PROSPECTUS EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CONSORTIUM
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PROSPECTUS EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CONSORTIUM
INTRODUCTION Consumers of mainstream news will be all too well aware of the various threats to democracy that are ongoing in our society - as well as ideological, political, economic and environmental tensions - that are in need of urgent resolution. The provision of high quality data from the ESS is a critical element in responding to such emergent problems. By providing accurate data about the values, opinions, attitudes and beliefs of Europe’s citizens, it provides a bedrock of hard information which is both reliable and extensive. This is increasingly important at a time when unreliable data, 'fake news' and 'alternative facts' are readily available in any search engine. This prospectus sets out the contribution of the ESS. It is our hope that it provides politicians, legislators, policy makers, business leaders and ordinary citizens alike with a sense of how important these data can be, and that it will encourage those in a position to do so to ensure that all of Europe is covered in future waves of the ESS. Professor Michael Breen Chair, ESS ERIC General Assembly
European Social Survey ERIC 1
FOREWORD
The European Social Survey (ESS) was The vision of the founders of the survey Access to high
established against a background of poor have clearly been realised. As the
availability of academically rigorous cross- ESS matures into a formal research
quality comparative data
national data, in particular in regard to infrastructure with its own legal status, will help us to improve
attitudes, beliefs and values. The founders we invite all countries within geographic our understanding of
of the ESS, Roger Jowell and Max Kaase, Europe to join the existing members and
had the vision and determination not only ensure pan-European coverage. Together the profound social,
to develop the scientific blueprint for the we can provide a platform to ensure that political, economic and
study but also to persuade national funders, the views of the people within Europe are
the European Science Foundation and the heard in relation to these grand challenges.
demographic changes
European Commission that a knowledge gap Academics, policy makers and those in civil occurring in Europe as
existed and to agree therefore to fund and society then have robust data to inform both well as the relationship
nurture a rigorous, high quality, comparative discussion and decisions. This prospectus
general social survey for the wider social provides details about the infrastructure between Europe and the
science community. as well as information on how to apply for rest of the world.
membership.
As Europe faces grand societal challenges
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
including immigration, changing family and Dr. Rory Fitzgerald
European Commissioner for Research,
relationship arrangements, climate change, ESS ERIC Director, February 2017
Innovation and Science (2010-14)
welfare reform, declining political trust,
speaking at the launch of ESS ERIC,
increased populism and persistent health
London, UK, 31 January 2014
inequalities (amongst others), the European
Social Survey is providing robust data that
illuminates changes and stability in the
social fabric of Europe. With over 100,000
registered users, and over 3,000 publications
already identified, along with clear evidence
of impact ‘beyond academia’, the ESS has
already established itself as a critical pillar
of the European Research Area. In addition,
its methods and methodological research
programme ensure that the infrastructure
remains ‘state of the art’ and helps to
position Europe as a global leader in terms of
comparative social science.
2 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The ESS has asked questions designed
in collaboration with external academics
on citizen involvement, health and care,
The European Social Survey (ESS) is a pan-European economic morality, family, work and
research infrastructure providing freely accessible data wellbeing, timing of life, personal and
social wellbeing, welfare attitudes, ageism,
for academics, policymakers, civil society and the wider trust in the police and courts, democracy,
public. It was awarded European Research Infrastructure immigration, social inequalities in health
Consortium (ERIC) status in 2013. and attitudes to climate change and energy
security. Some of these topics have been
repeated at a later stage.
The work of the ESS ERIC includes This general social survey measures attitudes
organising a survey every two years on a wide range of subjects. The ESS was By measuring the results over time, the data
measuring social attitudes and behaviour; primarily designed as a time series to monitor reveals intriguing contrasts and similarities
utilising and developing the highest standards changing attitudes and values across Europe. between European countries. This rigorous
in cross-national research; providing The questionnaire therefore consists of a comparative data collection is then used
direct and virtual training programmes; main core section that includes a number of by the academic community, their research
and supporting free access to its growing questions that have been answered every often facilitating pan-European and member
data and documentation archive (www. two years since 2002. Each question has a state political, social and economic debate.
europeansocialsurvey.org). unique identifier to enable people to easily This allows scholars, policymakers, think
compare data over time. tanks and other interested parties to
Participating Members fund a Core measure and interpret European people’s
Scientific Team who design and provide The development of this ‘core’ part views cross-nationally and over time.
quality assurance for the survey as well of the ESS questionnaire followed
as distributing and curating the data. recommendations made by academic Seven rounds of survey data have now been
Members fund their own national teams experts who were consulted by the Core compiled, fieldwork for the eighth began in
to implement the survey in their country, Scientific Team during the early planning September 2016 and the ninth round will be
engaging commercial survey agencies, stages of the ESS. running officially from 1 June 2017 to 31
National Statistical Institutes and non-profit May 2019.
research institutes to conduct interviews in Additionally, in each round of the ESS, multi-
peoples’ homes. national teams of researchers based in ESS European countries are welcome to join the
countries are selected to contribute to design ESS, even if they have previously not taken
The ESS has been mapping attitudes and part of the questionnaire. Two ‘rotating’ part or have been absent for some time.
behavioural changes in Europe’s social, modules are selected following a Call for The inclusion of new Members enables ESS
political and moral climate for over 15 years. Proposals placed in the Official Journal of the ERIC to increase the body of comparative
Launched in 2001, the first round of surveys European Union (OJEU). data available and leads to lower costs of
was conducted in 2002 and gathered results participation for all the nations involved.
from 22 countries. Since its inception, 36 As a result, the ESS always includes Support can be provided by the central ESS
countries have taken part in the ESS. questions measuring attitudes towards team to help prepare countries participating
the media, health and wellbeing, trust in for the first time.
By adopting rigorous approaches to institutions and governments, education
probability sampling, question-testing, event- and occupation, social capital and social Once a country has become a Member
recording, translation and response rate trust, household circumstances, citizen of the ESS, they must appoint a National
enhancement, the ESS has become THE involvement and democracy, social exclusion, Representative who is given full authority to
authoritative source of information about political values and engagement, socio- vote on all issues considered at the General
changing social values in Europe. demographics, immigration and crime. Assembly. Each Member must also appoint a
National Coordinator to manage the activities
of the ESS ERIC within their own country.
