Understanding Attitudes Toward The LGBTQI+ People In Kazakhstan: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach

Abstract

This thesis explores how individuals in Kazakhstan articulate, justify, and negotiate their attitudes toward LGBTQI+ individuals. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, it investigates not only what people think but how these views are constructed and why they take particular forms. Data were collected through an open-ended national survey (n=829) and follow-up interviews (n=6). The research does not seek generalizability but instead offers an exploratory and abductive mapping of interpretive frameworks and meaning-making practices within Kazakhstan’s sociocultural setting. Three core frameworks emerged from the data: “LGBT as a Threat,” which positioned LGBTQI+ existence as endangering cultural or moral order; “Visibility Concerns,” where discomfort/threat perception was centered on public presence and perceived “propaganda”; and “Empathy-Driven Acceptance,” where support was often expressed through personal familiarity, ethical non-interference, or humanistic views about individual autonomy — even in the absence of ideological agreement. Although not initially central to the research design, gender and language differences surfaced as interpretive threads worth attending to. Kazakh-language responses more frequently invoked religious and traditional justifications and reflected stricter perceived network norms, suggesting higher conformity pressures. Russian-language responses demonstrated more discursive flexibility and more tentative formulations. While the study does not claim theoretical saturation, it offers an initial theoretical integration of recurring interpretive patterns, providing direction for future research on sexual and non-cisgender prejudice in Kazakhstan. It demonstrates how public attitudes are shaped not only by personal belief but by interpretive framings that reflect broader normative and cultural environments.