- Str. N. Iorga 11-13. 510009 - Alba Iulia, Romania
- Sociology, Governance, Community, Participatory Research, Action Research, Civil Society, and 20 moreRegional Studies, Applied Sciences, Student Life, Globalization and Glocalization, Qualitative methodology, Public Administration, Rural Development, Community Development, Social Research Methods and Methodology, Local Government and Local Development, Rural Sociology, Local Government, Participatory Action Research, Cultural Diversity, Participatory Democracy, Local Development, Citizen participation, Local governance, Social Cybernetics, and Cybernetic Modelingedit
After some brief introductory notes, this study reviews approaches to well-being and trust during the COVID-19 pandemic. After reviews, it includes the methodology and structure of the group of 1640 respondents involved in a survey... more
After some brief introductory notes, this study reviews approaches to well-being and trust during the COVID-19 pandemic. After reviews, it includes the methodology and structure of the group of 1640 respondents involved in a survey carried out by us between November 2020 and January 2021. Among the research results, this study presents a series of data related to: self-assessment of well-being on the poor-rich scale and the main predictors involved; generalized trust (in people in general) and the perception of its evolution in the first year of the pandemic; the association between well-being and generalized trust and the association between well-being, trust and attitudinal compliance (defined by compliance with prevention measures and willingness to vaccinate). The research results led to the highlighting of an association between the perception of well-being and trust, on the one hand, and between generalized trust and compliance with prevention measures, on the other hand.
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The Digital Government Society (DGS), or Intelligent Society is a global multi-disciplinary state particular "to society" contributors and practitioners engaged in and committed to democratic digital government. Digital (or... more
The Digital Government Society (DGS), or Intelligent Society is a global multi-disciplinary state particular "to society" contributors and practitioners engaged in and committed to democratic digital government. Digital (or electronic) government fosters the use of information and technology to support and improve public policies and government operations, engage citizens, and provide comprehensive and timely government services. DGS equips its members with a professional support network focused on both education and effective practices that nurture technical, social, and organizational transformation in the public sector. The DGS welcomes members from all sectors, endorses diverse, multi-, and interdisciplinary research undertakings relevant to both theory and practice, and strongly encourages practitioner-researcher exchanges at local, regional, national, and international levels. The purpose of this project is to delimit the Digital Entities, as "images of reality&...
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The survey "How do We Live During the Pandemic?" was undertaken between November 6th and December 19th, 2020. This work is a preliminary report. Main topics: Worries and Information, Beliefs and Attitudes, The Perceived... more
The survey "How do We Live During the Pandemic?" was undertaken between November 6th and December 19th, 2020. This work is a preliminary report. Main topics: Worries and Information, Beliefs and Attitudes, The Perceived Quality of Life, Trust and Tolerance, Risks and Otherness, and Community Presence. An English summary is available.
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Notre etude-ci presente d'abord quelques renseignements obtenus dans le projet Eugenia en 2001 et 2002, les annees pendant lequelles nous avons realise une restitution individualisee (en utilisant un guide d'entretien) et une... more
Notre etude-ci presente d'abord quelques renseignements obtenus dans le projet Eugenia en 2001 et 2002, les annees pendant lequelles nous avons realise une restitution individualisee (en utilisant un guide d'entretien) et une restitution de groupe aussi (par des reunions publiques avec des citoyens et des autorites locales). Des nouvelles recherches realisees en 2004 et pendent les premiers mois de 2005 ont reserve un espace important dans notre etude.
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A fi antreprenor, remarca profesorul Dumitru Sandu, înseamnă să înveţi un rol nou care este departe de ceea ce comunismul a propus sau, mai exact spus, a impus, ca model de socializare, a învăţa un rol nou într-un mediu nefavorabil... more
A fi antreprenor, remarca profesorul Dumitru Sandu, înseamnă să înveţi un rol nou care este departe de ceea ce comunismul a propus sau, mai exact spus, a impus, ca model de socializare, a învăţa un rol nou într-un mediu nefavorabil reprezentând marea provocare ...