They have overall responsibility for ensuring
European Social Survey ERIC 3
ROTATING MODULES
ARE SELECTED FOR
EACH ROUND
2
ROUND 2
2004/05
•W
ork, family and wellbeing
1 •H
ealth care seeking
•E
conomic morality
3
ROUND 1
2002/03
• Citizenship ROUND 3
• Immigration 2006/07
• Personal and social wellbeing
4
• The timing of life
ROUND 4
2008/09
5 • Attitudes to age and ageism
•W elfare
ROUND 5 9
2010/11
•W
ork, family and
6 wellbeing in recession
ROUND 9
•T
rust in justice
2018/19
8 • Justice and fairness
ROUND 6 • The timing of life
2012/13
• Personal and social wellbeing CORE TOPICS
• Understanding and evaluations ROUND 8 IN ALL ROUNDS
of democracy 2016/17 •C rime
7 • Climate change • Democracy and politics
and energy • Human values
• Welfare • I mmigration
• Media use
ROUND 7 • National and ethnic identity
2014/15 • Perceived discrimination
• Health inequalities •R eligion
• Immigration • Social exclusion
• Social trust/trust in institutions
• Subjective wellbeing
•S ocio-demographics4 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
Executive Summary (continued)
the successful undertaking of fieldwork
for the survey. This is often outsourced to
a supplier, but the National Coordinator
is ultimately responsible for the national
implementation of the ESS interviews.
The ESS annotates its source questionnaire
to guide translators in using national
instruments so that the survey has the
same meaning in every language. The
questionnaire is translated into any language
spoken as a first language by more than
five per cent of each country’s population.
In line with the central Specification for
Participating countries made available for
each round, each National Coordinating
Team identifies a suitable sampling frame
and produces a sample design to be
implemented in their country. that current and future data analysts can Descartes Prize for Excellence in Scientific
be aware of the national context in which Collaborative Research, awarded to the
The ESS provides comprehensive materials questions were being answered. ESS in 2005.
for interviewer training and briefing sessions.
It is vital that the interviewing is as consistent Over 350,000 face-to-face interviews have Internal analysis of Google Scholar from
as possible across all European countries been completed since 2002. There are over 2003-15 found that 3,104 English academic
taking into account necessary national 100,000 registered users of the data, who journal articles, books, chapters, conference
adaptation. Briefing sessions explain the can analyse it online using a web-based papers or working papers referenced the
ESS project: the questionnaire and rules. programme called Nesstar or download it ESS.
All interviewers must be personally briefed for detailed analysis in programmes such
once assigned to undertake ESS fieldwork. as SPSS, R or STATA. Users are also aided
through an online training programme
The survey fieldwork is gathered over a called ESS EduNet.
minimum of one month within a designated
maximum period of four months, and all The data is available to download completely When considering
countries aim to achieve an effective sample free of charge from anywhere in the world. new policies, governments
size of at least 1,500 respondents, though When downloading customisable datasets,
this number is reduced for countries with users are offered a number of options:
in the past were often
smaller populations. Once the fieldwork is they can download information from more ignorant of their citizens’
completed, National Coordinating Teams than one survey round and for numerous preferences and
deposit their data in the ESS data archive. countries. Data files can be downloaded in
a number of formats. The ESS data wizard needs. Now European
The ESS continues to build a huge amount allows users to choose which variables to governments have a
of freely accessible data measuring the include in their own bespoke dataset.
behaviour and social attitudes of Europeans.
source for counteracting
In addition the national teams monitor and A Multilevel Download makes it possible to that ignorance.
record political claims contained in media add information about countries and several
reports during the time when fieldwork is regional levels to the respondents in the Professor Sir Roger Jowell CBE
being undertaken. This helps to ensure ESS data. This was partly funded by the Co-founder of the ESSEuropean Social Survey ERIC 5
CONTENTS
1. Introduction and Foreword 1 Findings from the European
2. Executive Summary 2 Social Survey
8. Rotating modules addressing key
What Is The European Social Survey? social themes 24
3. The European Social Survey ERIC 6 Democracy and Citizen Involvement 24
The History 6 Family, Work and Wellbeing 25
Structure and Governance 8 Attitudes towards Immigration 26
Operational Activities 8 Social Inequalities in Health 27
4. Joining the European Social Survey Welfare Attitudes in a Changing
ERIC and financial data 10 Europe 28
Country Affiliation to the ESS ERIC 10 Public Attitudes to Climate
Costs for Fieldwork, National Change and Energy 29
Coordination and Country
9. Policy making from a cross-national
Contribution 11 european perspective 30
Procedures to Apply for Participation 12 10. ESS Publications 32
Auditing of ESS ERIC Accounts 13 ESS Topline Findings 32
5. A biennial cross-national social Findings Booklets 32
survey of high quality 14 ESS on Wellbeing 33
Methodological Rigour 14 11. References 33
Questionnaire Design 16 Contact Information 33
Test Questionnaire 16
Translation 16
Sampling 18
Interviewer Training 18
Media Claims Recording 18
Data Preparation and Deposits 19
6. A rich tool for academic studies,
education and training 20
ESS EduNet for eLearning 20
Training Courses 20
Registered User Statistics 20
ESS Bibliography 21
7. Data and documentation with
unrestricted access 22
Datasets Available without
Additional Costs 22
Cumulative and Harmonized Data 22
Multilevel and Contextual Data 236 www.europeansocialsurvey.org WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY?
European Social Survey ERIC 7
THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY ERIC
The survey has measured the attitudes, Following an application to the European
THE HISTORY beliefs and behaviour patterns of diverse Commission submitted by the UK on behalf
populations in more than thirty nations. The of a total of 15 countries, the ESS was
The European Social Survey main aims of the ESS are: awarded European Research Infrastructure
(ESS) is an academically driven Consortium (ERIC) status in November
cross-national general social • To chart stability and change in the social 2013. An ERIC is a fully recognized legal
survey that has been conducted structure, conditions and attitudes in entity under European Union law.
