Abstract
This article examines the modeling of residents’ acceptance of the Smart City concept based on the results of factor analysis. The aim of the study is to identify residents’ attitudes toward Smart City elements, their evaluation levels, and the structure of perception, as well as to assess the impact of socio-demographic factors. The empirical basis of the research consists of survey data collected from residents of the cities of Turkestan and Almaty. The study is based on the results of a questionnaire survey involving 680 respondents. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, mean comparison tests, and Spearman’s and Kendall’s rank correlation coefficients. In addition, the homogeneity of responses and the degree of interrelationships within thematic factor groups were assessed. The findings indicate that residents’ evaluations of Smart Governance and Smart Mobility are statistically homogeneous, whereas statistically significant differences in mean values were identified for Smart Environment, Smart Living, and Smart City Resources. Correlation analysis revealed strong and statistically significant relationships among respondents’ answers across all factor groups (p < 0.001), indicating a systematic perception of Smart City elements among residents. The analysis of sociodemographic variables demonstrated that education level is the only factor showing a stable and statistically significant association with Smart City acceptance, while the effects of age, gender, and place of residence are not universal. The results highlight the importance of considering residents’ perceptions, educational background, and the application of a citizen-centric approach in the development of Smart City strategies.