Study “Radicalism online: analysis of meanings, ideas, and values of violent extremism in Central Asia”

In November 2020, our team conducted nationwide data collection as part of the regional project “Enhancing Resilience to Radicalization and Disinformation in Central Asia,” funded by the European Union and implemented by Internews. As part of this study, young people under the age of 35 were surveyed, with a sample size of 1003 individuals across the country. The key objective of the survey was to identify the values ​​of young people as well as their information consumption habits. This study was also conducted in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan using a unified methodology.

Field research has shown that social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube are more commonly used in Kazakhstan (Instagram – 83%, YouTube – 48%), Tajikistan (Instagram – 18%, YouTube – 27%), and Kyrgyzstan (Instagram – 38%, YouTube – 21%). YouTube is also the second most popular social media platform in Uzbekistan (36%), however, the most popular platform there is Telegram – 95%. 

In all four countries surveyed, the most common reasons for using social media are: a) communication with friends and/or relatives, b) news updates, and c) watching videos.

You can download the research results from the followinglink