bribes the half (51%) told there was no need bribe (or did not take bribes because of no offer); 34% of non-bribers do not bribe because of moral considerations, and only 15% are afraid the law.
Vashe pravo, September 5, 1997 AND AMONG ALMATY STUDENTSOver 30% of Almaty students give bribes to their teachers on a regular base, as revealed by the poll of the All Over the Globe newspaper; other 13% students bribes professors "occasionally". Over a half (56%) of the students said they do not give bribes related to the education. Backhander's size varies from 20 to 70 US dollars. More than two hundred students of the Almaty large universities were surveyed in September 1997. All Over the Globe, September 5, 1997. EXODUS FROM KAZAKHSTANOnly one of five of Russian-speaking Kazakhstanis is absolutely sure that he (or she) will stay in the country, as reported Caravan newspaper referring to the survey conducted by the Moscow-based Institute of the CIS. During last eight years the republic was left by over 800,000 Russian people, 100,000 Ukraine, and 570,000 Germans, said the survey. Out-migration had peaked in 1994 when more than 250,000 people left the country. According to the research, one of the main reason which prevents further growth of migration is the lack of proper financial resources to move out, including the higher cost of households in Russia in comparison with Kazakhstan. For the first eight months of 1997 over 60,000 people left Kazakhstan, according the Kazakhstan Statistical Agency, with ethnic Russians making half of them, and Germans 25%. Approximately one person enters Kazakhstan for every five leaving.
Caravan, September 12, 1997 f USKC ALMATY DWELLERS EXPECT RISE OF HOUSEHOLD PAYMENTSThree quarter of Almaty inhabitants (78%) expect further increase of payments for their houses by the end of the year, according to the public opinion poll's data published by Kazakhstanskaya pravda. Only a third of them (34%) consider this measure as inevitable; 23% think that household payment's rise is a result of wrong economic reform, and other 32% are sure that the rise could be avoided if to fight with the monopoly of communal service providers. Kazakhstanskaya pravda. September 5, 1997. FRUSTRATE OR BE FRUSTRATEDOver 80% of Almaty inhabitants experience stressful feelings "quite often", according to the recent poll by the Giller Institute. Women feel stress more often (85%), and more women said that they have stresses "very often" (42%, in comparison with 29% among men.) Health problems is the most common reason for stresses (48% put it first), followed by problems in the house (44%), personal problems (44%), and family troubles (40%). One of five (22%) mentioned the quarrels during buying things as the reason to be frustrated, and 16% named problems in public transport. To cope with stress, 45% look for the support from the relatives or friends. Every fourth uses recreational facilities or goes to the wild nature, and every sixth takes alcohol drinks. Only every tenth use sedative drugs (15% of women and 6% of men.) 500 adult respondents were surveyed over phone by the Giller Institute in September 1997. - Caravan, September 19, 1997. Giller Institute insgl@caravan.alma-ata.su POLL OF WOMEN IN EASTERN KAZAKHSTANAbout every fifth women of reproductive age in Ust-Kamenogorsk (22%) supports aborts, according to the data of opinion poll conducted by local University students. 36% of the respondents would consider abort depending on the circumstances, and 20% generally support the idea. The interviewed, women in childbirth from 17 till 40 years old, were also asked on the expected delivery. 66% are worrying about the coming delivery; 18% are not. For 46% of the women this will be their first delivery. Most of them did not find necessary support from the staff of the maternity home, and only 34% are satisfied with its conditions. Express-K, September 4, 1997. EXPERT SURVEYSEight percent of the experts described current social situation in Kazakhstan as "prone to explosion", according to the expert poll conducted by the VIProblem Group in September. Almost a half (48%) said that the situation is alarming, and 40% named it "calm". Actions of the central power were named as a leading factor influencing the situation in the country (84%); the second most important factor is local akimats' (administrations') activities (72%.) Foreign business has a certain impact on the situation in the country, think 34% of the experts, but the influence of local business is insignificant (16%.) Most of the experts (98%) agree that "population does not demonstrate political activity." The majority (80%) of the experts disagree that the government's actions are logical and regulate the economy properly. Among the "success stories" of the government were named attraction of foreign investments (60%) and foreign policy (58%.) All social spheres (education, healthcare, pension system, employment, as well as maintaining the order in the society, were evaluated as "failure" altogether. Most governmental bodies have been fulfilling their duties only partly, believe most of the experts. The most active is Presidential Administration (60%), then the Parliament (41%), and the central Government (35%). The experts do not perceive existing political parties and movements as real power now (80% of the experts think their leader are more obsessed with their own ambitions), however, the parties can become more important during two-three coming years (52%.) - Panorama, September 19, 1997.
