Suchergebnisse

Trends in public concerns from 1935 to 1984 are traced, based on the Gallup Poll question on the most important problem facing the country, which provides a barometer of both short-term fluctuations & long-term trends. Most notable of the secular trends are: (1) the long-term decline in economic concerns from 1946 to the mid-1960s, & their return to top position by the mid-1970s; (2) the decline of foreign affairs as a concern after withdrawal from Vietnam, & the failure of other foreign policy issues to replace worries over Vietnam; & (3) the sharp rise & fall of civil rights concerns from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s. HA

In a continuation of an examination of important problems in the US (see abstract of Part 1 in this section also), trends on regional, community, & personal most important problem questions are presented. Each reference -- whether national or personal -- tends to elicit distinctive distributions of problems. Certain trends are common across all references (eg, the decline in economic concerns from the 1950s to the mid-1960s) while other changes (eg, in housing & community problems) are unique to the particular reference. 3 Tables. AA

The most important issue in today's Estonia is undoubtedly everyday security in the streets and at home. As there has been an explosive growth in crime and particularly serious crime, the police often lack the resources (both time and people) to tackle petty crime which affects the man on the street most directly. Most of the serious crimes are connected with the settling of accounts among criminal gangs which can affect ordinary citizens too, since they are often accidentally caught up in such conflicts. Organized crime is directed at making new successful businessmen pay "taxes," which in future can slow down economic activity, although this is not happening yet. Currently, part of the "successful" criminal structures try to secure positions in legal economic structures (by money laundering), and there are clear indications that at least some of them have succeeded. The main roots of organized crime are in the former Soviet Union, and insufficient border control contributes to its penetration into Estonia. The criminal gangs of the former Soviet Union are not just a problem for Estonia or the Baltics but also for the police in Central and Western Europe. Besides, the spread of organized crime may rest on structures created on the instructions and financing of the KGB, and that in certain situations these structures may serve political orders.

Tracking responses made to the "most important problem" query in Gallup polls since 1935.

Presents a selected bibliography of Lazarsfeld's work, 1929-1996.