The article presents the results of youth public opinion polls revealing three approaches to youth organizations development: political-ideological structure (a dominant one); socialization mechanism; a response to the youth problems, needs and demands. The study made it possible to reveal four attitude models of Kazakhstan youth to their associations: 1) active-conforming one, focused on achieving success within social norms (every fifth citizen of Kazakhstan); 2) radically-protestant (1–2%); 3) passive majority; 4) absentive (about 20%). The most significant segment (the majority of youth) demonstrates passivity caused by the parliamentary democracy institutions` weak development and political regime peculiarities. These characteristics are responsible for political parties’ and youth associations’ very modest place in the system of political decision making.