Europe and to interpret how Europe’s
across Europe since 2002.
social, political and moral fabric is The European Social Survey ERIC was
Every two years, face-to-face changing; recognised as an ESFRI Landmark by the
interviews are conducted in • To achieve and spread higher standards European Strategy Forum on Research
people’s homes with newly of rigour in cross-national research in the Infrastructures (ESFRI) in March 2016. The
selected, cross-sectional social sciences, including for example, announcement was a significant achievement
questionnaire design and pre-testing, for the ESS ERIC reflecting the maturity of
samples of all those aged 15+ sampling, data collection, reduction of bias the infrastructure.
living within a country. and the reliability of questions;
• To introduce soundly-based indicators ESFRI is a strategic instrument of the
The initiative to develop the ESS started in of national progress, based on citizens’ European Union to develop the scientific
1995 within the Standing Committee for the perceptions and judgements of key integration of Europe and to strengthen
Social Sciences of the European Science aspects of their societies; its international outreach. The ESS was
Foundation (ESF). Committees under the • To undertake and facilitate the training previously included on the ESFRI Roadmap
leadership of Professor Sir Roger Jowell of European social researchers in in 2006, 2008 and 2010. The Roadmap
of the United Kingdom and Professor Max comparative quantitative measurement and identifies research infrastructures of pan-
Kaase of Germany were set up to produce analysis; European interest, corresponding to the
an ESS Blueprint. • To improve the visibility and outreach of long-term needs of European research
data on social change among academics, communities, covering all scientific areas.
With the assistance of Dr. John Smith of policy makers and the wider public.
the ESF, this provided the basis for an ESF ESFRI Landmarks are research
decision to start developing the ESS Project. In 2005, the ESS was the first social science infrastructures that were implemented or
Sir Roger Jowell was asked to assemble project to win the annual Descartes Prize began implementation under previous stages
a core team and apply to the European for Excellence in Scientific Collaborative of the ESFRI Roadmap. Only high quality
Commission for central funding to be matched Research. Awarded by the European and established research infrastructures are
by the participating countries. This application Union, the Descartes Prize was awarded given ESFRI Landmark status - which helps
was successful and the first round of the ESS to a transnational team that had achieved ensure they continue to be recognised by
started in 2001 with fieldwork beginning in exceptional scientific or technological results national governments.
2002. through collaborative research.
The ESS aims to
improve the visibility and
outreach of data on social
change among academics,
policy makers and the
wider public.8 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONAL
GOVERNANCE ACTIVITIES
The Statutes of the ESS Deputy Directors are in post in four As stated in the ESS ERIC statutes,
ERIC detail its governance institutions: each country must appoint a National
• Deputy Director HQ: Dr. Eric Harrison, Representative who will sit on the
and funding arrangements. ESS ERIC HQ, City, University of London General Assembly. The chosen National
ESS ERIC is governed by • Deputy Director Scientific: Dr. Angelika Representative will be given full authority to
a General Assembly which Scheuer, GESIS, Mannheim, Germany vote on all issues raised during the General
appoints the Director. Members • Deputy Director Methodological: Dr. Ineke Assembly.
of the General Assembly are Stoop, SCP, Hague, Netherlands
• Deputy Director Strategic: Bjørn Each country must also appoint a National
represented by a National Henrichsen, NSD, Bergen, Norway Coordinator. The key roles of a National
Representative. Coordinator are to coordinate the activities of
The General Assembly appoints an the ESS ERIC at a national level and assure
The current Chair of the General Assembly independent Chair (not from the Members) it is compliant with the specifications issued
is Professor Michael Breen from Mary who serves for a term of four years by the Director, when necessary. They also
Immaculate College, University of Limerick, (renewable). A Deputy Chair is appointed for contribute to discussion about the ESS
Ireland. The Deputy Chair is Professor Algis a four year period from amongst the National methodology and questionnaire design.
Krupavičius from Vytautas Magnus University Representatives who attend the General
in Kaunas, Lithuania. Assembly. The National Coordinator has overall
responsibility for undertaking the fieldwork
The ESS ERIC Headquarters (HQ) is based The General Assembly meets at least twice for the survey. This can be outsourced to
within the School of Arts and Social Science, a year and has three standing committees: a another supplier, but overall responsibility for
at City, University of London. It is the first Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), a Methods the fieldwork rests with them.
ERIC to be hosted in the UK. Advisory Board (MAB) and a Finance
Committee (FINCOM).
The Director, Dr. Rory Fitzgerald and his
team at ESS ERIC HQ, City, University of The Host Institution has been City, University
London, are supported in the design and of London following a brief initial period at
implementation of the ESS ERIC Work NatCen Social Research in the UK, and this
Programme by six other institutions that arrangement is periodically reviewed by the
collectively comprise the Core Scientific General Assembly every four years.
Team (CST). These are:
The ESS ERIC Director also convenes a
• GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social National Coordinators’ (NC) Forum, attended
Sciences (Germany) by National Coordinators appointed by ESS
• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) ERIC Members and Observers along with the
• NSD – Norwegian Centre for Research Core Scientific Team.
