A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University Survey

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a polarising issue throughout the world, with analysts viewing it as either advancing China's desire to remake the world according to its plans, having the potential for, or indeed about, mutual benefit, or too ad-hoc and thus impossible to p...

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Main Authors: Christopher B. Primiano, Alma Kudebayeva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/18681026231211354
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author Christopher B. Primiano
Alma Kudebayeva
author_facet Christopher B. Primiano
Alma Kudebayeva
author_sort Christopher B. Primiano
collection DOAJ
description China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a polarising issue throughout the world, with analysts viewing it as either advancing China's desire to remake the world according to its plans, having the potential for, or indeed about, mutual benefit, or too ad-hoc and thus impossible to predict how it will develop. In this article, we present our findings from a survey that we conducted with university students in Almaty, Kazakhstan on views towards BRI. There are two main findings. First, the majority of our participants view BRI as bad for Kazakhstan. Second, one's political views, specifically whether one embraces authoritarian or conservative views (on the one hand) or democratic views (on the other), correlate with the way that person views BRI. In particular, we found that those who espouse authoritarian or conservative views consistently and with statistical significance view the initiative in higher regard than those who embrace democratic political views. To explain this pattern, we draw from social identity theory.
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spelling doaj-art-6efca0d402f9455f94d54bc0d7f243062025-08-20T03:41:39ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Current Chinese Affairs1868-10261868-48742025-08-015410.1177/18681026231211354A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University SurveyChristopher B. Primiano0Alma Kudebayeva1 Department of Political Science, , Montgomery, AL, USA Department of Economics, , Almaty, KazakhstanChina's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a polarising issue throughout the world, with analysts viewing it as either advancing China's desire to remake the world according to its plans, having the potential for, or indeed about, mutual benefit, or too ad-hoc and thus impossible to predict how it will develop. In this article, we present our findings from a survey that we conducted with university students in Almaty, Kazakhstan on views towards BRI. There are two main findings. First, the majority of our participants view BRI as bad for Kazakhstan. Second, one's political views, specifically whether one embraces authoritarian or conservative views (on the one hand) or democratic views (on the other), correlate with the way that person views BRI. In particular, we found that those who espouse authoritarian or conservative views consistently and with statistical significance view the initiative in higher regard than those who embrace democratic political views. To explain this pattern, we draw from social identity theory.https://doi.org/10.1177/18681026231211354
spellingShingle Christopher B. Primiano
Alma Kudebayeva
A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University Survey
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
title A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University Survey
title_full A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University Survey
title_fullStr A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University Survey
title_full_unstemmed A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University Survey
title_short A Bumpy Ride for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Findings from a University Survey
title_sort bumpy ride for china s belt and road initiative in kazakhstan findings from a university survey
url https://doi.org/10.1177/18681026231211354
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