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The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between participatory research, the principles of governance and the scientific founding of local development. Following a short analysis of heuristic and practical qualities of... more
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between participatory research, the principles of governance and the scientific founding of local development. Following a short analysis of heuristic and practical qualities of participatory research, the study summarizes some of the fundamental issues presented in the White Paper on European Governance. This document is of high importance for all levels of governance, starting with local to national and European governance. In order to further explore this issue, the study will focus upon a series of previous researches in which we used the restoring of results, as a basic participatory research instrument in the research previously carried out.
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This study will present some results of an online survey conducted by the author on a sample of 1640 subjects. The analysis of the results from the perspective of fear determinants during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that being less... more
This study will present some results of an online survey conducted by the author on a sample of 1640 subjects. The analysis of the results from the perspective of fear determinants during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that being less educated, older (but not over 70 years), social-network-informed, widow, or living in a rural area, may result in an increased level of fear. Direct experience with the virus does not result in significant differences in fear levels according to our findings. The impact analysis of fear on attitudinal compliance revealed that higher levels of fear may result in higher levels of compliance with preventive measures and in more willingness to get vaccinated.
At the end of the communist era, which was characterised as a closed social experiment, Romania found itself in the middle of a globalization process. Its industrial capacities have been considerably reduced through a poor and spendthrift... more
At the end of the communist era, which was characterised as a closed social experiment, Romania found itself in the middle of a globalization process. Its industrial capacities have been considerably reduced through a poor and spendthrift management. There was a mass exodus of the labour force abroad and the educational background for the remaining part was no longer in agreement with the labour market. On these grounds, the vectors of globalization, in the form of foreign investments, entered Romania effortlessly. There even were local communities where the arrival of foreign investors was expected like a second coming of Christ. This is the context in which a Canadian company set forth the mining project Rosia Montana Gold Corporation. The implementation of the project should have started in 2005. Nevertheless, the project has not been effectively launched yet. This situation is based on what we call Romanian glocalization, namely a specific confrontation between global and local ...
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The paper begins with a short incursion into the origin and evolution of action research as a form of knowledge and of specific intervention in organisations and communities. It proceeds then to reveal the interferences with the... more
The paper begins with a short incursion into the origin and evolution of action research as a form of knowledge and of specific intervention in organisations and communities. It proceeds then to reveal the interferences with the participative research and with the classical research technique of findings restitution, towards the goal of organisation and community change promotion. Some success stories are then presented: that of Xerox, of the Mondragón-Cornell project, of Pasmore and Friedlander project and, from Romania, that of the Alba Iulia Local Community Barometer 2015.
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The theoretical foundation of the current study consists in the distinction between community and society proposed by Ferdinand Tönnies in a famous 1887 book. Building upon this foundation and upon the results of a qualitative research... more
The theoretical foundation of the current study consists in the distinction between community and society proposed by Ferdinand Tönnies in a famous 1887 book. Building upon this foundation and upon the results of a qualitative research survey of the Romanian migrants in the city of Ostiglia, Italy, the study will attempt sketching some answers to the following questions: 1) Do Romanian migrants constitute a particular community where they work?; 2) What is the role of the Church in the structure of the community life?; 3) What role do leisure time activities play in the consolidation of the community life?; 4) What role can the constitution of a real community have in its members' decisions to remain abroad on a permanent basis? The data was collected through a series of semi-structured interviews. We found that the Romanian migrants from Ostiglia tend to congregate into a temporary community, their communal ties being enhanced by the existence of a Romanian church in the Italia...
