In the fulfillment of its mandate, CPA's programming focusses on the mutually reinforcing areas of democratic governance and peace.

Polling encompasses:

• Public opinion surveys on contemporary social and political issues
• Regular polls to ascertain levels of public confidence in the Sri Lankan peace process
• Maintanence of a comprehensive database on socio-political and economic indicators on peace and governance in Sri Lanka

Ongoing projects and programmes

Public Opinion Poll on the use of Tamil as an Administrative Language
On behalf of the Foundation for Co-Existence (FCE), SI will conduct the “Public Opinion Poll on the use of Tamil as an Administrative Language”, a quantitative study covering a total sample of 1690 respondents across 22 districts. This study envisages not only to understand public awareness and their knowledge on the Official Language Policy (OLP) but would also examine the attitudes of various communities i.e. Ethnic groups, Educational backgrounds, Occupation status etc towards the implementation of the OLP. The study will focus on the use of OLP implementation in the areas of registration of births/deaths, obtaining IDs, registration of Tamil citizens, educational circulars, travel and transport, postal communication, hospitals, access to translated public documents, and local/provincial government communiqués.

Peace in Sri Lanka: From Symbols to Substance (2008, 2009)
In Northern Ireland, public opinion polls were used as a tool to enhance the peace process by increasing party inclusiveness, developing issues and language, testing agreement proposals, helping to set deadlines and add to the overall transparency of negotiations through the publication of technical analysis and media reports. These methods have been replicated in Northern Ireland and Kashmir. In June 2008 Social Indicator with the technical support of Dr. Colin Irwin from the Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool, conducted  “Peace in Sri Lanka-From Symbols to Substance” using the Peace Poll methodology in Sri Lanka with a sample of 1700 respondents. The poll was repeated in March 2009 with a sample of 1200.

Past projects and programmes

The Chamber / Trade Association Assessment
Social Indicator was commissioned by The Asia Foundation to conduct a research study to support the Chamber/Trade association strengthening program – the Local Economic Governance project of the Asia Foundation. Commencing in August 2008, it aims to improve the overall business environment of the region and thereby contribute to create new jobs and increase economic growth. The Chamber/Trade Assessment consisted of four components-The Climate Survey, Human Resource Process Audit,  Survey with Members, and Survey with Non-Members.

The Human Resource Process Audit (November 2008-January 2009) obtained details of chamber activities and physical resources of the organizations. The Survey with Members (November 2008-March 2009) focused on obtaining feedback on services provided by the organizations, usage of facilities and satisfaction etc.

International Social Survey Program (ISSP) Religion Study
SI has been commissioned to conduct the Sri Lankan country survey of the "International Social Survey Program (ISSP) Religion Study – 2008". The survey will evaluate the perceptions, attitudes and opinions on religious beliefs and religiosity of Sri Lankans aged 18 and above. The ISSP series of cross national studies develop topical modules dealing with important areas of social science as supplements to regular national surveys in more than 20 countries.

Climate Surveys for MAS Holdings (Pvt) Ltd
MAS Holdings is a leading intimate apparel manufacturer in Sri Lanka, set up in 1987 with a global presence and a 35,000 strong workforce. In 2004, SI was commissioned by MAS Holdings to conduct a Climate Survey at each of their Strategic Business Units (SBUs) to assess the climate within the factories and identify the perceptions of the employees on the activities of the individual SBUs. Since the first survey in 2004, three more annual survey sessions have been completed in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Employee Satisfaction Survey for Loadstar (Pvt) Ltd
Loadstar (Pvt) Limited, a leading tyre manufacturer in the country commissioned SI to conduct a Climate Survey at their Midigama Tyre Division in Weligama. The survey was conducted to assess the climate within the organisation and identify the perceptions of the employees on the activities of the organisation. The survey findings will assist the management of Loadstar understand the dynamics within the organisation and thereby influence the decision making process and improve the working conditions and work relations at the work place.

Census study on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) commissioned SI to conduct a Registration Census Study on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Welfare Centers in the Puttalam and Anuradhapura Districts.