Data (Norway)
• SCP – The Netherlands Institute for The ESS ERIC subscribes to the Declaration
Social Research (Netherlands) on Ethics of the International Statistical
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain) Institute (ISI), to which the Survey Agencies
• University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) that conduct the data collection will be asked
to adhere, in addition to any co-existing
national obligations that they may have.European Social Survey ERIC 9
ESS PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
Rounds 1-8
8 ROUNDS 7 ROUNDS 5 ROUNDS 3 ROUNDS
1 Belgium 16 Austria 22 Lithuania 29 Iceland
2 Finland 17 Czech Republic 23 Russia 30 Latvia
3 France 18 Denmark 24 Ukraine
2 ROUNDS
4 Germany 19 Estonia
4 ROUNDS 31 Croatia
5 Hungary
6 ROUNDS 25 Bulgaria 32 Luxembourg
6 Ireland
20 Israel 26 Cyprus 33 Romania
7 Netherlands
21 Slovakia 27 Greece 34 Turkey
8 Norway
28 Italy
9 Poland 1 ROUND
10 Portugal 35 Albania
11 Slovenia 36 Kosovo
12 Spain
13 Sweden
29
14 Switzerland
15 UK
2
13
8
19
23
30
18
22
23
6
15 7 9
4
1
32 17 24
21
16
3 14 5
11 31 33
28
36 25
10 12 35
27
34
26
2010 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
JOINING THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL SURVEY ERIC
AND FINANCIAL DATA
Members have full voting rights on the The benefits of joining the ESS ERIC
COUNTRY AFFILIATION General Assembly and are legally responsible are multiple. Each country receives the
TO THE ESS ERIC for the ERIC. They have a long-term full support of the Core Scientific Team,
commitment to ESS ERIC but they may operating from seven countries across
Countries affiliated to the withdraw from membership by giving two Europe, in preparing for fieldwork as well as
ESS ERIC are defined in years notice to the General Assembly, which providing assistance during data collection. In
must be submitted before the end of a addition, the CST helps to check the quality
three categories: Members, biennial survey cycle period. of the data as well as carefully compiling a
Observers and Guests. single international data file and curating the
Observers are admitted to ESS ERIC for a data for future use.
period of four years, but have no voting rights
and are not legally responsible for ESS ERIC. Scientists across Europe participate in the
To remain as an Observer, they must apply to SAB, MAB and in the NC Forum, all giving
the General Assembly for an extension. active input in the ongoing development of
the infrastructure, leading to a high quality
Guests are admitted to the ESS ERIC design as described in chapter 5 and
for a two-year (one round) period. As with accessible data and findings as described
Observers, they have no voting rights and are elsewhere in this Prospectus.
not legally responsible for the ERIC.European Social Survey ERIC 11
COSTS FOR COUNTRY 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021
FIELDWORK, NATIONAL (€) (€) (€) (€)
COORDINATION United Kingdom 764.909 764.909 764.909 764.909
AND COUNTRY Austria 61.447 62.204 62.968 63.741
CONTRIBUTION Belgium 69.831 70.749 71.675 72.611
Czech Republic 41.033 41.399 41.770 42.144
All Members, Observers and Estonia 21.855 21.855 21.855 21.855
Guests are required to conduct Finland 46.509 46.981 47.457 47.938
the biennial ESS surveys at their France 278.671 283.581 288.541 293.551
own expense, according to the
Germany 371.913 378.607 385.368 392.197
ESS Specifications distributed
Hungary 21.855 21.855 21.855 21.855
for each round. The National
Ireland 46.664 47.138 47.617 48.101
Coordinator is a key informant
Italy 216.120 219.834 223.586 227.376
for these costs. In their absence
Lithuania 21.855 21.855 21.855 21.855
potential funders must consult
Netherlands 101.340 102.859 104.395 105.945
relevant scientists to estimate
the costs. Norway 66.671 67.528 68.393 69.268
Poland 71.089 72.031 72.981 73.942
All participating countries are also required to Portugal 42.712 43.110 43.513 43.920
contribute to the central coordination costs Slovenia 21.855 21.855 21.855 21.855
of the ESS ERIC. This contribution is made
Sweden 74.328 75.332 76.345 77.369
up of a minimum contribution for all countries
and – for wealthier countries – an additional Switzerland 87.386 88.639 89.905 91.183
amount, calculated relative to the GDP Guests 110.365 111.469 112.584 113.710
of each country. Moreover, a substantial
Total 2.538.405 2.563.789 2.589.427 2.615.321
financial additional contribution is made by
the host country, the United Kingdom.
The central budget for the ESS Work Guest countries have to contribute as though Funds are also used for promoting the
Programme during Round 9 will be they are a Member and therefore there is no use of the data as well as ensuring the
€2,538,405 for the 2017-2018 financial financial benefit in being a Guest country. ESS remains at the forefront of
year and €2,563,789 in 2018-2019. The aggregate income of Guest countries methodological developments.
contributes to the central budget. Guest
The table below presents the country status allows countries to join one round and
contributions for Member and Observer benefit from the experience, ideally leading to
countries participating in the ninth (2017- future membership.
2019) and tenth (2019-2021) rounds.12 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
PROCEDURES TO APPLY
FOR PARTICIPATION
To apply to participate in the
ESS ERIC, applications for
membership should be in
writing to the Chair of the
General Assembly, copied to
the Director.
In the letter, potential new members should
explain how they intend to contribute to the
objectives and activities described in Article
2, and how they will fulfil the obligations
required to take part.
Applicants must explain how they will fulfil
the requirement to undertake the survey in
their country at their own expense and to
the specifications set out by the Director
and agreed by the General Assembly. A
template can be provided from the office of
the Director.
Once a letter from an applicant is received,
the General Assembly will enact a simple
majority vote to decide whether the new
country can be included. Any application
must be approved by the country’s relevant
Government ministry, though private
enterprises can sometimes fund participation
for Guest status countries.
