Three important changes in public opinion work.

(Baonghean) - Understanding, investigating, and researching public opinion (also known as public opinion research) is one of the areas of activity of the Propaganda Department, aiming to help Party committees and authorities at all levels grasp the developments in the thoughts and feelings of various segments of the population.

Surveying public opinion on the implementation of Central Resolution No. 4 (11th and 12th Congresses) among Party members and the people in Hoa Hieu ward (Thai Hoa district). Photo: Ly Minh

The main task of public opinion research is to observe, understand, investigate, synthesize, and study the state of public opinion (including opinions, thoughts, aspirations, attitudes, etc., of all strata of the population), forecast trends, and advise on proposals and recommendations for handling public opinion issues for Party committees and governments at all levels. Based on this, it contributes to building and perfecting the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws, and local regulations.

In recent years, the ideological landscape and social sentiment have become more diverse and complex due to socio-economic development; the negative aspects of the market economy with many new conflicts of interest; and the explosion of information technology with the infiltration of many information channels and many unofficial ideological currents...

Along with this, the general level of education is increasingly improving, democracy is expanding, and the demands of all strata of the people on the leadership and management of the Party and the State are becoming more stringent. However, the implementation of public opinion research in the past period still has some shortcomings, such as the incomplete understanding of public opinion research by Party committees in some localities; public opinion research information is sometimes not timely, and its quality and predictive accuracy are not high; the team working on public opinion research is still small and its professional skills are limited...

Stemming from this situation, the Party Central Committee issued Conclusion 100-KL/TW to strengthen the Party's leadership and guidance over public opinion work, and at the same time, to make public opinion work more effective in serving the cause of national renewal, construction, and development. After more than a year, the implementation of Conclusion 100-KL/TW in Nghe An has created positive changes in public opinion work, contributing to improving the effectiveness of the province's leadership and administration.

Officials from the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Hung Dao commune (Hung Nguyen district) exchange information and gather public opinion. Photo: PV

The first significant change is the considerable shift in the awareness of Party committees at all levels regarding public opinion and information dissemination. From being hesitant or indifferent, public opinion and information dissemination has now become a regular information channel for most Party committees to serve their leadership and management work. Monthly, or when there are unexpected and complex developments in public opinion and information, the Propaganda Departments at all levels report on the ideological situation and public opinion in their respective areas to serve their Party committees and send them to the Propaganda Departments at higher levels. In some localities, Party committee leaders regularly address issues of public concern at district-level meetings, such as in Quynh Luu, Thanh Chuong, and Nam Dan districts...

At the provincial level, in addition to monthly summary reports, when complex issues or incidents arise, the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department monitors the sentiments and thoughts of all segments of the population to provide the Provincial Party Committee with additional information for developing solutions. For example, the recent complex religious incident in Nghe An was a matter of great public concern; therefore, before each new development, the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department collected and compiled information to report to the Provincial Party Standing Committee.

Along with that, the workforce carrying out public opinion research has been strengthened and reinforced. Currently, at the provincial level and in all districts, cities, and towns, there are specialized departments to carry out public opinion research. For the first time, Nghe An has implemented the establishment of a network of public opinion research collaborators from the provincial to the district level, with the task of collecting and synthesizing public opinion research information directly from the grassroots.

These individuals are carefully selected from various segments of the population, possessing prestige within the community, strong political convictions, and a passionate spirit of dedication. To date, Nghe An's network of public opinion collaborators is essentially complete, with 35 provincial-level collaborators and over 450 district-level and equivalent collaborators (15-20 collaborators per unit). As a result, public opinion work has become more systematic and effective.

Furthermore, the quality of public opinion information has improved significantly. The network of collaborators has provided fairly comprehensive and timely information on developments in ideology and public opinion within the province. More attention has also been paid to organizing public opinion surveys using sociological methods. In 2017, two public opinion surveys on Party building and new rural development were conducted. These initial results will be a significant impetus for more effective implementation of Conclusion 100-KL/TW in the current situation.

Minh Ly