VIProblem Group SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPSINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN KAZAKHSTAN - TO BE ASSESSESInternational Center of Market Economy Arman held a workshop in Almaty on assessment of intangible goods and intellectual property. The workshop's participants discussed intellectual property's cost, its leasing and selling. Representatives of the recently established Institute of Assessment spoke on the proper methods of assessment of various intangible goods. Aziya-EZ, September 14, 1997.
International Center of Market Economy Arman AND PROTECTEDDespite a number of laws were accepted in Kazakhstan which regulate intellectual property protection, including the Patent Law, the Law on Trademark, and a special section of the Civic Code, more legislative measure should be undertaken to make the above laws working, said Tolseh Kaudyrov, head of the Kazakhstan Patent Agency. Intellectual property rights is one of the key prerequisite for the country to join the World Trade Organization and a lot of work should be done to stop widespread violations of these rights in Kazakhstan, said Mr. Kaudyrov to the participants of the international workshop held in Almaty September 17-19. The workshop's participants, which included representatives from the International Organization of Intellectual Property, the International Custom Organization, and the Anti-Counterfeiting Association, have shared their experience of both development and implementation of the relevant legislature. Panorama, September 19,1997.
Kazakhstan Patent Agency CENTRAL ASIAN CULTURAL TREASURES IN INTERNETUNESCO will provide technical assistance in the establishment of the Web-site presenting major cultural treasures of the Central Asian republics, as announced at the seminar held in Almaty on September 23. The site will include texts of books and ancient manuscripts as well as pictures of art and craftwork of the Central Asian peoples. UNESCO will also support the efforts of local libraries, museums, archives, and research institutions to introduce electronic communication network. All Over the Globe, September 24, 1997. INTERNET WILL HELP TO COPE WITH INFORMATION VACUUMKazakhstan's scientists are suffering from the information vacuum, said Beket Kembaev, director of the Kazakhstan Institute of Scientific Information (KISI), to the participants of the conference on the state system of scientific information held in Almaty. By 1990 the Institute obtained 4,5 million of information items annually, the amount which dropped down 6,5 times, to 700,000 in 1996. This is also accompanied by the substantial decrease in the ordering of scientific information by the research institutions and governmental organizations. Internet was mentioned as a potential solution of the growing shortage of scientific information in the academic community of Kazakhstan. The amount of scientific workers has also declined in the republic during last years (from 27,600 in 1994 to 20,600 in 1996.) Still too many of them work in the areas of fundamental theoretical research, according to the report prepared by the Department of Information Analysis, KISI. The share of fundamental research to the total volume of research is 17% in Kazakhstan (the share of applied research is 44%, and RfD - 36%.) The optimal proportion of the above three is 15:25:60, according to the report. Referring to the data of the CIS Economic Committee, the report also provides the data on this distribution for other countries. For Russia, the share of fundamental research to applied research to RfD is 10:24:56. For Kyrgyz Republic it is 28:58:13, for Uzbekistan - 17:38:38, and 22:36:26 for Tajikistan. Kazakhstanskaya pravda, September 18; Azia-EZ, September 21, 1997.
