Over 85% of Kazakhstanis back President's military reform — poll

As was reported, on September 27, 2026, the President of Kazakhstan met with the Defense Ministry leadership, where he assessed the situation in the army, ordered a comprehensive audit of the ministry, and set a ten-day deadline for a reform plan.

To study public perception of the government's measures, the Institute of Democracy conducted a public opinion survey on September 28–29.

The results show that the state of the armed forces and the army's future development are matters of public concern.

A majority of respondents support the President's decision to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Defense Ministry — 85.2% fully or mostly support the initiative.

A similar pattern holds for further army reform. In total, 85.7% of respondents approve of the Head of State's decision to reform the Armed Forces.

Answers to a question about necessary changes shed light on what the public expects from the reform. Respondents were asked to choose multiple options.

"One of the key priorities cited by respondents was 'increased openness and accountability at the Defense Ministry,' at 47.4%. Other most-cited measures included 'renewal and professionalization of the command staff' (34.3%) and 'strengthening anti-corruption efforts in the defense sector (29.4%).

Conditions of military service also hold a distinct place in public expectations. Respondents considered it important to 'ensure safety and social conditions for service members' (25.3%); 'upgrading weapons and military equipment' (20.7%); 'adopting new technologies, including digital ones' (20.4%); and 'improving the level of combat training and exercises' (19.2%)," the association said.

The survey results thus show that the public expects comprehensive change. Alongside enhancing the country's defense capabilities, people expect changes that directly affect how day-to-day military service is organized.

On the whole, strong public support for the President's initiatives is paired with fairly specific expectations about how his orders will be implemented. For the public, the success of the army reform will be judged not only by stronger military potential, but also by how much the changes improve conditions and safety in military service.

The survey was carried out by the Institute of Democracy on September 28–29, 2026, through online questionnaires (CAWI). The sample included 1,012 respondents aged 18 and older from 17 regions and the three cities of republican significance — Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent.