The paper deals with the comparative study of European citizens’ satisfaction with the state of education in their respective countries. Individual and contextual effects are tested applying multilevel analysis. The results show that educational public policies (level of decentralization,...

From a scientific point of view, surveys are undoubtedly a valuable tool for the knowledge of the social and political reality. They are widely used in the social sciences research. However, the researcher's task is often disturbed by a series of deficiencies related to some technical aspects...

The experiential sampling method (ESM) was used to collect data from 74 parttime students who described and assessed the risks involved in their current activities when interrupted at random moments by text messages. The major categories of perceived risk were short-term in nature and involved...

Surveys are a valuable instrument to find out about the social and political reality of our context. However, the work of researchers is often limited by a number of handicaps that are mainly two. On one hand, the samples are usually low technical quality ones and the fieldwork is not carried...

The examinations taken by high-school graduates in Spain and the role of the examination in the university admissions process are described. The following issues arising in the assessment of the process are discussed: reliability of grading, comparability of the grades and scores(equating),...

The educational system in Spain is undergoing a reorganization. At present, high-school graduates who want to enroll at a public university must take a set of examinations Pruebas de Aptitud para el Acceso a la Universidad (PAAU). A "new formula" (components, weights, type of exam,...) for...

This work presents an application of the multilevel analysis techniques to the study of the abstention in the 2000 Spanish general election. The interest of the study is both, substantive and methodological. From the substantive point of view the article intends to explain the causes of...

With the two aims of monitoring social change and improving social measurement, the European Social Survey is now closing its third round. This paper shows how the accumulated experience of the two first rounds has been used to validate the questionnaire, better adapt the sampling design to the...

Although research has documented the importance of emotion in risk perception, little is known about its prevalence in everyday life. Using the Experience Sampling Method, 94 part-time students were prompted at random – via cellular telephones – to report on mood state and three emotions and...

In 2007 the first Quality Enhancement Meeting on sampling in the European Social Survey (ESS) took place. The discussion focused on design effects and inteviewer effects in face-to-face interviews. Following the recomendations of this meeting the Spanish ESS team studied the impact of...