With the publication of the most important surveys of 2006 & 2007, we are launching a new publishing initiative, in parallel with our research activities. The annual publication of Public Issue’s surveys is an important step, since it is considered to be the absolutely necessary complement to and culmination of our years-long research endeavors.

The launch of this series was considered necessary for many reasons. In recent years, the presentation of public opinion surveys in the Greek media has increased markedly, providing useful empirical data on certain aspects of contemporary social reality. However, the way in which these surveys are treated by the media frequently gives rise to major problems. The need to simplify the ‘messages’ emanating from the surveys often leads – irrespective of any ulterior motives – to a schematic presentation. In addition, their selective use, which is necessitated by the very nature of the media, undermines the logical coherence of the surveys. This results in a fragmentary presentation of the information they contain. Even in newspapers, which of the three traditional media is the best medium for presenting survey results, it is almost impossible, due to lack of time and space, for a public opinion survey to be presented coherently and fully. Important (sometimes the most important) findings of surveys in most cases are simply not utilized, or are lost in the information overload. The strict timeframes imposed on the media by the “fast time in the information age” (Eriksen 2005, Tyranny of the Moment) allows neither the researcher nor the journalist to consider the research data as he should, i.e. substantially and in detail. And so, the complete processing of the survey data and their analytical assessment requires more time and of course, more space.

Therefore, a need is created for a different processing of survey data. The collection and re-processing of the conducted surveys reveals much more than simply the volume of the research work undertaken. It also illustrates the thorough and systematic way in which Public Issue has recorded social attitudes over time, and not only toward issues of current interest.