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The paper presents the results of a survey administered to 1640 respondents from Romania and the Republic of Moldova in which a number of determinants have been taken into consideration like gender, age, education and COVID-19 exposure,... more
The paper presents the results of a survey administered to 1640 respondents from Romania and the Republic of Moldova in which a number of determinants have been taken into consideration like gender, age, education and COVID-19 exposure, verifying their association with attitudinal compliance. This notion has been conceptualized as agreement to prevention measures and willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The results show a poor association with gender, but a more noticeable one with age and education. Direct exposure to the virus (personal contamination or loss of family member) did not seem to associate with higher levels of attitudinal compliance. Key words: COVID-19, prot
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This paper aims to highlight some connections between the applied social sciences, action research, and the returning of inquiry findings. Usually, the applicability of a social science is defined by its openness to the complexity of... more
This paper aims to highlight some connections between the applied social sciences, action research, and the returning of inquiry findings. Usually, the applicability of a social science is defined by its openness to the complexity of (psycho-) social change as described by the intervention design meant to trigger this change. We will also see how the social sciences collaborate with action research. This is mainly the case in social psychology, a field in which this orientation is largely contained. Through this study we would like to foster the possibility that the applicability of any social science may be strengthened by action research as a specific form of intervention and change. The returning of inquiry findings to the subjects may also be linked to action research as it focuses on involving the subjects of the research in the debate concerning the results. The returing of inquiry findings can be strengthened by connecting it during the research process to the potential of a social science.
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In controversial problems like that of the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation project, although the final decisions belong to state institutions, they can be more or less influenced by the weight of the options faced by a diverse types of... more
In controversial problems like that of the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation project, although the final decisions belong to state institutions, they can be more or less influenced by the weight of the options faced by a diverse types of public. The current study attempts to analyse the reactions of the public sector and of the civil society as indicators of the participation-reaction decisional couple. We find evidence that it seems to validate the existence of a direct relationship. The prevailing arguments of this supporting sustainable development rest predominantly on the appeal to principles and values, as opposed to those of the local, impact-bearing actors, who are inclined towards more pragmatic and quantifiable rationales.
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The study is intended to be a portrait of the sociologist Ion Aluaş (1927–1994), and it is focused on the novelty of some of the research that he conducted during the communist period. This research is only available in manuscript and is... more
The study is intended to be a portrait of the sociologist Ion Aluaş (1927–1994), and it is focused on the novelty of some of the research that he conducted during the communist period. This research is only available in manuscript and is inherently rich in significance, as well as limited. Various elements of novelty are discussed, such as the displacement of population in the area of large mining investments, the need for spatial planning of the rural area or the need for a richer and well preserved diversity of activities specific to the rural world. The study shows that many of the ideas of the sociologist Ion Aluaş can be identified in one way or another in the National Programme for Rural Development 2007–2013, document aimed at renewing the rural areas of Romania with the help of European financing.
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Cercetarea participativa; Elemente de psihologie sociala aplicata; Teme si probleme de sociologie aplicata; Restituirea rezultatelor anchetei sociologice. Cercetari exploratorii in Romania.
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Rezumat în limba engleză: The present study offers a rather new approaching perspective for the social sciences in our country–the perspective of territorial intelligence. After a preview of the definitions of this concept, we present the... more
Rezumat în limba engleză: The present study offers a rather new approaching perspective for the social sciences in our country–the perspective of territorial intelligence. After a preview of the definitions of this concept, we present the main associated principles, as ...
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The present work approaches a series of wide exploratory investigations in the Romanian rural area, most recently in Livezile-Rimetea micro-region (Apuseni Mountains). Within the civil society and public participation debate context, the... more
The present work approaches a series of wide exploratory investigations in the Romanian rural area, most recently in Livezile-Rimetea micro-region (Apuseni Mountains). Within the civil society and public participation debate context, the study focuses on the variable of religious affiliation (orthodox, non-orthodox), which differentiates the real potential public participation at the population level in the studied area. The immediate conclusion to be drawn is that in the differences in religious affiliation induce variations in expressing the civic activism and in the real or the potential public participation. At the end of our study, the paradox of public participation as diminishing factor of the civil society role is taken into account and this concerns new reflections and investigations on the subject.
The present work approaches a series of wide exploratory investigations in the Romanian rural area, most recently in Livezile-Rimetea micro-region (Apuseni Mountains). Within the civil society and public participation debate context, the... more
The present work approaches a series of wide exploratory investigations in the Romanian rural area, most recently in Livezile-Rimetea micro-region (Apuseni Mountains). Within the civil society and public participation debate context, the study focuses on the variable of religious affiliation (orthodox, non-orthodox), which differentiates the real potential public participation at the population level in the studied area. The immediate conclusion to be drawn is that in the differences in religious affiliation induce variations in expressing the civic activism and in the real or the potential public participation. At the end of our study, the paradox of public participation as diminishing factor of the civil society role is taken into account and this concerns new reflections and investigations on the subject.
