Comparative Politics - Research Projects

European Social Survey (ESS): National study for Germany "Society and Democracy in Europe" (Edeltraud Roller)

The European Social Survey (the ESS) is a biennial multi-country survey covering over 25 European nations. It is designed to chart and explain the interaction between Europe's changing institutions and the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of its diverse populations. The project is funded jointly by the European Commission, the European Science Foundation, and academic funding bodies in each participating country.  The project is directed by a Central Co-ordinating Team led by Roger Jowell, City University London (http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/).
The national study of Germany "Society and Democracy in Europe" is coordinated by Jan van Deth (University of Mannheim), Oscar W. Gabriel (University of Stuttgart), Heiner Meulemann (University of Cologne), and Edeltraud Roller (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) and funded - since 2006 via long-term funding - by the German Science Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). Silke I. Keil (University of Stuttgart) is the project manager of the German study. The first round of the ESS 2002/03 covers 22 nations, the second round 2004/05 has been conducted in 26 nations and the third round 2006/07 is being carried out in 25 nations. The data files of the first two rounds are available for download at the ESS data website (http://ess.nsd.uib.no).
In 2005 the European Social Survey won the European Union (EU) Descartes Prize for Research and Communication for radical innovations in cross-national surveys.