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Scientific Council of Slovak Academy of Sciences awarded the International Prize in the field of social and cultural sciences to Professor Rory Fitzgerald of City, University of London, the current Director of the European Social Survey European Research Infrastructure (ESS ERIC).  Prof.  Fitzgerald made a significant contribution to ensuring the continuity of the ESS project in Slovakia.  Thanks to his constant support of the Slovak coordination team of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS (SvÚ CSPV SAS, v. v. i.), the Slovak Republic became a full member of ESS ERIC in 2018.  The ceremony of presenting the SAS International Prize took place on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, in the Hall of Mirrors of the Primate's Palace in Bratislava.

Professor Rory Fitzgerald specializes in social surveys, survey design and questionnaire development and testing.  He has a PhD in sociology from the City, University of London and is co-editor of the Survey Research Methods Journal. Since 2013, he has been the Director of ESS ERIC. In 2023 we commemorate 20 years of the European Social Survey (ESS ERIC) in Slovakia.  In the same way, the cooperation between the Slovak ESS coordination team led by Denisa Fedáková, Michal Kentoš and Jozef Výrost (SvÚ CSPV SAS v.v.i.) and the Director of ESS ERIC Professor Rory Fitzgerald, also lasts for two decades.

"In the national context, I consider it important to mention that Professor Fitzgerald played an important role in negotiations to ensure the continuity of the ESS project in Slovakia.   Without his tireless efforts and activities, Slovakia's participation in this top international social survey would have been significantly limited," emphasizes Director of Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS, Denisa Fedáková. 

The video of the ceremony is available at the end of the text.

The European Social Survey is an international comparative social survey established in an academic environment that has been conducted every two years since 2001. The survey measures the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of diverse populations in more than thirty nations. Among the main goals of the ESS is the monitoring of stability and changes in the social structure, the interpretation of the social, political and moral transformations of Europe. Since 2004, ESS in Slovakia has been coordinated by the Institute of Social Sciences of the Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS.

More than 220,000 data users are registered worldwide. Between 2002 and 2022, 10 rounds of data collection were carried out. The ESS project was mentioned in more than 3200 strategic documents, 39 countries participated in at least one round.

The project is based on an excellent methodology, the processes of selecting respondents are constantly adjusted to make the sample of respondents in the given country as representative as possible. Very strict rules also apply to contacting the respondent, the interviewer must try to contact the respondent four times on different days and times, and only after four unsuccessful attempts is the contact with the respondent interrupted. The translation of the questionnaire goes through seven levels of control so that nothing is overlooked. The project primarily brings together social scientists, especially sociologists, political scientists, psychologists, but lawyers (GDPR, personal data, anonymization), computer scientists, programmers, methodologists, linguists also play an important role.

Another wave of data collection is currently taking place in Slovakia from September 11, 2023.

Prepared by and photo: Katarína Gáliková