Some Methodological "Traps" in the Use of Survey Methods in Conditions of Critical Social Upheavals

Critical social upheavals radically change the structure and functional connections of society, its structural elements and subjects. They change the significance of resources, the possibilities of their use, and form new life strategies of social subjects, especially short-term ones. The example of a crisis state of society is the military actions in Ukraine, which stimulated many social processes at all levels of social dynamics - from micro- to global. Military actions in Ukraine demonstrated how uncertainty can become the leading trend of social life.

In such a situation, classical methodological patterns of sociological surveys can give errors in obtaining information. For example, the parameters of the sample suffer: in the Ukrainian context, it is more difficult to identify people with the general population, as well as to outline it when studying the general context.

The landscape of surveys also changes most of the “pain points” along the lines of inclusion and diversity, the equality of which is fought for in a stable society. In conditions of critical social upheavals, these lines often focus on exceptions, not on equality. Inevitably, there is differentiation in their perception through the prism of social resources of society at one time or another, their limitations, potential, etc. Linguistic aspects are no exception. For example, in the context of Ukraine's transition from dominating bilingualism to monolingualism, problems may arise in the formulation of questions and answer options, as well as their understanding by respondents.

Thus, in conditions of critical social upheavals, we can talk about the influence of chaotic transformation of social subjects and changes in their characteristics, which may not always be recognized by researchers for constructing a high-quality research design.