We are delighted to share that the European Social Survey has been awarded the prestigious Infrastructure Prize for Sociology.
“The Kohli Foundation for Sociology is delighted to announce this year’s laureate of the Infrastructure Prize for Sociology. With its European focus and excellent accessibility, the ESS is one of the outstanding infrastructure projects for sociology and related fields.”
The Infrastructure Prize for Sociology honors substantial infrastructures that advance sociological knowledge. The prize is rewarded with 10.000 EUR. The Infrastructure Prize for Sociology is awarded by an international Selection Committee composed of the Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees and two additional members from other world regions.
The European Social Survey (ESS) is a pan-European research infrastructure providing freely accessible data for academics, policymakers, civil society and the wider public. It was awarded European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) status in 2013. ISER’s part in the European Social Survey is led by Professor Peter Lynn. ISER is part of the Core Scientific Team, leading on sampling and weighting – developing national sample designs, producing weights, and providing sample and weight data for release, as well as methodological innovations.
The ESS is an academically driven cross-national survey that has been conducted across Europe since its establishment in 2001. Every two years, interviews are conducted with newly selected, cross-sectional samples in around 30 countries on a wide range of subjects. The ESS was primarily designed as a comparative time series to monitor attitudes and values across Europe. The questionnaire therefore consists of a main core section that includes a number of questions that have been answered every two years since 2002/03. Additionally, in each round of the ESS, multi-national teams of researchers are selected to collaborate in the design of part of the questionnaire. Two ‘rotating’ modules are therefore selected following an open call for proposals.
As a result, the ESS always includes questions measuring ancestry; education; employment; financial circumstances; household composition; and other socio-demographics including gender and parental information. Attitudinal data collected in every round focuses on climate change and energy; crime and justice; democracy and government; immigration; health and wellbeing; institutional and social trust; media and internet use; European, national and ethnic identity; perceived discrimination; political affiliation, interest and participation; religion; social exclusion; and values.