Objective
The European Social Survey (ESS) is a time series with three main aims:
1. To chart and explain shifts over time in Europe's social, political and moral climate in relation to its changing population patterns and institutions
2. To improve methods of European social measurement in comparative studies, particularly attitudinal studies
3. To develop a series of European social indicators, including attitudinal indicators, that measure changes over time in the quality of life in different European nations
Three biennial rounds of the ESS have already been funded within FP5 and FP6, all co-funded by the European Science Foundation and some 25 national academic funding bodies throughout Europe. It is an academically-driven, uniquely rigorous comparative time series, helping to document and interpret hitherto inadequately-charted aspects of the European condition. Its wide-ranging questionnaire covers people's value orientations, their political and cultural perspectives, and the underlying social structure of their societies. A separate data collection exercise monitors major events during fieldwork as a backdrop to an understanding of attitude change. The ESS has already established itself as a robust multi-national, multi-funded programme of large-scale substantive and methodological research an exemplar of the European Research Area at work. It is also developing a world-wide reputation for both its rigour and utility. In the first 18 months of its first public data release, nearly 5,000 people across Europe and beyond had registered to use it. Seven books and countless articles based on its data are in preparation. A US clone has been funded by their American NSF. We have just made an independent application within Call 2 for 'infrastructure' support for the ESS to sustain and improve its networks, accessibility, and methodology but this application is solely for support of the 4th biennial Round of this influential and much-used European time series.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP6-2004-CITIZENS-5
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
STREP - Specific Targeted Research ProjectCoordinator
LONDON
United Kingdom