2014/2

Review of the book Miloš Brunclík, Miroslav Novák et al.: Internetové volby. Budoucnost, nebo slepá ulička demokracie?

Assessment of people's views with an emphasis on sociological aspects is mainly associated with the tradition of the European public opinion research. American authors introduced empirical and socio-psychological approaches to this field of study. Hadley Cantril was one of those who pioneered "scientific" public opinion research inspired by George Gallup. This paper reviews Cantril´s work, recalling some of his most important theoretical and methodological findings and empirical projects, to conclude that his studies remain a rich source of knowledge for all present-day and future public opinion researchers.

The article focuses on the development of terms which were used in antiquity and Middle Age Europe to denote public opinion (fama, existimatio, opinio in Ancient Rome, fama publica, communis opinio in the Middle Ages etc.). Particular attention is paid to the distinction made in Roman public life between a fama, which represented common opinion, and a rumor, which meant undervalued and unreliable opinion of the plebs. The medieval term fama, more often fama publica, referred to a local information network or mechanism of collective evaluation of individuals' esteem. It was also an important part of court proceedings. Both historic eras were concerned with rumor in today's sense of the word, which often comprised or underlaid common opinion.

The paper focuses on the intergenerational and intragenerational transmission of religion in the Czech Republic. The authors start from the general statement that self-reported religious affiliation in Czech society continued to decline during the second half of the 20th century. This trend has usually been explained by secularization theory and by specifics of Czech social history, especially with regard to the anti-religious policies of the Communist regime. In their analysis of data from ISSP 2008 – Religion, the authors aim at a more detailed inquiry into the factors responsible for the decrease in self-reported religiosity in the Czech Republic. The results show that the key factor lies in de-conversion, which is not compensated sufficiently by conversion in either type of transmission, inter- or intragenerational.

The paper analyses the fact that the Czech communist party (KSČM) can rely on substantial and stable (occasionally even rising) electoral support. The phenomenon has been discussed extensively in academic as well as social and political discourses. On the basis of available empirical data, sociological analyses and statistical information, the paper categorizes some basic socio-political conditions and predispositions which may help explain the fact that the political party once considered to be the anti-system heir of the non-democratic regime is now one of the most stable elements of Czech politics.

The article describes a sociological problem linked to decision-making about the locality in which a deep geological repository of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste is to be built in the Czech Republic. The introduction explains the social situation of negotiations about the repository and identifies concerned stakeholders. The article then outlines the legal framework of the negotia-tions and summarizes their progress up to the present day. The rest of the article analyses data from two public opinion surveys. The first one surveyed the attitudes of citizens in selected locali-ties toward the project of the deep geological repository. The second survey investigated the atti-tudes of the Czech public toward radioactive waste and the deep geological repository.

The electronic version of the second number of the twelfth edition of the review Our Society (Naše společnost). Our Society issues Center for Public Opinion Research, Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.