Eurasian monitor

PROJECT TARGETS:
→ measurement of the main indicators of social and economic feeling of the population of PSA, topical social problems and attitude of the voters to the main authority institutes of the country;
→ measurement of attitude to the main socio-political events, phenomena and processes occurring in the countries of PSA;
→ measurements of foreign policy and integration orientations of the population in the countries of PSA, attitude to the cooperation within PSA and new integration initiatives;
→ research of self-identification (post-soviet, European, Asian, national etc.) of the population in the countries of PSA; monitoring of new integration identity forming;
→ informing public authorities, top-management of business-groups, non-governmental non-commercial association of the third sector, mass-media and public about the main parameters of social feelings of the population in the countries of the post-soviet area (CIS, CEA).

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH: The basis of the project “Eurasian monitor” are regular (once within 6 months) timed public opinion polls in the countries of the post-soviet area by the single tool (questionnaire). In every country-participant the poll is conducted on national representative sampling (1100-2000 persons).

A common questionnaire consists of two parts:
• constant (monitoring) part including questions of social feelings and topical issues, attitude to different power’s branches and also attitude to integration;
• variable (topical) part including questions devoted to one topic which changes from poll to poll (e.g. cultural relations, political and pre-election orientations of the population etc.)

HISTORY AND ORGANISATION OF THE PROJECT The idea of the project arose at the meeting of representatives of experts and analytical centres of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in Kiev in March 2004 and already in April 2004 the first pilot survey “Barometer of integration” was carried out (3 countries-participants). In September 2004 the second round of the polls took place, in which the research companies from four countries of CEA – Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine participated.

By this time the main organizational principles of the project were established and fixed by the participants on the 19th of October 2004 in “Declaration-memorandum about implementing of the project “Eurasian monitor”, project’s targets and partner’s obligations”. The first two rounds were fully financed by participants – research companies.

The third round of the polls was carried out in April 2005. The project was supported by the President’s Administration of Kazakhstan Republic, Minpromenergo of the Russian Federation and the Fond “Institute of Eurasian researches” (Moscow). Except traditional questions of the monitoring a special block of questions was included in a questionnaire of this round, which were devoted to economic integration of countries of the “four” and also to public attitude to the main components of the Common economic area in the countries of CEA – free transfer of goods, capitals and labour resources.

In October 2005 the 4th round of public polls was conducted in four countries of CEA – Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. The main topic of the poll was “Integrating and separating values”. The research target was to reveal in a basic set of socio-economic and socio-political values those ones that are common for population of all countries of CEA and in this regard can be considered as ideological foundation for integration; and also to define values in which the countries f the “four” significantly differ. The research was supported by the Council of Federation of the RF and the Fond “Eurasian heritage”.
The 5th round of polls “Eurasian monitor” was carried out in April-May 2006. the special topic was “Perception and estimates of social threats and risks by the population”. This time the colleagues from Azerbaijan and Kirgizstan joined the project. In research frameworks the mass stereotypes concerning the social and metasocial (ideas about possibilities and importance of different dangers) threats and also personal fears and anxieties were studied in detail.

Next to last 6th wave of polls included except the constant block some questions devoted to 15 years USSR’s dissolution. The public opinion polls were already conducted in 6 countries during the EM-6 (the countries of CEA + Azerbaijan and Armenia).

The special topic of the following 7th wave of “Eurasian monitor” will be “Energy problems of the post-soviet area in the mirror of public opinion”. The deadline for research completion and presentation of prior results is the end of May 2007.

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
 

	Country-participant	National participant of the project
1	Belarus	Sociological laboratory “NOVAK”, Minsk
2	Kazakhstan	Institute of comparative sociological researches “TseSSI-Kazakhstan”, Astana
3	Ukraine	“Research & Branding Group”, Kiev
4	Russia	All-Russian Centre of public opinion studying (ВЦИОМ), Moscow
5	Azerbaijan	International Centre of Sociological Researches (MTsSI), Baku
6	Armenia	Armenian Association of Marketing, Erevan
7	Kirgizstan	Centre for studying of public poll “El-Pikir”, Bishkek
8	Russia	Research group TSIRKON, Moscow

In February 2006 the participants of the research consortium registered in Moscow a Non-commercial partnership “International research agency “Eurasian monitor” which is a sole inter-country project operator from now on, obtaining all rights for receiving orders and distributing results of common researches of the project participants.

RESEARCH RESULTS Analytical reports about the results of four polls waves of the project “Eurasian monitor” are available on the official site of the “International research agency “Eurasian monitor” www.eurasiamonitor.org and also on sites of the project participants.

You can receive more information about the project in the Agency “Eurasian monitor”
(Tel. 8-495-621-3415, post@zircon.ru, Director – Igor Zadorin).

Attention!
FOLLOW PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ON OUR SITE AND ALSO ON THE SITE OF THE AGENCY WWW.EURASIAMONITOR.ORG 

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