Despite the promise of Internet surveys, there are significant concerns about the representativeness of the sample and survey instrument effects. This article seeks to address these questions by examining the differences and similarities between parallel Internet and telephone surveys conducted in Quebec after the provincial election in 2007. Our results indicate that the responses obtained in each mode differ somewhat from each other but that few inferential differences would occur if conclusions were drawn from the analysis of one dataset or the other. We urge researchers to consider the Internet as a viable mode of data collection, in that the consequences of mode effects appear to be minimal. Adapted from the source document.
Based on survey evidence in 13 postcommunist countries of Central & Eastern Europe, we show that citizens who engage in protest activities are more tolerant than those who do not take part in such activities. We argue that these 'protesters' have the potential to play a pivotal role in the democratic consolidation process currently under way in postcommunist countries. Our findings are compatible with earlier results that suggest that the remaking of political culture, in societies where radical social & political changes have been taking place, might be accomplished through concrete experience with the democratic process rather than through adherence to abstract democratic norms. 7 Tables, 39 References. Adapted from the source document.