In collaboration with 11 other European universities we have been researching the level of trust towards politicians and political institutions among citizens of the European Union. The goal of the project is to develop tools, which will help to increase trust towards governments and state institutions.

As of 1997, we have been regularly researching electoral trends, attitudes and political awareness of Poles in the context of parliamentary elections. The Polish General Election Study is one of the most important research projects in Poland, in the social sciences discipline. Find out what our researcher will investigate in this year’s election.

The Center for the Study of Democracy participates in an international project AUTHLIB, which aims to investigate the roots and results of normative divergence from the model of liberal democracy in Europe and to provide tools, which will help respond to illiberal claims against liberal democracy.

Upon the request of the European Commission, we have been investigating how social movements, together with the reforms introduced by local governments, create dynamics of political change, which include more integrating and participatory forms of governance.

We researched how the mechanism of comparative assessment works. We used a case study mirroring a political campaign and asked participants to assess politicians. It transpires that once a certain level of negative assessment is reached, people stop noticing additional negative attributes. On the other hand, the increase in positive assessment is slower and more nuanced. One must work harder for positive opinions.

Politics is not just electoral programs and legislation. Brand and image are also important. We have been carrying out a unique study of correlation between politics and aesthetics. The goal of the project is do develop a political theory of aesthetics.

We investigated whether immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe how and if the migrants are socializing into liberal values and are they ‘remitting democracy’ back home.

In May 2021, we investigated what socio-demographic and political factors determine attitudes of Poles towards their state and to what degree are these factors universal. We also analyzed whether opinions concerning the country’s economic policy are linked with opinions concerning state control and invigilation.

We investigated the alignment of democratic values with political preferences in Poland, post 2015 election. We researched whether Polish citizens had noticed changes in democratic standards and what they thought of the situation.

We have developed a complex program of civic education for youth. We provided secondary school students with theoretical background and engaged them in organizing school elections and projects benefiting their local communities.

In 2011, Polish electoral system has been changed at the local level. After the change, some municipalities have become single-mandate constituencies, while others – multi-member constituencies. We investigated how this reform has impacted the quality of democracy and efficiency of local governments.

Institutionalization of political parties is an ongoing process of dynamic adaptation and stabilization, resulting in a transformation from random, spontaneous initiatives to more organized methods of collective action. We have been investigating how this process impacts the longevity of political parties.

The current governments of Poland and Hungary are viewed as autocratic. Political scientists investigated factors underlying the changes ongoing in these countries and found common characterizes of ideological nature, such as populism and reliance on national values, which lead to illiberal reforms. Learn more about the “autocratic playbook”.

The post-1989 political system transformation in Poland is mainly associated with the huge social “Solidarity” movement and initiatives of blue-collar workers’ organizations. Rural movements, despite their activity and large membership, have not been sufficiently researched. Academics from SWPS University will fill this gap.

Political scientists form SWPS University, carried out a pioneering project investigating whether political parties are perceived as brands. They researched what characteristics and values people attribute to political parties and how their perceptions influence their voting decisions.

The process of establishing collaborations between social movements representing various minorities and political parties is not well known. Young researchers from SWPS University are carrying out a study to fill this knowledge gap.