In the period 25–29 April 2026, the General Assembly of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) was held in Prague, Czech Republic – one of the leading international events in the field of comparative social research, bringing together national teams responsible for coordinating and developing the programme.
The forum brought together representatives of research institutions from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, confirming the global scope of ISSP and its role as an established international research network. Bulgaria was represented by Assoc. Prof. Kamelia Petkova, PhD, from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who participated in the plenary sessions, working meetings, and discussions.
Among the main highlights of the General Assembly was the discussion and further development of the new ISSP module “Social Networks and Social Resources” (2027), which builds upon the 2017 module by combining continuity in key indicators of social capital with the introduction of new thematic areas reflecting contemporary societal transformations. In this context, topics such as social belonging, social negativity, and interactions with artificial intelligence were addressed.
In parallel, participants discussed the preparation of the “Religion” module (2028), with a focus on new research directions related to the digitalisation of religious practices, civic engagement, and changing forms of religiosity.
A substantial part of the programme was devoted to methodological issues concerning data quality and comparability, as well as to the results of pretests of the new questionnaires conducted in different national contexts.
The General Assembly in Prague provided an opportunity for in-depth exchange of good practices among national teams, as well as for coordination of future research activities, further establishing ISSP as a key international infrastructure in the field of social sciences.