Kazakhstan Institute of Scientific Information MANAGEMENT FOR NGOSAlmaty-based Zhalgas Center held a workshop on management and development of non-governmental organizations in Kazakhstan. Representatives from both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic who recently visited the USA to learn the experience of American NGOs shared the knowledge with their counterparts. The trip was supported by the USAID and aimed to further develop the third sector developments in Central Asia. Delovaya nedelya, September 26, 1997.
Zhalgas Center STATISTICS & DEMOGRAPHYLABOR STATISTICS IN KAZAKHSTANSignificant restructuring of the labor force has been occurring in Kazakhstan, said Mr. Zhaksybek Kylekeev, head of the Kazakhstan Statistical Agency, in his report on labor resources in the republic. The amount of workers employed in governmental and public organizations decreased on 637,000 in 1996 (87% to the 1995 level.) Number of the self-employed increased from 12 to 17% during the same time (or 500,000 people.) Estimated share of the unemployed increased from 11 to 13% of the total labor force (970,000) while only 4,2% are officially registered in the Employment Service. The total number of working-age people is 9.14 million (0.2% higher from 1995.) About 7.5 million of the total are "economically active," 1.8% less from the previous year. Delovaya nedelya, September 12; 1997
Kazakhstan National Statistics Agency INFORMATIONAL SOURCESKAZAKH-ENGLISH TRANSLATION SOFTWARE TO BE CREATEDThe OSCE and its Foundation of Inter-Ethnic Relations will help to the Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Education to publish textbooks, reference guides, and ethnic atlases, as well as to create a software to translate the texts from Kazakh to English language. These and other issues were discussed during the meeting of Jonathan Cohen, Deputy Director of the Foundation of Inter-Ethnic Relations and Mr. Sultan Orazalinov, Director of the Department on Coordination of Language Policy, Ministry of Culture and Education. Kazakhstanskaya pravda, September 18, 1997. SILK ROAD INFORMATION AGENCY PROPOSEDThe Armenia-Kazakhstan Friendship Society has offered the project to establish new inter-regional information agency Silk Road. The agency will maintain stable exchange of information between the two countries, issue new monthly magazine. Azia-EZ, September 21, 1997. DATABASE SYSTEM IN KYRGYZSTAN FOR BUSINESS REGISTRATIONCentral Asian office of the USAID and technical advisors from IRIS helped to the Ministry of Justice in Kyrgyzstan to install a computer data base system able to ease business registration, reports ENI Weekly. "With recent redefinition of duties and reorganization of ministries, the Ministry of Justice is coping with the duty of registering businesses, NGOs, and, eventually, mortgages. The technical assistance provided by advisors will make those tasks much easier and more effective, as the government tries to adapt to non-Soviet methods of operation", writes USAID/CAR ENI Weekly on September 7, 1997. BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS"OFFICIAL SYMBOLS OF TURK COUNTRIES"The above-titled book was published by the Almaty Center of Education and Social Technologies. The edition contains the official descriptions of the state symbols of the six Turk countries - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. The history and evolution of the state symbolism is also presented in the book edited by Dr. Sholpan Kairgali. Azia-EZ, September 21, 1997. NEW PUBLICATION ON KAZAKHSTAN ELITEKazakhstan Institute for Development issued new edition, "Elite of Kazakhstan", containing the descriptions of over 700 current distinguished figures of politics, science, culture, and business. Besides general bio-data, the book also reveals the elitists' answers on their political sympathies, personal features, and hobbies; most items have pictures. Kazakhstanskaya pravda, September 19, 1997.
Kazakhstan Institute for Development NEW ITEMS IN BRIF CENTERResearch reports: CALLUP TV Index is first issues of the report on the results of measurement of the TV audiences using a diary panel technique in Almaty. The report allows to receive understanding of actual ratings of the TV programs and advertising blocks, to track the dynamics of the TV channels' audiences. 100 families were surveyed by the Gallup Media Asia company in the first week of September 1997. BRIF CENTER
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