The Public Opinion Research Centre (Centrum pro výzkum veřejného mínění) was established on 1 January 2001 by transferring the Public Opinion Research Institute (Institut pro výzkum veřejného mínění) from the Czech Statistical Office. After a period of transitory operation and certain changes due to restructuring, the centre commenced work in a new structure and with a new research policy on 1 August 2001.Since 2003, the public opinion research conducted in academic circles has opened up to the general expert (in particular academic) public in the form of invitations for introducing research topics. In 2002, CVVM conducted ten investigations within the Our Society 2002 (Naše společnost 2002) survey and was involved in the Accession Countries - Eurobarometer investigations conducted by the European Commission.
In 2002, the Consultation Council for CVVM (Konzultační rada pro CVVM) - a structure consisting of researchers and experts of the Institute of Sociology - was set up. It is involved in articulating CVVM's conceptual objectives.
On a regular basis, CVVM presents its work to the public as press information and, several times a year, it organises press conferences on current social and political issues. In October 2002, CVVM co-organised an interdisciplinary scientific conference titled Elections into the Parliament 2002 (Volby do Poslanecké sněmovny 2002). As part of its popularisation activities, CVVM also makes periodic appearances in the media: in the radio - in particular Český rozhlas (the Radiožurnál and Praha stations), Čro 6 (former Svobodná Evropa - Free Europe), the Frekvence 1 station; television - both Czech TV channels and the Prima TV station. Also, journalists from major Czech dailies often consult members of the department when writing comprehensive newspaper articles especially covering, in particular, issues of local politics but also other social issues.
The team members are lecturers at the Philosophical Faculty and the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Charles University and at the Political Sciences Department of the University of Economics in Prague. The department is involved in international co-operation of public opinion research agencies called CEORG and participates too in international conferences organised by this organisation in Brussels. The team members present results of their work at local as well as international conferences. From among the major ones, mention should go to the conference organised by the Philosophical Faculty of the Charles University titled "New Political Elite" (Nové politické elity); XVIII IPSA World Congress in Quebec; conference titled "Democracy and Legal State in the Context of Development of Political Sciences in Slovakia and in Bohemia" (Demokracia a právny štát v kontexte rozvoja politickej vedy na Slovensku a v Čechách), organised by the Political Science Dept. at the FIFUK and the Slovak Association for Political Science at the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenské združenie pre politické vedy pri SAV); I. National Politologist Congress in the Czech Republic - Czech Political Science at the Beginning of the New Millennium (Česká politologie na prahu nového tisíciletí), organised by the Czech Society for Political Science (Česká společnost pro politické vědy); Regional UNDP Workshop titled "Internal Management of Parliament: Experience and Best Practice", organised by UNDP in Prague and "Tschechien nach den Wahlen", a workshop organised by Ost- und Suedosteuropa Institut in Vienna.
