Public Research Insitutes

In Poland there are several large public opinion poll organisations. Some of them on the market have their roots back in the communist period (OBOP, CBOS, Demoskop), and most have foreign partners, most often international research networks, which bring both know-how and international standards with them. OBOP's partner is Taylor Nelson Sofres, while Demoskop's is Ipsos.

In turn, new centres have appeared in Poland, such as AGB Polska. This international conglomeration is the leader on the telemetric market. Sociology graduates working at SMG/KRC, which was formed in the late 1980s, conduct quantitative and qualitative research. In the area of qualitative research specifically related to politics a renowned company is Sopocka Pracownia Badaƒ Spo*ecznych. The Warsaw-based firm Pentor, in operation for a decade, also has a big role on the market. Recently, however, completely new companies have entered the market, for example in 2000 I-Metria, handling Internet market analysis.

Opinion poll research in Poland is treated with interest and widely recognised. As a TNS OBOP poll from January 2003 revealed, just over one third of Poles said they took an interest in opinion polls. Fifteen percent said they were 'very interested' and about 50% said they were 'quite interested' in the findings. Polls are also treated by many Poles as a way of communicating between the government and citizens. Poles expect their politicians to base their decisions on opinion poll findings and consultations.

Importantly, the overwhelming majority - 77% - say that the use of opinion poll findings in the mass media has led to a feeling of greater access to information. This can be treated as a symptom that such polls are becoming treated as an element of the increasing transparency of public life and act to reinforce democracy.

Poles' declared interest in polls has led to much of the Polish media ordering their own research into events in public life. Poll results are also often used as arguments in political arguments. In turn, many journalists take them into account, treating them as an important element on the political scene. One can risk the conclusion that opinion polls have become a permanent part of public debate in Poland.

In turn, one should bear in mind that consumer research is only just beating a path into Poles' awareness. This is an institution that was almost totally unfamiliar to Poles a decade ago. While social opinion polls - at least from the 1980s onwards - appeared for various reasons, consumer polls did not exist at all. Then there were few goods to go about the quality of those that were available were of little consequence. Adverts also did not exist, and from this comes the question of conscious choice. Today, the rights of the consumer are protected by the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK).