Background: Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, religiosity has resurged in post-Soviet Kazakhstan. However, since the late 1990s, research on religion’s impact on contraceptive use and differences between religious groups has been lacking. Islam and Christianity align with the major ethnicities, Kazakhs and Russians, and show variation in fertility and demographic transition stages. Objective: This study aims to explore contraceptive use variation among religious affiliations and to understand the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Using Kazakhstan’s 2020 Generations and Gender Survey, this research employs causal mediation analysis and linear probability models. Results: The findings indicate lower contraceptive use among Muslims than Christians. Religiosity and desired children partially explain these differences. Notably, religious affiliation does not mediate through education, employment, or self-assessed wealth, suggesting other contextual factors are at play. Conclusions: Current theories inadequately explain diverse family planning patterns within one nation. Further investigation is needed to rectify misconceptions about contraceptive permissibility and encourage sexual education in order to overcome cultural taboos around reproductive health. Contribution: This research enriches family planning literature in post-Soviet countries and Central Asia. By dissecting the links between religion and contraceptive use, these insights extend to similar contexts beyond Central Asia, encompassing middle-income countries with diverse populations.

中文翻译：

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哈萨克斯坦的宗教与避孕药具的使用：中介机制研究（作者：Maxim Kan）

背景：自苏联解体以来，宗教信仰在后苏联的哈萨克斯坦重新抬头。然而，自20世纪90年代末以来，一直缺乏关于宗教对避孕药具使用的影响以及宗教团体之间差异的研究。伊斯兰教和基督教与哈萨克族和俄罗斯族等主要民族一致，并在生育率和人口转型阶段表现出差异。目的：本研究旨在探讨宗教信仰之间避孕药具使用的差异并了解其潜在机制。方法：本研究利用哈萨克斯坦 2020 年世代和性别调查，采用因果中介分析和线性概率模型。结果：调查结果表明，穆斯林的避孕措施使用率低于基督徒。宗教信仰和想要的孩子部分解释了这些差异。值得注意的是，宗教信仰并不通过教育、就业或自我评估财富来调节，这表明其他背景因素也在发挥作用。结论：当前的理论不足以解释一个国家内不同的计划生育模式。需要进一步调查来纠正对避孕药具允许性的误解，并鼓励性教育，以克服生殖健康方面的文化禁忌。贡献：这项研究丰富了后苏联国家和中亚的计划生育文献。通过剖析宗教与避孕药具使用之间的联系，这些见解扩展到中亚以外的类似环境，涵盖人口多样化的中等收入国家。