PUBLIC OPINION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS
1. PUBLIC OPINION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS
NAME OF THE PROJECT
PUBLIC OPINION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS is a project focusing on public opinion research in the North Caucasus area. In the framework of this project, CaucasusTimes is conducting regular public opinion polls on a monthly basis in the capitals of all North Caucasus republics using its own network of correspondents in the region. Questionnaires include the questions on the most burning and topical issues. Sample size is 400 respondents.
1. CAUCASUS TIMES AGENCY – SHORT DESCRIPTION
News & Information agency Caucasus Times is a product of Medium Orient Information Agency, a private non-profit organization. Establisher and Editor-in-Chief: Islam Tekushev.
The Caucasus Times is an independent, free and objective source of news and information with a special focus on human rights and the rule of law in the Caucasus Region. Network of correspondents embraces all regions of Southern Russia (Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachaevo-Cherkassian, Adygea, Northern Ossetia, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions) as well as Transcaucasus region (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia).
In addition, Caucasus Times is conducting regular public opinion polls in the North Caucasus Republics related to the most topical and burning regional issues on a monthly basis. Results of public opinion polls are regularly published on the site.
Caucasus Times is successfully working for the fourth consecutive year and is currently one of a very few media outlets providing objective, balanced and multi-faceted information on situation in the North Caucasus area. Within the activities of News & Information agency Caucasus Times, the most successful projects are «Caucasus Times – NewsLine» (in Russian & English) and «Caucasus Times – Opinion polls» (in Russian & English), which are being currently financed by Soros Foundation in Budapest and by NED Foundation based in Washington.
Current «Caucasus Times – In-depth» project represents information and analytical service affiliated with the News & Information agency Caucasus Times. In view of Andrei Babickiy, leading journalist of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, this has already become a source of balanced and in-depth analysis of the events currently going on in a volatile North Caucasus region.
1. PROJECT PROPOSAL
News & Information agency Caucasus Times is offering its third project proposal PUBLIC OPINION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS to The National Endowment for Democracy and is asking to support this project for the period of the next 12 months.
In its new project, Caucasus Times is going to significantly expand scope of research by incorporating more questions in its questionnaires including specific questions related to the attitudes of the population in the North Caucasus to the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Russia and the results of those elections.
Apart from the questions concerning the parliamentary and presidential elections, questionnaires will also include questions on the most burning issues of local and regional importance. We are going to keep former research methodology with increased sample size including 400 respondents, which would enable to decrease the margin of error. As previously, we are planning to involve in our activities a number of human rights and humanitarian organizations such as Czech Prague-based humanitarian mission “People in Need”; Moscow-based human rights center “Demos” and Moscow-based Center for Journalism in Extraordinary Situations, which proved to be very productive and successful. In addition to regular publications of the results of public opinion polls on the web sites of Caucasus Times and Prague Watchdog, we are going to publish the results of the public opinion polls as a booklet each six months. Those booklets under the title PUBLIC OPINION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS - 2007 will be distributed among Russian officials, Russian state structures, international organizations and NGOs as well as among foreign diplomatic missions in Russia.