No Country Like This…

Ijtimoiy Fikr Center for the Study of Public Opinion has conducted a sociological survey to enquire into the national self-consciousness of Uzbekistan’s population.

The study showed that in the national consciousness there is a steady development of a sense of belonging and spiritual unity with the people, history and national culture. This feeling is characteristic of most of the representatives of ethnic groups inhabiting our nation.

The dominant attitude of the Uzbek people towards ethnicity is the person’s belonging to a specific people, the comprehension of their historical roots, territorial and cultural and linguistic affiliation. The public opinion in Uzbekistan is characterized by the absence of negative perceptions of ethnicity as an outdated concept and as a barrier to the harmony among the ethnic groups.

The results of the research demonstrate a negative attitude of Uzbek people to such social phenomena as parochialism and clan relations. Almost half of the respondents (46.2%) note that localism and clan relations are negative phenomena that impede the development of the nation due to the promotion of group interests and those of individual clans.

The absolute majority of the respondents (92%) favor the fixation of ethnicity in the passport, since most of the citizens today feel themselves, first of all, as Uzbekistanis.

More than half of the respondents have nationality associated with a person’s comprehension of their historical roots (70.9%) and the commonality of people who have a single territory, state, language and faith and retained their cultural identity (70.7%).

Uzbekistanis express their feelings of belonging to their nation through the love of the land on which they were born and the history of their country (74%), spiritual unity with the people (65.5%), the common language – “I speak and think in my native language, who I represent (63.2%)”, lifestyle and culture, which are based on national customs and traditions (60.8%).

It is important to note that the country’s youth are deeply interested in studying the history, culture and spiritual heritage of Uzbekistan. This was indicated by 68.1% of the surveyed between the ages of 16-29, while 68.2% accounted for people aged 30-39.

The results of the research record a harmonious combination of intra-national and civic solidarity as unifying factors. The survey showed that the main factor uniting people are “the state, civil solidarity” (46.9%). Then follows the factor of “the nation, intra-national solidarity”. The assessment of the unifying power of the state and civil solidarity for representatives of all ethnic backgrounds remains stably high.

The overwhelming majority of respondents highly appreciate the position of our country in the world community. Thus, 87.5% note that Uzbekistan is a country with a rich historical and cultural, literary, spiritual and scientific heritage. 62.7% of the polled believe that our country is associated in the world community as a nation rich in minerals and manufactured products. The sociological survey participants also highly appreciate the republic’s labor potential.

The absolute majority of respondents (89%) note that they are proud when they see the flag and listen to the national anthem of Uzbekistan. The sense of pride is felt by representatives of almost all ethnic groups living in the country. 94.4% of citizens consider themselves to be patriots of the independent Uzbekistan

Identification of Uzbekistan as their homeland is typical for the majority of respondents (78.6%). For many, our republic is associated with home. This is confirmed by the migration sentiments of citizens. The absolute majority of the interviewed indicated that they do not want to live in another country, because “Uzbekistan is better than any other country in the world”.

The survey showed that the formation of national-civic positions of Uzbek people is most influenced by the family and parents (82.2%). In the second place in this regard are educational institutions (69.2%). Mahalla and public opinion come third (62.4%).

An important factor infleuncing the formation of national identity are the mass media, but their role has slightly decreased (from 47.8% in 2015 to 41.1% in 2018). Religion and religious organizations as a factor in the formation of national self-awareness exert their influence on every third (30.5%) respondent.

The majority of the population of Uzbekistan supports the further development of the state language (Uzbek) and points out the need to take measures to improve the conditions and opportunities for its study (75.1%).

The research indicated that in the national stereotypes predominate positive qualities – diligence, honesty, sincerity, activity – the determining actions of the person and the general style of behavior. At the same time, the perception of the qualities of their people coincides with the assessment of these qualities by representatives of other ethnic groups. Thus, the dominant qualities of Uzbeks, according to respondents, are hard work (78.6%), integrity (62.1%), sincerity (57.4%), activity (54.6%), humility (37.7%).

The effectiveness of the ethnic policy of the state is reflected in the trust expressed by the Uzbek people to representatives of different ethnicities living in the country, in the absence of hostility towards any of them.

The balanced ethnic policy of the government is reflected in the increase in the number of citizens who fully observe the traditions and customs of their ethnicities (53.1%).

The results of the research reveal the need of Uzbek people to learn Russian and English, as well as other foreign languages, their desire to improve their level of language skills.

In general, the sociological survey unveils the dynamic development of the national revival and the growth of the national self-awareness of the inhabitants of the country, the consolidation of the sense of belonging to a large single multiethnic family in the minds of citizens, and the stability of favorable interethnic relations in Uzbekistan. Therefore, citizens support the policy pursued by the head of state, which is aimed at strengthening interethnic unity in the country and tolerance in the Uzbek society.

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