SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SURVEY RESEARCH IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES

The article first describes the improved interrelationship between survey research and political structures in the CIS. It then discusses 1) some organizational problems generated by the lack of legal and economic infrastructure, with a special focus on sampling and supervision; 2) the challenge of training professional staff and interviewers; and 3) several unique problems in interpreting the results of surveys in the CIS. Finally, the article points to some factors either impeding or facilitating the professionalization of survey research in the CIS.