At the end of the communist era, which was characterised as a closed social experiment, Romania found itself in the middle of a globalization process. Its industrial capacities have been considerably reduced through a poor and spendthrift... more
At the end of the communist era, which was characterised as a closed social experiment, Romania found itself in the middle of a globalization process. Its industrial capacities have been considerably reduced through a poor and spendthrift management. There was a mass exodus of the labour force abroad and the educational background for the remaining part was no longer in agreement with the labour market. On these grounds, the vectors of globalization, in the form of foreign investments, entered Romania effortlessly. There even were local communities where the arrival of foreign investors was expected like a second coming of Christ. This is the context in which a Canadian company set forth the mining project Ro[ia Montan\ Gold Corporation. The implementation of the project should have started in 2005. Nevertheless, the project has not been effectively launched yet. This situation is based on what we call Romanian glocalization, namely a specific confrontation between global and local ...
Religious leaders are being viewed as agents with influence over environmental opinion and attitude building. In public environmental project impact debate the Christian religious leaders may play an increasingly complex role due to their... more
Religious leaders are being viewed as agents with influence over environmental opinion and attitude building. In public environmental project impact debate the Christian religious leaders may play an increasingly complex role due to their anthropocentric position. Rosia Montană Gold Corporation is such a project where The Romanian Orthodox Church has taken a position right from the beginning. Our study explores the local impact area religious leaders' attitudes as to the mining project in particular and the overall view of environmental concerns in religious sermon in general. Orthodox, Catholic, Reformed and Baptist representatives have been interviewed. The main conclusion we drew is that environmental concerns can create leadership style dissonances between different hierarchical levels of the same religious hierarchies, but with benefits at the communitarian-religious levels. The practical implications that arise from this and the possible directions for future research are ...
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At the end of the communist era, which was characterised as a closed social experiment, Romania found itself in the middle of a globalization process. Its industrial capacities have been considerably reduced through a poor and spendthrift... more
At the end of the communist era, which was characterised as a closed social experiment, Romania found itself in the middle of a globalization process. Its industrial capacities have been considerably reduced through a poor and spendthrift management. There was a mass exodus of the labour force abroad and the educational background for the remaining part was no longer in agreement with the labour market. On these grounds, the vectors of globalization, in the form of foreign investments, entered Romania effortlessly. There even were local communities where the arrival of foreign investors was expected like a second coming of Christ. This is the context in which a Canadian company set forth the mining project Rosia Montana Gold Corporation. The implementation of the project should have started in 2005. Nevertheless, the project has not been effectively launched yet. This situation is based on what we call Romanian glocalization, namely a specific confrontation between global and local ...
Research Interests:
The present work approaches a series of wide exploratory investigations in the Romanian rural area, most recently in Livezile-Rimetea micro-region (Apuseni Mountains). Within the civil society and public participation debate context, the... more
The present work approaches a series of wide exploratory investigations in the Romanian rural area, most recently in Livezile-Rimetea micro-region (Apuseni Mountains). Within the civil society and public participation debate context, the study focuses on the variable of religious affiliation (orthodox, non-orthodox), which differentiates the real potential public participation at the population level in the studied area. The immediate conclusion to be drawn is that in the differences in religious affiliation induce variations in expressing the civic activism and in the real or the potential public participation. At the end of our study, the paradox of public participation as diminishing factor of the civil society role is taken into account and this concerns new reflections and investigations on the subject.
