One of NORC’s flagship surveys, the General Social Survey (GSS) begins its 26th round of data collection in 2006. The GSS contains a standard ‘core’ of demographic and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest. The GSS is the largest project funded by the Sociology Program of the National Science Foundation and, except for U.S. the Census, the most frequently analyzed source of information in the social sciences. The GSS is also a major teaching tool. We know of over 12,000 research uses such as articles in academic journals, books, and Ph.D. dissertations based on the GSS and about 250,000 students annually who use it in their classes. Since 1985, the GSS has participated in the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), which now covers 40 countries and is still expanding.

The GSS is a joint project of NORC’s Academic Research Centers and the Economics, Labor and Population Department.

GSS in the News
Below is a sampling of recent news coverage using General Social Survey data:

March/April 2006 – “Happier Ever After” – Science and Spirit Magazine published an article using data from the General Social Survey (GSS), noting that more married people report being “very happy” over time than those who never married. The NORC chart appears at the end of the Web version of the article. For full article click here.

March 1, 2006 – The Jerusalem Post reports that “Israelis score high in National Pride”. For the full article click here.

GSS Resources Information for the 1972-2004 GSS can be found at the following addresses:
GSS Documentation and Reports

GSS 1972-2004 Data

GSS 1972-2004 Codebook
[NOTE: Requires registration as a user to access the GSS codebook.]

The 2004 GSS data are on archive at the Roper Center.

A hard copy of the 1972-2004 GSS Codebook can also be ordered from the Roper Center from:

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
341 Mansfield Road, Unit 1164
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-1164
860-486-4440
fax 860-486-6308
http://roperweb.ropercenter.uconn.edu