The procedure to apply for participation with
Guest status is similar and described in a
document which is available on request.European Social Survey ERIC 13
AUDITING OF ESS ERIC Income and expenditure account for the year ended 31 May 2015
ACCOUNTS
1 June 2014 1 June 2014
The accounts of ESS ERIC to 31 May to 31 May
are audited professionally 2015 2015
and independently. € €
Restated*
INCOME 2,714,720 1,171,275
Direct Costs (2,696,973) (1,161,917)
In our opinion, the GROSS SURPLUS 17,1747 9,358
financial statements Administrative expenses (17,747) (9,358)
present fairly, in all RESULT FOR THE - -
FINANCIAL YEAR
material respects, the
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MAY 2015
financial position of the
Consortium as at 31 May 2015 2014
2015, and its financial € € € €
performance for the year Restated*
then ended in accordance CURRENT ASSETS
with the Financial Debtors 22,581 619,091
Cash at bank 3,024,895 1,233,288
Reporting Standard
for Smaller Entities 3,047,476 1,852,379
(effective April 2015). CREDITORS: amounts
falling due within one year
(3,047,476) (1,852,379)
NET CURRENT ASSETS - -
Audit Findings Report
Grant Thornton UK LLP, NET ASSETS - -
21 December 2015 RESERVES
Accumulated result - -
Income and expenditure - -
account
TOTAL RESERVES - -14 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
A BIENNIAL CROSS-NATIONAL
SOCIAL SURVEY OF HIGH QUALITY
METHODOLOGICAL Call for
question module
RIGOUR design teams
Source
By sharing the central costs questionnaire Translation
of coordinating the ESS development
and covering only their own
national costs, each ESS ERIC Data
participant gets access to high collection
Survey
quality comparative data that specifications
Sample design
helps to provide context to their Monitoring
own national data. national contexts
The high quality methodology and data
collection makes the ESS more expensive Data and
Data quality Data processing
than less rigorous surveys. There are documentation
assessment and archiving
a number of reasons that justify this availability
investment:
1. In order to make comparisons between 4. Alternatives to survey data outlined in 3. undermine comparability between countries
countries it is necessary to design and are rarely available to the same extent and across time.
implement a survey in an equivalent or format cross-nationally hindering their
manner. Otherwise differences between utility for comparative work. There are also Developed by leading European subject
countries may reflect methodological few sources of alternative data that cover specialists, the questionnaire combines
rather than real substantive differences. the attitudinal focus of the ESS. continuity with change through a consistent
core module and a series of rotating modules
2. A
s less scientific but cheaper methods The ESS therefore utilises and develops best - selected via a Europe-wide competition.
are frequently used by social scientists practice and scientifically driven methods
it is necessary to have high quality which are required to produce the high Core module:
benchmark data. The ESS plays that quality outputs on which social scientists rely. The ESS was primarily designed as a time
role for social scientists acting as a gold series that could monitor changing attitudes
standard data source. The ESS is not Questionnaires at each round of the survey and values across Europe. For this reason
an opinion poll conducted using non- cover a range of topics that tap into key its questionnaire comprises one core module
scientific methods over a short time issues facing contemporary Europe. The containing items measuring a range of topics
period and should not be compared to questionnaire takes an average of one hour of enduring interest to the social sciences
them in terms of costs or methods. to administer in British English but longer as well as the most comprehensive set of
in some other countries. From Round 9 socio-structural ('background') variables of
3. Alternatives to survey data such as all countries are required to administer the any cross-national general social survey.
administrative, transactional and social questionnaire using Computer Assisted The exact number of items can change from
media data cannot be tailored to the Personal Interviewing. Alternative data round to round but each question has a
theoretical research questions, limiting the collection modes are not permitted since unique variable name to assist users working
academic rigour of any analysis. mixing data collection modes can seriously with data over time.European Social Survey ERIC 15
Rotating modules: The new Round 9
In each round of the ESS, multi-national module will look at
teams of researchers are selected to
contribute to the design of two rotating justice and fairness in
modules for the questionnaire. Rotating the context of
modules are selected following a Call for
Proposals placed in the Official Journal of
respondents’ income
the European Union (OJEU) and circulated to help establish how
widely. Applicants may apply for 'new' Europe copes with
modules and, since 2010, for 'repeat'
modules as well. Design and pre-testing of growing inequality.
the modules is intensive and takes place over
a 19 month period.
Two modules have been selected for ESS
Round 9 (2018). ‘The timing of life’ is a
repeat module exploring perceptions of
the life course and attitudes towards key
moments within that. It incorporates a
split ballot design that allows analysis of
differences in outlook along lines of gender.
It was fielded in Round 3 (2006) and a
successful application to repeat the module
was led by Principal Applicant, Professor
Francesco Billari, Bocconi University, Milan,
Italy.
‘Justice and fairness in Europe’ responds to
the substantial growth of inequality in recent
decades by examining multiple dimensions
of justice, making distinctions between for
instance: distributive and procedural justice;
reflexive and non-reflexive evaluations of
justice; and the scope and timing of justice.
The new module will look at justice and
fairness in the context of respondents’
income to help establish how Europe copes
with growing inequality. It will be included for
the first time following an application led by
Professor Stefan Liebig of the Department
of Sociology at Bielefeld University in
Germany.
Rotating modules are now subject to expert
review, input from national teams, cognitive
interviewing in multiple countries, stages
of quantitative pre-testing and advance
translation.16 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
• The ESS source questionnaire is designed
TEST QUESTIONNAIRE in British English taking into account
how it will be translated. Each national
The ESS includes a set of experiments
team will translate it into one or more
in every round to evaluate the reliability
target languages.
and validity of ESS questions. These Multi
• The ESS follows TRAPD methodology
Trait Multi Method experiments have also
- Translation, Review, Adjudication,
been used to populate a Survey Quality
Pretesting and Documentation.
Predictor (SQP) database which helps
• All National teams are provided with
questionnaire designers to predict the
detailed Translation Guidelines and a
reliability and validity of draft questionnaire
Translation Quality Checklist which outlines
items prior to fielding them.
the procedures to be followed
• Following translation, a selection of items
are subject to two innovative additional
TRANSLATION steps - verification and survey quality
predictor (SQP) coding
In cross-national research • All translated questionnaires must be
in which the data collection pre-tested following the completion of
is administered in various verification and SQP coding
languages, it is vital that
The ESS Translation process is overseen
translation is undertaken to
by an ESS Translation team, assisted by a
the highest possible quality. Translation Expert Panel (TEP). The Panel's
role is to advise the ESS on translation-
Words and phrases such as ‘democracy’, related matters. These relate both to the
‘social life’ or ‘unification’ can mean different general ESS translation strategies and to
things to different people at different times specific issues where the ESS Translation
in different countries. The ESS annotates Team and/or the ESS Core Scientific Team
its source questionnaire in an attempt to seek external expertise. The Panel holds
ensure that a translation conveying the same meetings, normally once every ESS round,
meaning can be used in all countries. and provides expert input in-between when
applicable.
