Public Opinion Polling in a Globalized World (TNS Political & Social)

Understanding public opinion is integral to modern democracies. It shapes public policies; it helps politicians to connect with their audiences; it reveals underlying issues that are of utmost importance for political decision-makers. Social research and opinion polls give people the opportunity to express their views regularly on different topics and provide an efficient way to measure public opinion. The purpose of this book is to illustrate how public opinion polling matters in politics, in the public sphere and more generally in our globalized economies. The book provides an international and up to date perspecive on public opinion polling. It is based on studies from more than 50 countries across the world and in-depth case studies from the United States; Canada, Germany, Great Britain, France, Norway, the Western Balkans, India, Indonesia, New Zealand and the Philippines. Front Matter....Pages I-IX Introduction....Pages 1-9 Front Matter....Pages 11-11 The Effects of Globalisation on the Perception of Democracy....Pages 13-23 Transatlantic Trends: Convergences and Divergences....Pages 25-42 A Europe of Values: From Shared History to Common Objectives....Pages 43-59 Latin America’s Mixed Views About Globalization, Investments and the United States....Pages 61-76 How Do the Western Balkans See Their Future?....Pages 77-89 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 Exit Polls — A Lot More than Just a Tool for Election Forecasts....Pages 93-108 Methodological Issues in Pre-Election Polling: Lessons from ABC News’ 32-Night Tracking Poll....Pages 109-134 The Presidential Elections in France 2007 — The Role of Opinion Polls....Pages 135-152 Voters Lack Commitment: Canada....Pages 153-169 Front Matter....Pages 171-171 Developing Employment Policy in Europe....Pages 173-190 The School Sport Partnership Programme — Raising Levels of Participation in Physical Education and Sport in Schools in England....Pages 191-206 Client Satisfaction with Public Services: A Norwegian Case....Pages 207-225 Front Matter....Pages 227-227 The Role of Social Research in Development Programs: Examples from India....Pages 229-245 A Framework for Social Development Assessment....Pages 247-265 Polling in Developing Democracies — The Case of the Philippines....Pages 267-280 Māori Television Services — Raising Knowledge of Māori Language and Culture in New Zealand....Pages 281-291 Back Matter....Pages 293-300 The book contains results from opinion polls around the world, in total more than 50 countries. As the world becomes more integrated, political and social challenges have become increasingly global, pointing to a greater need for understanding between nations and for finding global trends. Understanding public opinion is integral to modern democracies around the world. It shapes public policies; it helps politicians to connect with their audiences; it reveals underlying issues that are of utmost importance for decision-makers. The initiative for this book has come from TNS Political and Social, a world leader in providing political and social information. TNS provides insights into public opinion, covers elections and analyzes other political, social and economic issues, in more than 70 co- tries. Each year TNS conducts millions of interviews for clients to understand how the public is thinking or reacting to major issues on a national or international scale. This unique position on the inter- tional market has enabled us to conceive and produce this book. I hope this book will find a big audience. Public opinion polling is a powerful tool in the world of today and we need a thorough disc- sion of its role and its potential in politics and society at large. The following chapters explore and develop this idea. Understanding public opinion is integral to modern democracies. Social research and opinion polls give people the opportunity to express their views and provide an efficient way to measure public opinion. This book illustrates how public opinion polling matters in politics, in the public sphere, and more generally in globalized economies. Illustrates how public opinion polling matters in politics, in the public sphere and in our globalized economies. This book provides an international perspective on public opinion polling. It is based on studies and case studies from more than 50 countries across the world