The European Social Survey (the ESS) is an academically-driven social survey designed to chart and explain the interaction between Europe's changing institutions and the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of its diverse populations. The ESS was established in 2001, and was led by its founder and coordinator Roger Jowell until his death in December 2011.
Currently in the midst of its sixth round, this biennial cross-sectional survey covers more than thirty nations and employs the most rigorous methodologies.
The ESS is also among the first social science projects to receive funding to support its infrastructure and in 2005 was awarded Europe’s top annual science award, the Descartes prize.
The project is directed by a Core Scientific Team led by Rory Fitzgerald from the Centre for Comparative Social Surveys at City University London, UK. The six other institutions represented are:
- NSD, Norway
- GESIS, Germany
- The Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP, Netherlands
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
- University of Leuven, Belgium
- University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
