Abstract

The article examines the understanding of the category of justice by various ethnic and social groups of Kazakhstani society, primarily in the villages and towns of the South of the country. The material analyzed in the article is based on the methodology and data of qualitative sociological research conducted in 2022-2024 by order of the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the CS MSHE RK. Focus groups and in-depth interviews revealed that the primary issues of concern to the rural population today are issues of dialogue and “feedback” in the interaction of these groups of the population with local authorities, problems of corruption, and the lack of social mobility for young people. The article presents the opinions of respondents in the context of their ideas about a “fair society” and presidential reforms aimed at building a “New Kazakhstan”. Based on the analysis of the opinions, the article concludes that there is a need to develop and implement new mechanisms for interaction between the authorities and the population, based on the existing successful experience of implementing their dialogue.

Key words: New Kazakhstan, fair society, dialogue, rural population, local government, reforms, state policy