European Social Survey

Analysis of our data was undertaken for new research on political trust amongst young people published by Politics and Governance (Cogitatio Press). Anna Broka (ViA - Vidzemes Augstskola 🇱🇻) assessed data from all 11 rounds of our survey (2002-24) to better understand the relationship between welfare, political trust and political participation. "The results show that satisfaction with welfare-state institutions is the strongest predictor of political trust, explaining 40.6% of the variance."

Last week, we announced the continuation of our relationship with the Japanese General Social Survey (JGSS 🇯🇵). As part of a new memorandum of understanding, the ESS and JGSS will investigate the potential for including Japan in a new international cross-national, probability-based panel survey. The two surveys will continue to share details about their methodological approaches, and continue to replicate questions, allowing for direct comparisons between respondents in Europe and Japan.

New research into the effect of data collection mode on survey nonresponse has been published by the International Journal of Social Research Methodology (Taylor & Francis). Piotr Jabkowski, Piotr Cichocki (Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu 🇵🇱) and Aneta Piekut (The University of Sheffield 🇬🇧) analysed item nonresponse for three questions with complex response formats. They compared responses given in face-to-face interviews with those in self-completion mode across three rounds of our survey (2018-23).

A recording of last week’s methods webinar about rethinking disability measurements in surveys is now available. Laura Tolland (Welsh Government 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿) and Lisa Rutherford (National Centre for Social Research 🇬🇧) discussed efforts to offer viable alternatives to existing measurements of disability in surveys. The presentation focused on testing new social model questions and comparing them with more conventional estimates of disability. The work led to two alternative definitions of disability to be constructed and measured.

An online training course has been launched to help users navigate harmonised data published as part of the Infra4NextGen project. Harmonised datasets have been released for each of the five themes of the project: Make it… Digital, Equal, Green, Health, and Strong. These include data from several surveys that has been harmonised for comparative purposes, even if the original question text and response scales differed. Shorter videos about the harmonised datasets are also available.

Panel survey data on climate change, security and defence policies, and mental health and wellbeing is available to view or download. Wave 6 of our self-completion panel survey (ESS-CRONOS-3) was fielded in October and November 2025 in 11 countries as part of the Social Aspects of the Green Transition (SoGreen) project, funded by EU Science & Innovation 🇪🇺. Around half of the questions in this latest wave focused on the green transition, climate change and the environment.

Register to attend a webinar on data-driven insights to inform policy being held from 12-1.30pm (CEST) on Wednesday 15 July. The webinar will present examples of how data from the Infra4NextGen project – funded by EU Science & Innovation 🇪🇺 – can be used to produce policy relevant research. Winners of the latest Datathon will present their work on the Make it Strong theme of NextGenerationEU and show how the findings can inform EU youth policy. Research focuses on educational fairness, gender gaps in employment, career opportunities, inequality and more.

We've signed a revised memorandum of understanding with the Japanese General Social Survey 🇯🇵. The agreement covers a period four years, until 1 June 2030, and represents a continuation of a relationship that began in June 2021. The two surveys will continue to share details about their methodological approaches, to help improve the quality of data. It will also see the continuation of question replication across both surveys, allowing for direct comparisons between respondents in Europe and Japan.

ESS extends relationship with Japanese General Social Survey | European Social Survey Back to News Corporate 10 June 2026 | 3 min read ESS extends relationship with Japanese General Social Survey A revised memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by representatives of the European Social Survey (ESS) and Japanese General Social Survey (JGSS).The formal agreement covers a per...

Nominations are now open for the Survey Futures Early Career Impact Awards. The award celebrates the exceptional contributions of early career researchers working in the UK 🇬🇧 survey sector. Up to eight winners will be offered year-long mentoring, free training, and professional recognition. Early career researchers working on survey design, delivery, or methods for up to seven years in the UK can be nominated. The deadline for nominations is Thursday 10 September 2026.

New research published by the Global Labor Organization (GLO) included analysis of our political data. Despina Gavresi (Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna 🇮🇹), Andreas Irmen (University of Luxembourg 🇱🇺) and Anastasia Litina (Πανεπιστήμιο Μακεδονίας University of Macedonia 🇬🇷) assessed data from our first nine rounds (2002-19) to better understand support for populist political parties amongst different age groups:

"Our findings suggest that population aging is associated with declining electoral turnout, higher support for populist parties, lower trust in political institutions, and increased anti-immigrant sentiment."