Understanding European public opinion Madrid, October 27 th 2006 A Conference of the European Commission/DG Communication
>> Background and objectives of the conference Public opinion research In modern democratic societies, policy-makers devote much attention to analysing public opinion, using tools such as opinion polls and media monitoring. As citizens increasingly withdraw form from traditional forms of political participation, these tools become ever even more important. European public opinion is complex and diverse, reflecting different national perspectives. Understanding it therefore poses a particular challenge. The European Commission has been a front runner in developing modern tools such as the Eurobarometer surveys for analysing European public opinion White Paper on European Communication Strategy The White Paper on a European Communication Policy, launched in February 2006 with the aim to develop strategies to diminish the gap between the EU and its citizens, presents a broad range of opportunities to better appraise European opinion. Network for a better understanding of European public opinion This conference is an initiative to develop new forms of co-operation between the European institutions and Member States in accordance with the communication strategy of the White Paper. The overall objective is to explore venues of potential co-operation among pollsters, national govern-ments, EU institutions and the academic world in order to better anticipate and understand trends in public opinion on issues of crucial importance for the future of Europe. It is a first step in the way of creating a network of national experts in public opinion research. ESOMAR, the world wide association of market research and opinion polls with more than 4000 members in more than 100 countries will be a privileged partner. www.eurobarometer-conference.eu.
>> Preliminary conference schedule 09:00 Registration 09:30 Opening reception by Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy Moderator: >> Mr. Claus Sørensen (DK), Director-General of Directorate General Communication, European Commission Speakers: >> Mr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras (ES), Vice-President of the European Parliament >> Mrs. Rosa Conde (ES), President Fundación Carolina, Former spokesperson of the government of Felipe Gonzalez. >> Special guest (Not yet confirmed) Language: >> Simultaneous translation (EN/FR/ES) 10:30 Coffee break 11:00 Parallel Workshops Session A (please choose one workshop) >> Workshop A1 Polling, politics, democracy and the citizen >> Workshop A2 Best practices for public opinion research I (focus: methodology) 13:00 Lunch 14:30 Parallel workshop session B (please choose one workshop) >> Workshop B1 Exploring European opinion: Dealing with complexity and diversity >> Workshop Networking and best practises in comparative surveys II (focus: network) >> Workshop B3 The national dimension a case from Spain 16:00 Coffee break 16:30 Plenary Session Presentation of the outcomes and conclusions of the workshops The workshop moderators will present and discuss the outcomes of the conference. Moderator: >> Mr. Claus Sørensen (DK), Director-General of Directorate General Communication, European Commission Speakers: >> Mr. Prof. Renato Mannheimer (CH), University of Genova >> Mr. Rolf Gustavsson (SE), Journalist, Svenska Dagbladet >> Mr. Adam Philips (UK), Professional Standards Committee, ESOMAR >> Mr. Luis Herrero (ES), Member of European Parliament Language: >> Simultaneous translation (EN/FR/ES)
17:15 Official conclusion by Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy 17:30 End >> The workshops in detail General note: You can freely choose two workshops of your preference. You can change your workshop group in the afternoon. Please decide which workshops you would like to attend when registering for the conference at www.eurobarometer-conference.eu. Thank you for your co-operation. Workshop A1 Polling, politics, democracy and the citizen The role and the use of opinion polls within democratic and political processes The workshop will focus on the role and the use of opinion polls within democratic and political (decision making) processes. The participants will discuss how results of opinion polls should be understood and disseminated and which alternative ways of testing policies (and the opinion of citizens) are reasonable. The question how opinion polls can be used to foster the democratic processes in society will be another important topic. Moderator: >> Mr. Prof. Renato Mannheimer (IT), University of Genoa Speakers: >> Mrs. Prof. Lena Kolarska-Bobinska (PL), President Polish Institute of Public Affairs >> Mr. Pierre Giacometti, (FR) Director-General IPSOS >> Mr. Bo Krogvig (SE), Political consultant/ Former Director of Information and Campaigning for the Swedish Social Democratic Party >> Mrs. Hanna Brogren (SE), Head of Information Department, Swedish Government >> Mr. Ioanis Prenteteris (EL), Journalist, To Vima Language: >> EN, no translation provided
>> The workshops in detail Workshop B1 Exploring European opinion: Dealing with complexity and diversity Exploring the specificity and complexity of European Public Opinion In this workshop the specificity and complexity of European public opinion will be discussed.it will review how this concept has evolved over time and what can be learned from several decades of research and monitoring. Both the national and the supranational dimensions of European public opinion will be taken into account. The Eurobarometer as a tool will have a central place during this workshop and there will be place to discuss both the strengths and the weaknesses of this tool. Moderator: >> Mr. Rolf Gustavsson (SE), Journalist, Svenska Dagbladet Speakers: >> Mr. Prof. Dominique Reynié (FR), Directeur de l OIP, Professor of Political Sciences at the Institut d études politiques Paris. >> Mr. Roger Jupp (IR), Managing Director Lansdowne Market Research >> Mr. Prof. Elemer Hankiss (HU), Professor of Political Sciences at the CEU (Central European University Budapest), Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, >> Mrs. Marita Carballo (ARG/ES), Global Head Polling & Social Sector TNS Language: >> EN, no translation provided Workshop A2/B2 Networking and best practises in comparative surveys Comparative surveys in a pan-european perspective The workshop will be divided in a morning and an afternoon session. Morning session: The main objective of the first session is to discuss good practices and methodologies within the field of public opinion research. General methods and interpretation of the results of public opinion surveys, qualitative research, internet surveys and deliberative polling will be discussed. Furthermore telephone interviews, mobile phones and security issues will be important topics. Afternoon session: The central issue of the afternoon session is the question how the exchange of national experiences and resources can be enhanced. In this context opportunities
for setting up a pan-european network of experts in public opinion research will be analysed in detail. It will also be discussed whether there is a necessity for a permanent structure, i.e. an observatory, to follow up public opinion research. Moderator: >> Mr. Adam Philips (UK), Professional Standards Committee, ESOMAR Speakers: >> Mr. Peter Mohler (DE), Director of the Centre for Survey Research and Methodology, Mannheim >> Mr. Roger Jowell (UK), Director of the Centre for Comparative Social Survey, London >> Mr. Prof. Pierangelo Isernia (IT), Professor of International Relations and Research Methodology, University of Siena, Scientific Committee of TNS >> Mr. José Ignacio Wert Ortega (ES), President of ESOMAR (To be confirmed) >> Mrs. Pilar Escario (ES), President of Escario Research >> Mrs. Rasa Alisauskiene (LT), Director-General of Baltic Surveys Ltd >> Mr. Nick Moon (UK), Director, Gfk NOP Social Research >> Mr. Roland Cayrol (FR), Directeur General Delegué, CSA Language: >> EN, no translation provided Workshop A3/B3 The national dimension a case from Spain Public opinion and public opinion polling in Spain This workshop will optionally be extended to two sessions; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Factors influencing the formation of the Spanish public opinion will be the central topic of the case study. Furthermore the question how the European dimension is reflected in the national political debate will be discussed. Well-known representatives of the Spanish society will present and discuss the case study on public opinion research in Spain. Moderator: >> Mr. Luis Herrero (ES), Member of European Parliament Speakers: >> Mr. Juan Diez-Nicolas (ES), President of ASEP (Analisis Sociológicos Económicos y Políticos) >> Mr. Julian Santamaría (ES), Professor Political Science, Universidad Complutense de Madrid >> Representatives of the Spanish society (pollsters, academics, politicians, key journalists) Language: >> ES, no translation provided