The editorial team at Energyprom.kz analyzed the results of a survey on children's needs conducted in the first half of 2024 by the National Statistics Bureau.
According to analysts, this year there has been a noticeable increase in the percentage of respondents who consider the following children's needs to be important:
• the ability to invite friends over — 69.8%, compared to 58.5% last year (an increase of 11.3 percentage points);
• participation in school excursions and paid school events — 64.5%, compared to 55.5% the previous year (an increase of 9 percentage points);
• regular leisure activities — 76.4%, compared to 68.6% last year (an increase of 7.8 percentage points).
Among the most highly valued basic needs of children, respondents noted the following:
• 86.3% believed that children need new clothes in the appropriate size;
• 86% thought that children require a balanced diet that includes meat, poultry, or fish (or vegetarian alternatives) at least once a day;
• 84.9% considered it essential to consume fresh vegetables and fruits daily;
• 84% were convinced that children need at least two pairs of seasonal shoes in the right size;
• 80.1% highlighted the importance of having a comfortable place for children to study and do homework.
At the same time, responses were highlighted from those respondents who wished to meet certain needs of their children but could not afford to do so. Here’s what Kazakhs considered necessary but were unable to provide for their children:
• 19.1% of respondents dreamed of organizing at least a week-long vacation away from home with their parents for their children;
• 14.6% would like to provide extracurricular activities for their children (such as crafts, music, or private lessons);
• 14% wished to purchase equipment for outdoor activities;
• 13.3% considered it important for children to participate in school excursions and paid events;
• 12.4% wanted their children to be able to eat fresh vegetables and fruits daily.
These respondents also rated their ability to meet basic needs for children, such as new clothes in the right size, two pairs of seasonal shoes for each child, and a suitable place for studying and doing homework, quite low.
Meanwhile, some respondents noted that they do not consider a number of needs to be relevant for children. Among these, the largest proportion indicated that their children do not require participation in school excursions and paid school events (19.3%, compared to 27.8% the previous year); participation in extracurricular activities like crafts, music, or private lessons (18.6%, compared to 22.1%); the ability to invite friends over (17.3%, compared to 27%); indoor games (12.8%, compared to 17%); and equipment for outdoor activities (11.9%, compared to 18.7%).
A minority of respondents also indicated that daily consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits (2.1%), meat, poultry, or fish at least once a day (2.7%) are not among their children's urgent needs. There was also a noted lack of need for new clothes: 6.1% of respondents.
Additionally, some surveyed individuals found it difficult to define children's needs. Details are available in the tables. It is worth noting that overall, respondents assessed children's needs within families by choosing one of the following responses:
• “Yes”;
• “No. I would like to have it, but currently cannot afford it”;
• “No need at the moment”;
• “I don’t know”.
Reminder: at the beginning of 2024, there were 6.8 million minors (children aged up to 17 years) living in Kazakhstan — 1.5% more than at the beginning of the previous year when there were 6.7 million children in the country.
By locality, the number of minors in urban areas has increased by 2.3% this year, reaching 4.1 million, while in rural areas it has only increased by 0.5%, totaling 2.8 million. In terms of gender, the number of boys has risen by 1.6%, to 3.5 million, while the number of girls has increased by 1.5%, to 3.3 million. The number of boys exceeds the number of girls by 5.9%.
Over the past decade, the highest growth in the number of minors was observed in 2022 during the “coronavirus” baby boom. At that time, the number of children increased by 5.1%, reaching 6.6 million.