Come monitorare la risposta dell’opinione pubblica a eventi imprevisti? Il progetto ResPOnsECOVID-19

Faced with an unforeseen event such as the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, social research is called to monitor its consequences on public opinion. The article briefly describes the ResPOnsE COVID-19 project (Risposta dell’Opinione Pubblica all’Emergenza COVID-19) that the SPS TREND laboratory at the State University of Milan developed with this aim. To reconstruct the overall context of the ResPOnsE COVID-19 project, we first review various European experiences of survey research on the pandemic. Then, the article introduces the Rolling Cross-Section (RCS) research design which characterizes the project and its application to the case of the COVID-19 crisis in Italy. Finally, in the light of such a challenge, we discuss the opportunities and limitations of the project, broadening the look to survey research in general.