The ESS uses a team approach to
translation involving several stages of
review, adjudication, pre-testing and
documentation. To ensure that the survey
is fully representative of any given country,
the questionnaire is translated into each
language spoken as a first language by
more than five per cent of each country’s
population.
The ESS strives to achieve a principle of
equivalence with regard to its translations.
Translation procedures of the ESS are
guided by the requirements outlined in the
Specification for Participating countries and
the following key principals:European Social Survey ERIC 17
The ESS uses a
team approach to
translation involving
several stages of review,
adjudication, pre-testing
and documentation.18 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
SAMPLING The European Social
Survey makes its data
The objective of the ESS sampling strategy freely available to all for
is the design and implementation of
workable and equivalent sampling plans in all non-commercial use.
participating countries. Sampling in the ESS
is guided by the requirements outlined in the
Specification for Participating countries and
the following key principles:
• Samples must be representative of all
persons aged 15 and over (no upper age
limit) resident within private households
in each country, regardless of their
nationality, citizenship or language
• Individuals are selected by strict random
probability methods at every stage
• Sampling frames of individuals, households
and addresses may be used
• All countries must aim for a minimum
'effective achieved sample size' of 1,500,
or 800 in countries with ESS populations
of less than 2 million after discounting for
design effects
• Quota sampling is not permitted at
any stage
• Substitution of non-responding households
or individuals (whether 'refusals', 'non-
contacts' or 'ineligibles') is not permitted at
any stage
INTERVIEWER TRAINING MEDIA CLAIMS
RECORDING
ESS interviewers must be trained (task
Each National Coordinating team is
specific) and briefed (project specific). The Events can profoundly affect attitudes and
responsible for identifying (or generating)
Core Scientific Team (CST) provides a series perceptions in the short and long term. A
a suitable sampling frame and producing a
of pre-structured slides and related materials single act of terrorism, for instance, can
sample design suitable for implementation
to be used as the basis for briefing sessions. change the context of people’s responses to
in their country. They are supported in this
a range of issues that may affect answers
task by a member of the ESS Sampling and
Briefing is different from training in that it is from different countries.
Weighting Expert Panel who is assigned to
project specific, i.e., it describes the ESS
assist them.
project, the ESS questionnaire, and ESS ESS National Coordinators monitor and
rules. All interviewers must be personally record political claims reflected in key media
briefed by the NC or Survey Agency upon reports in each country during the time when
being hired for a survey round and before fieldwork is being undertaken. This helps to
carrying out their assignment. Their briefing ensure that current and future data analysts
must cover in detail how to code observation can be aware of the national context in which
data, how to follow contact procedures and questions were being answered. This is
complete the contact forms, and how to especially important should national events
follow respondent selection procedures (if at the time have a temporary effect on the
applicable). answers provided.European Social Survey ERIC 19 DATA PREPARATION AND DEPOSITS A unique quantitative source of data about stable as well as changing European attitudes, the European Social Survey makes its data freely available to all for non-commercial use. Access to the ESS datasets, each covering over 20 countries and including more than 350,000 face-to-face interviews across Europe, is available via the ESS data website. Highly user-friendly, it offers data users the options of conducting simple analyses online, and of downloading all or parts of the dataset for more detailed or complex analysis. The ESS survey fieldwork period will last at least one month within a four-month period, usually between September and December in the calendar year. It is the responsibility of the National Coordinating Team to undertake fieldwork, and deposit their data in the ESS data archive once the fieldwork has been completed. There are no restrictions on access, nor any privileged arrangements for certain users. So scholars, journalists, researchers, the general public and those most intimately involved in running the project all have equal and simultaneous access to each round’s findings. In addition, they have access to a comprehensive technical report and supporting data that describe and explain all aspects of the project. However commercial use of the data is not generally allowed.
20 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
A RICH TOOL FOR ACADEMIC STUDIES,
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
In this data driven age, equipping the next generation in data literacy is more critical than ever
before. ESS data is therefore an important resource for educating the social scientists of the
REGISTERED USER
future. By using data from the ESS, junior social scientists can be equipped with the analytical STATISTICS
and communication skills that are vital to careers in countless industries. Repeat cross-sectional
surveys such as the ESS provide the policy makers of tomorrow with the data required to The ESS ERIC is a major
develop the skills needed to better understand their society for the benefit of everyone. European facility offering
In countries without developed data infrastructures, the ESS provides a nationally meaningful yet
access to an ever increasing
comparative data source that attracts thousands of users from across Europe. Whilst some go on body of data on Europeans’
to be social scientists many others take those data skills into other fields and careers. The ESS social attitudes and behaviours.
provides a tool for teaching data skills to help equip the next generation for the data driven age.
ESS ERIC documents the usage of ESS
data from the launch of ESS Round 1 in
ESS EDUNET FOR The tool includes animated videos that
2002 to date. Two groups of users are
E-LEARNING interactively answer frequently asked
measured:
questions.
A web-based training tutorial, • "Registered users" – registered at the
ESS EduNet, has been made TRAINING COURSES ESS web site and thereby eligible for
using ESS data
available to help guide users to • "ESS data downloaders" – registered
exploit the data beyond simple The ESS training courses focus users who have downloaded ESS data
descriptive statistics. on key aspects of the survey at least once
lifecycle from a comparative,
The e-learning tool has been specifically cross-national perspective. There are 104,729 registered ESS data
developed for use in higher education. It users and ESS data has been downloaded
The specific aim is to equip
provides hands-on examples and exercises on 72,920 occasions (March 2017).
designed to guide users through the researchers with the skills and
research process, from a theoretical problem knowledge they need to improve Registered users and ESS data downloaders
to the interpretation of the statistical results. the rigour and equivalence of have been broken down by country, user
cross-national survey research type (faculty members, students etc.) and
EduNet was created to implement a data type (ESS round, cumulative data and
social science laboratory where theoretical
in the European context. multilevel data). Further information can be
questions can be explored using high quality found on the ESS ERIC website.
