Large-scale general population surveys are a predominant data source for quantitative sociological research. In the following, we provide a list of academic, large-scale, cross-cultural survey programs. We have focused on those that include many or mostly European countries.
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Comparative Candidate Survey. This dataset aims at collecting data on candidates running for national parliamentary elections in different countries. Corrs-sectional surveys among candidate use a common core questionnaire to allow for cross-country comparison. Data collected via these surveys is enriched with context information concerning the constituency of the candidate and the political system. Modul I of CCS (2005-2013) covers 32 elections in 24 countries. For more information, see http://www.comparativecandidates.org/.
Comparative Study of Electoral Systems. This is a collaborative program of election studies from different countries. Post-election cross-sectional surveys for national parliamentary elections include a CSES question module in all participating countries. Release 4 of CSES (2011-2016) included data from 45 election studies. For more information, see https://cses.org/.
European Social Survey. This dataset is collected every other year in a cross-sectional survey. It contains information on more than 30 countries. Rotating modules give each wave different thematic foci, e.g. on health and care seeking, ageism, and climate change. For more information, see https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/
European Values Study. This dataset collects information every nine years in a cross-sectional manner. It surveys individuals in a total of 47 European countries and regions. The survey explores values concerning life, family, work, religion, politics, and society. For more information, see https://europeanvaluesstudy.eu/
International Social Survey Programme. This dataset is collected every year in a cross-sectional survey. It explores the situation in countries around the world. Rotating modules explore topics such as family and changing gender role, work orientation, and social inequality. For more information, see http://www.issp.org/menu-top/home/
Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. This dataset is collected every other year in a longitudinal survey. It contains information on individuals aged 50+ years in almost 30 European countries. The topics covered include health, work, retirement, the family and social situation, and financial circumstances. For more information, see http://www.share-project.org.
World Values Survey (WVS). This is a repeated cross-sectional cross-national survey program on human values. The survey is repeated approximately every seven years. In WVS round 7, WVS and EVS collaborated in carrying out the surveys. For more information, see http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
In addition to these academic surveys, Eurostat hosts several more cross-national surveys.
| Survey | Link | |
| Eurobarometer | EU-Statistics on Income and Living Conditions | https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/ |
| EU-SILC | EU-Statistics on Income and Living Conditions | https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/income-and-living-conditions/overview |
| EU-LFS | European Union Labour Force Survey (EU LFS) | https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/microdata/european-union-labour-force-survey |
Additional datasets can be found, e.g., here:
Research Network on Quantitative Methods 