Cross-national attitudinal research

The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) and the European Social Survey (ESS)

Today

The value and challenges of cross-national research

Key datasets • International Social Survey Programme

• European Social Survey

Why do cross-national research?

Huge challenges• Different survey traditions• Translation and equivalence

Huge dividends• Exploring ‘general’ theories (social trust)• Examining relationships (welfare regimes and attitudes)• Illuminating single-nation studies (what is high?)

“We don’t know who discovered water but we know it wasn’t the fish” (Marshall McLuhan)

ISSP

• Annual since 1985• Sampling and fieldwork

• Minimum 1000 achieved sample• Face to face or self-completion methods

• Questionnaire • 60 question module asked in agreed order• Agreed background questions

• Data • Provided to central archive within 9 months of fieldwork end• Most recent dataset available is 2008 Religion• Available from www.issp.org

• 48 countries across world

ISSP member countries

• Argentina• Australia• Austria• Belgium• Bulgaria• Canada• Chile• China• Croatia• Cyprus• Czech Republic• Denmark• Dominican

Republic• Estonia• Finland• France

• Germany• Great Britain• Hungary• Iceland• Ireland• Israel• Italy• Japan• Latvia• Lithuania• Mexico• Netherlands• New Zealand• Norway• Palestine• Philippines

• Poland• Portugal• Russia• Slovakia• Slovenia• South Africa• South Korea • Spain• Sweden• Switzerland• Taiwan• Turkey• Ukraine• United States• Uruguay• Venezuela

ISSP topics

TopicsRole of Government

Social Networks

Social Inequality

Family and Changing Gender Roles

Work Orientations

Religion

Environment

National Identity

Citizenship

Sport and leisure

Health

Year1985, 1990, 1996, 2006

1986, 2001

1987, 1992, 1999, 2009

1988, 1994, 2002, 2012

1989, 1997, 2005

1991, 1998, 2008

1993, 2000, 2010

1995, 2003

2004

2007

2011

ESS

Biennial since 2002Sampling and fieldwork

• Minimum effective sample size typically 1500• Only random sampling• Face to face only

Questionnaire• 60-70 minute survey, including background questions• Extensive attention to translation

Quick data supply• 2010 dataset just released (preliminary release)• Available from ess.nsd.uib.no (or main ESS site)

28 countries in round 5

Belgium

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Israel

Lithuania

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Russia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Ukraine

United Kingdom

Czech Republic

Ireland

Slovakia

ESS round 5 participants

ESS core modules

Core topics included each round include: • Trust in institutions• Political engagement• Social capital• Socio-political values, moral and social values• National, religious and ethnic identity• Well-being, health and security

ESS rotating modules

2002 Citizenship, involvement and democracy

Immigration

2004 Family, work and well-being

Health and health-care seeking

Economic morality

2006 Personal and social well-being

Timing of life

2008 Experiences and expressions of ageism

Welfare attitudes

2010 Work, family and well-being (repeat 2004)

Trust in criminal justice

2012 Personal and social well-being (repeat 2006)

Understandings and evaluations of democracy

ESS data

27,000 registered users with Archive

Top 6 countries• Germany, UK, Slovenia, Belgium, Spain, US

Predominantly academic• 52% students• 25% faculty and research• 9% doctoral research

Online analysis or data download

EduNet• Training resource – exploring theoretical questions using ESS

data

Further sources of information

• www.issp.org• www.europeansocialsurvey.org• ‘Measuring attitudes cross-nationally - Lessons from the

European Social Survey (Jowell et al, 2007: Sage)• Online bibliographies at both ESS and ISSP websites

Thank you

www.natcen.ac.uk

Roger’s laws of cross-national research!

• The larger the number of countries, the harder it is to maintain quality

• The greater the diversity of countries, the harder it is to maintain quality

• Whatever one does, many people will use the data merely as league tables

• Big surprises in the data are usually errors• There is no such thing as true equivalence