empirical data. Training sessions are offered in person or
online, and relate to survey questionnaire Using or downloading the data led to the
There are several topics available, covering design, translation, collecting responses, publication of 3,140 academic journal
measurement errors; multilevel models; methodology and weighting. They are taught articles, books, chapters, conference
immigration; weighting the ESS; wellbeing; by experts in the field of social sciences, papers or working papers in English
family, gender and work; regression; human face to face or via the ESS website. from 2003 to 2015. This includes
values; social and political trust and latent Currently ESS ERIC is providing courses 1,439 journal articles, 618 conference
variable modelling. The accompanying data in collaboration with other social science papers, 493 books and chapters and a
are extracts from the ESS available for online infrastructures through the H2020 SERISS further 415 working papers. Of the
analysis or download. These extracts are grant (see www.seriss.eu). 3,140 publications, 2,615 were substantive
especially prepared for the topics. and 525 were methodological.European Social Survey ERIC 21
FIG. 1 Registered ESS Users since January 2005
Registered users ESS BIBLIOGRAPHY
120000
The ESS Bibliography is available online,
and contains information about many
100000
of the publications based on the cross-
national European Social Survey. This
80000 includes analysis of ESS data, ESS
methodology research and descriptions, and
60000 documentation of the ESS.
For academic texts listed, the Bibliography
40000
provides full publication details including
the title, year of publication, author(s) and
20000 publisher. The Bibliography allows users to
find out if the author(s) used ESS data in
0
other publications or search for the book
online.
Jan-05
May-05
Sep-05
Jan-06
May-06
Sep-06
Jan-07
May-07
Sep-07
Jan-08
May-08
Sep-08
Jan-09
May-09
Sep-09
Jan-10
May-10
Sep-10
Jan-11
May-11
Sep-11
Jan-12
May-12
Sep-12
Jan-13
May-13
Sep-13
Jan-14
May-14
Sep-14
Jan-15
May-15
Sep-15
Jan-16
May-16
Sep-16
Jan-17
The overall number of ESS based academic
publications continues to grow, due to ESS
questionnaire content, high quality standards,
FIG. 2 Data downloaders per year
dense time series, open access and excellent
16000 online tools.
14000 The online Bibliography is updated
periodically to ensure that most academic
12000 publications using ESS data are logged and
searchable to all data users.
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 201622 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
DATA AND DOCUMENTATION
WITH UNRESTRICTED ACCESS
DATASETS AVAILABLE CUMULATIVE AND
WITHOUT ADDITIONAL HARMONIZED DATA
COSTS
The ESS Cumulative Data
The ESS data is available free Wizard gives access to
of charge for non-commercial cumulative data from countries
use and can be downloaded that have been included in the
from the ESS website after a integrated ESS files in two or
short registration. more rounds.
All information gathered since 2001 is
This means users can generate and
included online. Each new survey in the
download a customised subset of the ESS
series provides another layer of accurate data
cumulative file by selecting rounds, countries
to inform academic debate and European
and variables. A Study Description and
governance.
documentation of the selected variables is
generated for each customised data file and
It allows governments, policy analysts,
is included in the download.
scholars, students and members of the
public to interpret how people in different
countries and at different times see
themselves and the world around them.
With a view to exchanging best practice
worldwide, all ESS protocols, methods,
procedures and data are made available to
everyone on the website. It is completely
transparent.
Registered users can download data sets
or analyse the information online. Using an
online tool called Nesstar, a customised
data file can be created and downloaded
in a variety of formats, for use in SPSS,
Stata, SAS and other statistical analysis
programmes. However, users can also
search, browse and analyse the data online
if they choose not to download it.European Social Survey ERIC 23
Each new survey MULTILEVEL AND
provides another layer of CONTEXTUAL DATA
accurate data to inform
The purpose of ESS Multilevel Data is to
academic debate and make it easier for the research community
European governance. to understand the context in which ESS
respondents lived at the time of interview. It
means additional data about the ESS, the
countries and regions where respondents
live, can be added to ESS survey data.
The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for
Statistics or Nomenclature of Units for
Territorial Statistics (NUTS) is a geocode
standard for referencing the subdivisions
of countries for statistical purposes. It was
developed and regulated by the European
Union and applies to European Union,
European Free Trade Association and
candidate countries.
The Multilevel Download makes it possible
to add information about countries and
several regional levels to the respondents in
the ESS data. The country specific region
variable decides how it is possible to merge
contextual data on regions to the individual
level ESS data.
The contextual variables are collected to
shed light upon themes such as:
• Demography and geography
• Economy
• Health
• Education
• Crime
• Political institutions
• Composite measures
Most variables are collected for several years.
The ESS Multilevel Data was partly funded
by the Descartes Research Prize awarded to
the ESS in 2005.24 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
FINDINGS FROM ROTATING
MODULES
THE EUROPEAN ADDRESSING
KEY SOCIAL
SOCIAL SURVEY THEMES
DEMOCRACY AND
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT
European attitudes towards
democracy formed part of
the Round 6 survey (2012)
and Citizen Involvement was
investigated during Round 1
(2002). These were both
covered as rotating modules.
Dr. Mónica Ferrin, University of Zurich
The rotating module on Democracy of the
European Social Survey Round 6 provides
a detailed account of how Europeans think
democracy should be and of how Europeans
think their democratic systems actually
are – or how they perform. This is an issue
of key importance in light of the alleged
legitimacy crisis European democracies have
undergone in the past decades. Round 6
reveals relevant findings in this regard.
First, there is strong commitment to
democracy among the citizens, independently
of the democratic quality of the country
in which they live. Not only do Europeans
think that democracy is a good thing per
se, but they value all ideal characteristics of
democracy, such as freedom of expression
and accountability.
Second, there is a shared understanding
among Europeans of what is essential in
a democracy: equality before the law andEuropean Social Survey ERIC 25
free and fair elections are the two essential in patterns of work organization in several of
features of democracy for most people in all
FAMILY, WORK the East European countries, to higher levels
European countries. On top of that, some AND WELLBEING of work intensity and to greater job insecurity.
