No abstract

The critical step in the drive toward an independent Slovenia was the plebiscite held in December 1990, at which the citizens of Slovenia voted overwhelmingly in favor of a sovereign and independent state. The Slovenian Public Opinion (SPO) survey of November/December 1990 was used by the government of Slovenia to prepare for the plebiscite. Because the plebiscite counted as "YES voters" only those voters who attended and voted for independence (nonvoters counted as "NO voters"), "Don't Know" survey responses can be thought of as missing data-the true intention of the voter is unknown but must be either "YES" or "NO." An analysis of the survey data under the missing-at-random assumption for the missing responses provides remarkably accurate estimates of the eventual plebiscite outcome, substantially better than ad hoc methods and a nonignorable model that allows nonresponse to depend on the intended vote.

No abstract

The term "digital divide" has been used for almost a decade and typically relates to sociodemographic differences in the use of information and communication technology. However, the corresponding measurement is still relatively imprecise. Very often it is simply reduced to comparisons of Internet penetration rates. This article extends the measurements above the usual bivariate comparisons. Within this context, three essential approaches are presented and critically evaluated. First, loglinear modeling is used to address the interactions among the factors affecting the digital divide. Second, compound measures (i.e., the Digital Divide Index) that integrate a number of variables into a single indicator are discussed. Third, time-distance methodology is applied to analyze changes in the digital divide. The article argues that these approaches often yield entirely different conclusions compared to simple bivariate analysis. The examples are presented as a general warning against an oversimplified methodological approach to digital divide studies.

No abstract

Despite increased use of Web surveys, relatively little is known about standards for designing Web questionnaires. Since there is no help from an interviewer for the respondent taking a Web survey, the design of self‐administered Web questionnaires is even more important in order to achieve high data quality. Question wording, form and graphic layout of the questionnaire are particularly important. This paper presents some basic experiments to address these issues: one vs. multiple‐page design, use of logotypes, and survey topic. The research was performed within the national RIS – Research on Internet in Slovenia ‐ project (http://www.ris.org) in extensive testing since 1996.

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The available research indicates mixed results regarding the internet’s role in social relations. The article contributes to this research by studying the provision of support in egocentred social networks. Data regarding size, structure and communication channels were assessed through two specially designed surveys. The results show that the internet has a relatively limited impact on social relationships. Internet users have slightly larger social networks only in certain socially de-privileged segments (e.g. divorced, less educated). However, they reveal some specifics with respect to the structure of networks (more friends and less kin, weaker ties) and communication channels (typically the internet is used as a complement). The article also illustrates certain serious problems when drawing a causal inference from non-experimental data.