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The current paper attempts to develop a possible method for improvement of social service needs assessment process. The method combines triangulation with results restitution technique. The model presented and tested in a complex research... more
The current paper attempts to develop a possible method for improvement of social service needs assessment process. The method combines triangulation with results restitution technique. The model presented and tested in a complex research project by us includes several methods: the sociological inquiry, the personal interview and the group interview (focus group). They amount to what the specialists in the field call triangulation method. We introduced an additional instrument that is results restitution to the community leaders. These leaders become involved in decisions regarding social services to be deployed, the chances of success thus being improved. The picture of the social domain also becomes clearer for both the decision makers and potential investors alike. Methodologically, the combination of triangulation and results restitution has the potential to overcome the limits of some other widely used methods like Participatory Rural Appraisal and Rapid Rural Appraisal.
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This study proposes taking into account the group matrix in the analysis of specific patterns of academic behaviour: the students’ concern for an adequate preparation, reflected in their academic results, and their participation in... more
This study proposes taking into account the group matrix in the analysis of specific patterns of academic behaviour: the students’ concern for an adequate preparation, reflected in their academic results, and their participation in didactic activities. The group matrix is defined as a unitary system with three interrelated dimensions: inter-knowledge, communication and cooperation in a social group (formal or not), the system being at the basis of the entire dynamics of that group. The three dimensions of the group matrix (inter-knowledge, communication and cooperation) correlate with the students’ academic results and with their participation in learning activities. The practical relevance of this investigation consists in offering a new basis for the study of desirable academic behaviour and didactic group activities. The theory and practice of the group matrix has a broader applicability, potentially for every group where the inter-knowledge, communication and cooperation dimensi...
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The paper looks at the possible relationships between globalisation (glocalisation) and circulatory migration. The starting premise is that for countries with emerging economies like Romania, foreign investment - as vectors of... more
The paper looks at the possible relationships between globalisation (glocalisation) and circulatory migration. The starting premise is that for countries with emerging economies like Romania, foreign investment - as vectors of globalisation - may create an exceptional, multidimensional opportunity for work force occupation. In that respect, globalisation should lead to a decrease in all forms of migration. Our research shows however that in particular situations like that of Rosia Montană community, the real impact of foreign investment on workforce occupation turns out to be less than expected. Thus circulatory migration appears as a strong contender for globalisation while everywhere else the globalisation is being regarded as an alternative to endogenous development.
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This paper presents some findings of a sociological research of the connections between applied sociology and potential development programs. The aim is to provide better guidance to the socio-economic program implementation strategy... more
This paper presents some findings of a sociological research of the connections between applied sociology and potential development programs. The aim is to provide better guidance to the socio-economic program implementation strategy design process. The project€™s scope included human resource development objectives, encompassing 51 rural communities from the Apuseni Mountains Area of western Romania. An ample research study has been undertaken in order to supply a SWOT analysis of the employment problem and of the main priorities, objectives and actions that will make up the content of a strategy. The authors consider it appropriate to signal through their study, the possibility of transition from the classical simple sociological recommendations aims, to more applied (and possibly more courageous) strategic implementation goals, ends that are more consistent with the aspirations of modern sociology.
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Our work aims to reveal those aspects of importance to the problem of inter-municipal cooperation, looking in particular to world realities and Romanian strategies. We will examine to what extent the Romanian current legislation supports... more
Our work aims to reveal those aspects of importance to the problem of inter-municipal cooperation, looking in particular to world realities and Romanian strategies. We will examine to what extent the Romanian current legislation supports the inter-municipal cooperation, we will also present the results of prior surveys of the representations of inter-communal cooperation as a form of inter-municipal cooperation, surveys which we undertook in recent years. Looking into the future of inter-municipal cooperation in Romania, we will describe the various development strategies drafted by the Romanian administration and look at how the concept of inter-municipal cooperation has been included into the strategic policy. The conclusions of this study try to serve the effort of answering the pivotal question: "Inter-municipal cooperation or amalgamation in Romania?"
