Projects / Programmes
Slovenian Public Opinion Survey
January 1, 2009
- December 31, 2013
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.03.00 |
Social sciences |
Sociology |
|
| 5.06.00 |
Social sciences |
Political science |
|
| 5.09.00 |
Social sciences |
Psychology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S210 |
Social sciences |
Sociology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
public opinion research; the dynamic of social values, norms, attitudes; political culture; social structure; social change; social differences and inequalities; social exclusion; social welfare; religiosity; family; environment; national and european identity; life-style and quality of life.
Researchers (13)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Modern democratic societies are complex entities that consist of different sub-systems and inter-systemic structures. To control and direct their own complexity, these systems have developed various mechanisms of (self)observation. Among most efficient such mechanisms are social surveys.
The main goal of Slovenian Public Opinion Survey Programme (SJM) is continuous and systematic monitoring of most relevant conditions and processes in Slovenian society and its international environment. The research programmes focuses on measuring and explaining attitudes and behaviours of Slovenian population in political, social, economic and cultural area. Due to its longitudinal design, which involves repeated measurements of a standard set of indicators, the programme provides continuous scientific information for monitoring and understanding of processes in Slovenian society.
All surveys carried out within SJM programme consist of substantial and demographic part. The major substantial areas of research are the following:
1. Topics relevant for social scientists and policy-makers, such as dynamic of values and attitudes - most notably attitudes towards politics, social inequalities, national identity, family and religion. Occasionally SJM surveys include relevant topics of specific nature, such as attitudes towards health and health system, environment, defence.
2. Attitudes towards structural problems in Slovenian society (such as social exclusion, unemployment, criminality), and measures taken by policy-makers to address them.
3. Attitudes towards current public issues and potential for public involvement. In this area, SJM research focus is mainly on public trust in political institutions, attitudes towards policies in different sub-systems, towards media, political participation, NGO involvement and similar.
Research topics are selected on the basis of theoretical relevance, empirical reliability, applicability in different areas of social sciences and also relevance for policy-makers. Accordingly, SJM surveys are not a superficial polls of immediate social issues, but systematically developed instruments, which aim to accumulate substantial findings and methodological experience, but are at the same time flexible, open for inclusion of new topics and methods. Data acquired by SJM programme are excellent basis for multi-level analysis of social processes and in important incitement for testing and development of medium-range social science theories.
Significance for science
The Slovenian Public Opinion Programme producs two types of scientific outputs, conceptual (substantive) and methodological. Prospective users, members of academic community can be divided into two larger groups: a) Researchers, lecturers and students enrolled in courses that tackle value dynamic and value change in contemporary societies. The programme will supply them with a new generation of social indicators and simultaneously provide them with a better empirical basis for testing their scientific hypotheses in comparative context. Owing to the general, diverse and comparative nature of the indicators we anticipate that SPO programme based scientific advances will be most frequent in areas of sociology, political sciences, psychology, social policy, but also economy and education. b) Researchers, lecturers and students on courses teaching social science research methods, who will benefit from the regular and timely transfer of methodological knowledge and expertise. The key element is close involvement of the SPO group in international survey projects, resulting in continuous exchange of knowledge and experience. Apart form efforts to raise standards of research process even further the aim is also to provide users with high-quality empirical basis for running scientific analyses or making qualified political decisions.
Significance for the country
a) Governance – In any contemporary society social surveys are a powerful tool for social and political self-observation and SPO outputs indirectly affect the level of governance and quality of life, assuming the gradual trickle of findings from basic scientific research to other social systems. b) Strategic development – Policy-makers are an important target group of prospective users who employ SPO outputs as information basis for the formulation of their policies, identification of pressing social issues, creating political strategies, taking specific measures or planning public information campaigns. c) Quality of life - Large number of social indicators collected may alert the social scientists, policy-makers, non-government organizations, media or the general public to issues, such as the growth of anti-democratic potentials, spots of social conflicts, persisting inequalities and marginalization and similar, enabling relevant players to react timely and appropriately. d) National identity - New social indicators will expand and deepen the knowledge on Slovenian society in European and global context and will both directly and indirectly contribute to charting the contours of its specific identity. By participating in cross-national cooperations and publishing in international journals SPO will contribute to making the Slovenia a more recognizable and analytically attractive case. e) Facilitating knowledge transfer - participation in numerous distinguished cross-national empirical projects results in prompt exchange of knowledge and experience and its passing on to university students. Many under-graduate and post-graduate courses at the Faculty of Social Sciences are already based on SPO programme research expertise, both at conceptual and methodological level. We anticipate that SPO will continue to contribute substantially to the formation of a new generation of methodologically competent young researchers.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
