Abstract
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in micro-enterprises is an under-researched area in developing economies; this study explores CSR awareness and practice, perceived benefits, and selected business indicators among 50 micro-enterprises in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, using a cross-sectional survey design. Structured data were gathered through telephone interviews using an 18-item questionnaire covering the breadth and intensity of CSR, financial indicators, and owners’ perceptions. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and a bivariate linear regression model were used to analyze the data. Firms reported undertaking an average of 3.76 CSR actions, concentrated in low-cost, visible practices such as donations, youth internships, fair pricing, and social-media messaging. CSR breadth is positively correlated with CSR intensity (β = 0.41; R² = 0.57). Reports of loan approval, broader CSR engagement, and higher profit-margin categories are more common among businesses with three or more employees than among sole proprietorships. Owners associate CSR more strongly with customer loyalty than with revenue growth or loan terms. The evidence implies that micro-enterprises in Pavlodar already informally embrace feasible CSR actions, but engagement is shaped by firm size, access to resources, and knowledge constraints. Support should target training and networking for small firms and provide low-burden incentives to help firms expand feasible CSR activities.