Vitosha Research / Sociological
Program
The Sociological Program started operating shortly
after the establishment of CSD. In 1990, it conducted the first
independent pre- and post-election surveys after the democratic
changes in Bulgaria. This was an important contribution to
democratic institution building and to fostering public awareness
of the evolving new political and economic system. Vitosha Research
was launched at the end of 1994 as a spin-off from the Sociological
Program of CSD, in order to deepen its concentration in the field
of market research.
The first surveys of the Sociological Program
provided the foundation for building up an effective, professional
research unit. Vitosha Research now works on contractual basis,
covering a wide range of activities: monitoring privatization and
economic behavior, gauging political attitudes, determining value
orientations, conducting market research, media and audience
research, measuring the effectiveness of advertising, and
others.
1991-1994 Program Highlights:
- Organized a national interviewer network consisting
of approximately 350 interviewers. It is regionally based and
consists of 28 regional groups (100 interviewers in Sofia and 250
in all county centers).
- Conducted 50 quantitative national sample surveys
(public opinion, social, marketing and audience research) and 20
qualitative surveys. The basic survey methods employed included
face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, focus group
discussions, omnibus surveys, and a computer-based perception
analyzer system (quick-tally) for assessment of radio and TV
programming, and advertising.
- Organized an international seminar on survey
methodology and organization in Sandanski, southern Bulgaria, in
August 1992. The seminar was attended by pollsters from Hungary,
Poland, Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria. The lecturers included Dr.
Peter Mohler, Director of ZUMA, Mannheim, Dr. Mary McIntosh, Chief
of the European Branch of USIA Office of Research, and leading US
pollsters, Nancy Belden and Gary Lawrence.
- Completed a research project, At-risk Groups and
Social Problems in Bulgaria, in August - September 1994, which was
part of a package of surveys commissioned by the World Bank. The
survey design employed several research techniques, including a
quantitative survey of clients of Social Assistance Offices, focus
group discussions with experts and representatives of risk groups
and in-depth interviews with selected representatives of high-risk
groups. The analytical report of survey findings was presented at a
seminar organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and
CSD.
- Established good working relations and research
cooperation with institutions including the BBC World Service, USIA
Office of Research, Open Media Research Institute, Audience and
Opinion Research Department (USA, Washington), the World Bank,
Worldnet TV (USA), International Social Survey Program, and Gallup
Hungary, to name but a few.
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The Vitosha Research team discuss sample
distribution over the territory of the country.
The activities of Vitosha Research in 1995 were
aimed primarily at:
- Conducting market research and consultancy
projects;
- Providing methodological and technical support to
the other CSD projects;
- Preparing a series of analytic reports on
economic reforms, mass privatization, and political values during
the transition;
- Developing the skills of the research staff in
order to further improve the infrastructural aspects of research:
the national interviewer network, the survey information database,
and the employment of new research techniques.
I. Research
Projects
The research projects conducted in 1995 could be
divided in two categories: social and opinion research, and market
research.
Social and Opinion Research
Four quantitative research projects were
conducted in 1995. Two of them were based on
national representative samples. A total of 4000 face-to-face
interviews were conducted by the national interviewer network of
Vitosha Research. The basic topics covered were:
- Public opinion about politics and the
economy;
- Potential electoral behavior in the 1995 local
elections;
- Media survey;
- Value system of the youth population.
Four qualitative research projects were completed in
1995. A total of eight focus groups involving 80 participants were
conducted in Sofia, Burgas, and Dobrich, covering the following
topics:
- Problems of Bulgaria's Foreign and Security
Policy;
- Electoral Attitudes Before the Local
Elections;
- Efficiency of the Social Security System in
Bulgaria;
- The Value System and Political Affiliations of
Bulgarian Society: 1990-1995.
Social and opinion research projects conducted by
Vitosha Research in 1995 were commissioned by the Ministry of Labor
and Social Welfare, the European Branch of USIA Office of Research
and Media Reaction, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, RFE/RL
Research Institute, and the Committee of Youth at the Council of
Ministers.
Market Research
Most market research projects included both
quantitative and qualitative research. A total of 6000 face-to-face
interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted. The
research fields included:
- Buying and Consumer Behavior of Consumers of Home
Electronic Appliances;
- Survey of the Electronic Appliances Shops in
Sofia;
- The Milk Market in Bulgaria;
- Customers of Fast Food Shops in Sofia;
- Alcoholic Drinks Consumption.
The market research projects were commissioned
directly, or through Bulgarian representatives, by Tetrapack, KFC,
and Phillips, among others.
II. Conference
A conference, At-Risk Groups and
the Challenges to Social Policy, was held jointly with the
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. Participants included experts
and researchers in the field of social security and social welfare.
An analytical paper based on the results of the survey At-Risk
Groups and Social Problems in Bulgaria, conducted in the
previous year, was provided to participants of the
conference.
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