Percepția schimbării sociale în perioada tranziției reflectată în sondajele de opinie Social Perception of Changes in Transition Period as Reflected in Public Opinion Polls Section Miscelanea

Abstract

Any social change has an impact on population, it is perceived as such and, according to this perception, population develops a favorable or unfavorable attitude that can not be neglected. The opinion poll is the fastest method of assessing the attitude towards these changes and their social impact, in a revealing manner from the scientific viewpoint - namely. providing for its representativeness. The data presented on the manner in which the Romanian population perceives the social change is based on polis conducted by the Centre for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS) during 1991-2000. The main social changes bearing a direct impact on the population and for which the perception by population is essential were considered to be: the economic reform focusing on privatisation, the dynamics of the stan¬dard of living and the social problems confronting the population: the trust in institutions and the political attitude.

Al the level of the public opinion, both the market economy and privatisation are regarded as desirable by most of the population; on the other hand, it may be observed that although most people are in favour (64% of the interviewed individuals consider that the acceleration of privatisation is an important problem), this majority is somehow inconsistent (only 46% agree with the privatisation of state enterprises). A certain polarisation of the public opi¬nion concerning the privatisation was observed in the young and adult population with higher education. It is increasingly obvious that the phenomenon of transition does not concern just the changes in the economic sphere, but also in the sphere of institutions, of the relations between them, of the individual and collective behaviour and attitudes.