Founders of the “Ijtimoiy Fikr” Center for the Survey of Public Opinion have convened for a meeting in Tashkent.
The event was attended, apart from the founders of the Center, by sociologists, economists, political scientists, journalists and other interested persons. The agenda included discussion of issues related to the activities of the Ijtimoiy Fikr in 2013 and its plans for the nearest future.
The Concept of Intensification of Democratic Reforms and Formation of Civil Society in the Country, outlined by President Islam Karimov, envisages that civil society institutions and nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations are turning into an important factor in safeguarding the democratic values, human rights, freedoms and legitimate interests, and are creating conditions for the citizens to realize their potential, uplift their public, socio-economic activeness and law culture, and they have been facilitating the maintenance of the balance of interests in the society. It was noted thus that the institution of public and civic oversight is becoming one of the critical elements in securing an effective feedback between the society and the state, in revealing the frame of mind of people and their attitude to the reforms undertaken in the country.
In this process, a special emphasis is placed on the “Ijtimoiy Fikr” Center for the Survey of Public Opinion that was founded in accordance with the Decree of the head of our state “On the Improvement of Law Education, Elevation of the Level of Law Culture of the Population, Perfection of the System of Training Jurisprudence Specialists, Improvement of Works on Studying the Public Opinion” signed 25 June 1997. By conducting sociological surveys, the Center seeks first and foremost to inform not only the government and nongovernmental organizations, but also the wider public on the support of our citizens for reforms marshaled in the country in all walks of life. This was suggested by Professor Ozod Atamirzaev, Deputy Director of the “Ijtimoiy Fikr” Center for the Survey of Public Opinion.
It was noted during the event that since the Center was established, some 330 integrated, targeted sociological research and surveys have been conducted on the most significant issues in the life of our society. They encompassed around 7 thousand mahallas across all the regions of our nation.
The past year that was announced by the head of our state as the Year of Wellbeing and Prosperity, proved no less productive for the “Ijtimoiy Fikr” Center. The academic research works were conducted in 2013 as part of the elaboration of government scientific-technical programs within the field of responsibility of the Committee for the Coordination of Development of Science and Technologies under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In particular, the programs worked out included the fundamental research “Issues in the Improvement of Methodologies of Surveying and Shaping the Public Opinion in Conditions of the Formation of Civil Society in Uzbekistan” and the applied research “Applied Sociological Research of Public Opinion in the Process of Modernization of the Uzbek Society: Theory, Methods and Practice”.
In 2013, the Center organized and conducted integrated full-scale sociological research works in such subject matters as “The Youth of Uzbekistan: Civic Stance, Morality, Social Guidelines”, “Uzbekistan the Multiethnic”, “Family and Morality”. The target sociological research works included such themes as “Reforms in the Judicial System in the Mirror of Public Opinion”, “Society and Mass Media: Assessments, Needs, Preferences, Rating”, “Combating the Human Trafficking in the Mirror of Public Opinion”, “On the Openness in the Activities of Government and Management Bodies”, “Elections of Chairpersons (Aksakals) of Citizens’ Assemblies and Their Advisers” and many others.
A special emphasis was placed last year by the Center on scientific and methodological works and training specialists. Programs of scientific research and methodological developments, mechanisms in the organization and holding a range of integrated sociological research were discussed and approved. In addition, in accordance with the agreement on cooperation with the Mirzo Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan, a branch of the Sociology Department of the University was established at the “Ijtimoiy Fikr” Center, where the students of that department are offered production and pre-dissertation internship, lectures and participation in practical classes in the discipline “Applied Sociological Research”.
The meeting participants were introduced to projects of the Center scheduled for 2014.