Europeans add a long list of issues requiring At the same time it undermined social
attention with regard to democracy (from Survey questions relating to integration through the negative effects of
politicians paying more attention to citizens’ family, work and well-being job insecurity on young people’s commitment
needs, to increasing citizens’ participation in to employment and by undermining people’s
decision-making, etc.). As it stands, the most
were included in the rotating trust in politics and their satisfaction with
demanding citizens live in countries where modules during Round 2 (2004) democracy.
the quality of democracy is lower than the and Round 5 (2010) surveys.
European average. However there was also a marked stability
Professor Helen Russell, Economic and over time in many of the differences between
Third, there is a large gap between what Social Research Institute countries and country groups. Most notably
Europeans expect from democracy in the Nordic countries continued to stand
the ideal and what they get from their Professor Duncan Gallie, Nuffield out as providing by far the highest quality
democratic systems in practice. Although College, University of Oxford of work and the greatest protection against
citizens’ evaluations vary across dimensions the psychological distress caused by
of democracy and across country, all The economic crisis unleashed by the bank unemployment. It is clear that the institutional
democracies fall short of citizens’ ideals. failures of 2008 was the most severe since framework of countries – in particular their
This is particularly the case in relation to the the 1930s. The first repeat module of the patterns of employment regulation and the
outcomes of democracy (social equality and European Social Survey (ESS) carried out in nature of their welfare states – plays an
protection from poverty), where the gap is 2010 (Round 5) built upon a set of questions important role in determining the quality of
most alarming. Round 6 provides a powerful initially asked by the ESS in 2004 (Round people’s everyday lives.
tool for politicians to understand what citizens 2) about family, work and well-being. This
are dissatisfied with in their democratic provided a direct comparison between the The two ESS modules enable us to study
countries and to know the sources of period prior to the crisis and a period in the effects of the economic crisis up to
disenchantment. which most countries had emerged from the 2010. But this is clearly far from the end of
recession. the story. From 2011, Europe entered into
Round 6 is also useful to identify potential a new phase of the crisis – the Sovereign
flaws in citizens’ involvement, since we The repeat module assessed the implications Debt crisis. This is likely to have led to an
find that bad evaluations of democratic for people’s everyday experience of the even greater disruption of people’s work and
performance relate to abstention. Indeed, quality of their jobs, their family lives and family lives, particularly in Southern Europe.
among the non-voters, evaluations of personal well-being and for their sense It could well have led to a much greater
the different aspects of democracy are of commitment to the institutions of their polarization between different European
significantly worse than among the voters. society. It allowed an assessment of whether regions. It was also a phase of the crisis
This finding has important implications for the the experience of the crisis was similar that was characterized in many countries
study of citizens’ involvement. It supplies an across Europe or differed as a result either by a particularly severe restructuring of the
additional explanation of why people abstain of the severity of the crisis or the degree of public sector, which is likely to have led to
from voting which might alert European protection offered by national institutional particularly harsh consequences for women.
governments: long term dissatisfaction systems. Key findings were reported in
with democracy might not only threaten the 19 countries for which there were It will be vital to ensure that the ESS
democratic support in a country but – since it comparable data available by the spring of continues to monitor the changing patterns
is sharper among non-voters – it might also 2012 for both 2004 and 2010. of work life in Europe and their implications
put into danger the legitimacy of decisions for both the family and the wider community.
taken by the political representatives. The findings from the European Social
Survey provide evidence that the economic
crisis had significant effects for the quality
of work. It led to a reduction in the level of
training provided by employers, to changes26 www.europeansocialsurvey.org
FIG. 3 ‘Way of life’, language, and skills are considered more important than
ATTITUDES TOWARDS religious, economic, and racial background as immigration criteria
IMMIGRATION
Commited to
Survey questions on way of life
Immigration are included Speak
in every round. A more language
comprehensive set of Have
Immigration questions were work skills
also included in rotating Qualifications
modules fielded in Round 1
(2002) and Round 7 (2014). Christian
background
Professor Anthony Heath, Centre for
Be white
Social Investigation (CSI), University of
Oxford
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Lindsay Richards, Centre for Social
Extremely important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Extremely unimportant
Investigation (CSI), University of Oxford
Immigration continues to be one of the
most topical and pressing political issues
in Europe, with voters in many countries Question: Please tell me how important you think each of these things should be in deciding whether someone
rating it high on the political agenda, and born, brought up and living outside [country] should be able to come and live here.
new ‘radical right’ political parties (such as Includes: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France,
the Front National in France) focussed on United Kingdom, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and
Slovenia.
opposition to migration emerging in many
countries. With continuing high levels of ESS round 7 (20014/15) only; population and design weights used; N = 42,000
labour migration to many rich western
European countries, as well as continuing
pressure to accept asylum seekers from way of life, the ability to speak the country’s Data from Round 7 of the ESS, conducted
war zones around the world, this topic is language and work skills as the key criteria in 2014, is enabling us to conduct a
unlikely to lose its political significance in the for accepting migrants. thorough examination of the drivers of these
foreseeable future. cross-national differences and of change
Data from Round 7 of the European Social over time in anti-immigrant sentiment. It
Government responses to immigration and Survey provides another challenge to is, for example, enabling us to compare
the refugee crisis are in part driven by public prevailing assumptions about the drivers of the importance of competition for jobs and
opinion and the fear that voters will be or anti-immigrant sentiment. As the following housing with concerns about a country’s
already have been disenchanted by liberal chart shows, negative attitudes towards ability to assimilate migrants from different
immigration policies. However, the public’s immigration do not straightforwardly relate to religious and cultural traditions. It should shed
views tend to be much more nuanced than the numbers of migrants arriving in a country. new light on the warmth of the welcome for
is often realized. In round 7 of the European For example Iceland and Sweden have different kinds of migrants, such as those
Social Survey, for example, European relatively high net migration rates yet are the from Muslim countries, or those who are
publics were found to be more sympathetic two countries most favourable to immigration. refugees.
to highly-skilled migrants than to low-skilled The drivers of anti-immigration sentiment are
and poorly-educated migrants and saw more complex than is usually supposed.
commitment to the destination country’sYou can also read