The study presents the restoring of the survey's results both as a moment and as an instrument of the action research. After retaining one definition of restoring proposed by Bergier (2000), some aspects of the action research are... more
The study presents the restoring of the survey's results both as a moment and as an instrument of the action research. After retaining one definition of restoring proposed by Bergier (2000), some aspects of the action research are presented: definition (Juan, 1999; Small, 1995), characterization (Baskerville, 1999; Paille, 2002; Somekh, 1995), and typology (Fox, 2003; Tripp, 1990). Some research in which the restoring is involved as a moment or as an instrument of the action research is described briefly (Lundy & McGovern, 2006; Parrado, McQuiston, & Flippen, 2005). The study goes on by presenting some recent research in Romania, connected to the problem of sustaining the territorial development through research. The aim of this presentation is to reveal that, beyond its heuristic valances, the restoring of the results may be successfully used in the action research, which is useful for the community development. In the end, the restoring can be used not only in stakeholders'...
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The theoretical foundation of the current study consists in the distinction between community and society proposed by Ferdinand Tönnies in a famous 1887 book. Building upon this foundation and upon the results of a qualitative research... more
The theoretical foundation of the current study consists in the distinction between community and society proposed by Ferdinand Tönnies in a famous 1887 book. Building upon this foundation and upon the results of a qualitative research survey of the Romanian migrants in the city of Ostiglia, Italy, the study will attempt sketching some answers to the following questions: 1) Do Romanian migrants constitute a particular community where they work?; 2) What is the role of the Church in the structure of the community life?; 3) What role do leisure time activities play in the consolidation of the community life?; 4) What role can the constitution of a real community have in its members' decisions to remain abroad on a permanent basis? The data was collected through a series of semi-structured interviews. We found that the Romanian migrants from Ostiglia tend to congregate into a temporary community, their communal ties being enhanced by the existence of a Romanian church in the Italia...
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Revealing an increase in interest for the community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper starts with a succinct compilation of the main practical and theoretical contexts in which the concept has been revitalized during the... more
Revealing an increase in interest for the community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper starts with a succinct compilation of the main practical and theoretical contexts in which the concept has been revitalized during the past year: World Health Organization's guidelines, several SARS-Cov-2 disease control actions, studies of racial and ethnic diversity inequalities and studies of psycho-sociological impact of the pandemic. Next, some basic mechanisms notions are analyzed in regard to informal social control. The results from a research survey that took place between November 26 th 2020 and January 26 th 2021 on a lot of 1640 respondents revealed the existence of an optimism-generating base in regard to the community-level informal social control during special situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if some socio-demographic variables like gender, age and type of community, or some personal experience with COVID-19 variables like personal infection, family loss and neighborhood loss do not significantly associate with the acceptance of collective restrictions, it is our appreciation that there are premises for launching informal social control stimulation community interventions by empowerment or by community development.
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The paper presents the results of a survey administered to 1640 respondents from Romania and the Republic of Moldova in which a number of determinants have been taken into consideration like gender, age, education and COVID-19 exposure,... more
The paper presents the results of a survey administered to 1640 respondents from Romania and the Republic of Moldova in which a number of determinants have been taken into consideration like gender, age, education and COVID-19 exposure, verifying their association with attitudinal compliance. This notion has been conceptualized as agreement to prevention measures and willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The results show a poor association with gender, but a more noticeable one with age and education. Direct exposure to the virus (personal contamination or loss of family member) did not seem to associate with higher levels of attitudinal compliance.
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Lucrarea cuprinde o serie de eseuri si studii consacrate comunitatii, identitatii si marginalizarii. Sunt privilegiate perspectivele atasamentului si apartenentei regioase in evidentierea problematicii comunitatilor contemporane.
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The survey "How do We Live During the Pandemic?" was undertaken between November 6th and December 19th, 2020. This work is a preliminary report. Main topics: Worries and Information, Beliefs and Attitudes, The Perceived Quality of... more
The survey "How do We Live During the Pandemic?" was undertaken between November 6th and December 19th, 2020. This work is a preliminary report.
Main topics: Worries and Information, Beliefs and Attitudes, The Perceived Quality of Life, Trust and Tolerance, Risks and Otherness, and Community Presence.
An English summary is available.
Main topics: Worries and Information, Beliefs and Attitudes, The Perceived Quality of Life, Trust and Tolerance, Risks and Otherness, and Community Presence.
An English summary is available.