Dedicated Belarus watchers are almost certainly bemoaning the recent termination of a reputable non-state polling firm, the Independent Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS) (Belapan, August 9). Founded in 1992 by Oleg Manaev, a sociology professor at the Belarusian State University (BSU), IISEPS conducted quarterly surveys on the basis of representative national samples of 1,500 respondents and dutifully published the survey results. Because certain questions—for example, regarding the approval rating of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Belarusians’ geopolitical orientation, their perception of the economic situation, and attitudes toward foreign countries—were included in IISEPS’ questionnaires repeatedly and over a long period of …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation