International Social Survey Programme

International Social Survey Programme
Name	International Social Survey Programme
Abbr	ISSP
Formation	1984
Type	Cross-national survey collaboration
Headquarters	Cologne
Members	National research organisations

International Social Survey Programme The International Social Survey Programme is a cross-national collaboration that coordinates annual attitude surveys among national research organizations like National Opinion Research Center and German Centre for Survey Research. It brings together institutions such as Australian National University, University of Michigan, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, University of Oxford, University of Toronto, Netherlands Institute for Social Research, Australian Social Science Data Archive, Social Science Research Council, and Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs to produce comparative data used by researchers at Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University, London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, and policy analysts at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Overview

The programme operates through a consortium model linking bodies like Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Swedish National Data Service, Italian National Research Council, Spanish National Research Council, Fundação Getulio Vargas, and University of Cape Town to field standardized modules on topics comparable across nations. Its datasets are widely cited in publications from presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, SAGE Publications, and research institutes including Pew Research Center, Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, and Max Planck Society. Scholars from Princeton University, Yale University, University of Chicago, University of Sydney, and McGill University use ISSP modules to analyze trends alongside data from projects like European Social Survey, World Values Survey, Gallup World Poll, and Latin American Public Opinion Project.

History and development

Founded in 1984 by a collaboration among survey organizations including Australian National University, National Opinion Research Center, and GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, the programme expanded through partnerships with agencies such as Statistics Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), Federal Statistical Office (Switzerland), and Statistics Netherlands. Key milestones include the addition of modules on topics promoted by researchers at University of Amsterdam, University of Helsinki, and University of Vienna and methodological harmonization influenced by standards from International Statistical Institute and guidance by figures associated with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Over decades national contributors from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Japan, India, South Africa, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Israel, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Luxembourg, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia joined, reflecting geopolitical shifts after events like the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Governance and participating members

A coordinating board comprised of representatives from organizations such as GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Australian National University, University of Michigan, University of Oxford, and University of Cape Town oversees module selection and quality. Annual meetings rotate among host institutions such as University of Essex, Centre for Social Research (Austria), Helsinki University, Turku University, Freie Universität Berlin, Université Libre de Bruxelles, University of Warsaw, Prague University of Economics and Business, and Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Funding and in-kind support derive from national agencies like Economic and Social Research Council, Australian Research Council, National Science Foundation (United States), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and foundations including Carnegie Corporation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Ford Foundation.

Methodology and survey modules

ISSP modules are designed collaboratively with input from teams at University of Amsterdam, University of Barcelona, King's College London, Trinity College Dublin, University of Glasgow, University of St Andrews, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Universidad de Buenos Aires. Standardization draws on procedures used by European Social Survey, World Values Survey, Comparative Study of Electoral Systems, and technical guidance from International Measurement Confederation. Sampling approaches include probability designs implemented by national statistical offices like Statistics Sweden, Statistics Norway, Statistics Denmark, Statistics Finland, and Statistics Iceland. Questionnaire translation and adaptation employ protocols akin to those advanced at University of Geneva and Language Research Centre (University of Cambridge). Modules have covered topics such as social inequality, political attitudes, national identity, religion, and work values developed with scholars linked to Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, Harvard University, University of California, Los Angeles, McGill University, and University of British Columbia.

Key findings and impact

Research using ISSP data has informed high-profile studies by authors at Harvard Kennedy School, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, Cornell University, Brown University, Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University. Findings on cross-national attitudes toward issues studied with complementary datasets like European Social Survey have been cited in policy reports by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, International Labour Organization, and European Commission. Influential articles leveraging ISSP modules appear in journals published by American Political Science Association, American Sociological Association, Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Taylor & Francis.

Data access and dissemination

Participating national data archives such as GESIS Data Archive, UK Data Service, Australian Data Archive, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, Canadian Research Data Centre Network, DataFirst (University of Cape Town), and Korean Social Science Data Archive curate and disseminate ISSP datasets. Data are used in portals linked to Cornell University Library, Princeton DataSpace, Harvard Dataverse, ICPSR, and repositories maintained by European Social Survey partners. Training workshops are held at institutions like University of Mannheim, University of Ljubljana, University of Copenhagen, Aalto University, and ETH Zurich.

Criticisms and limitations

Critiques have been raised by researchers affiliated with University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University of Edinburgh, Syracuse University, and University of California, San Diego concerning cross-national comparability, sampling variance, and cultural translation challenges similar to debates surrounding World Values Survey and European Social Survey. Methodological limitations include differential nonresponse documented by analysts at University of Michigan, Rutgers University, Penn State University, and University of Texas at Austin and concerns about representativeness in lower-income contexts noted by scholars at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and University of the Witwatersrand.

Category:Social science research programs