Measuring attitudes cross-nationally: lessons from the European Social Survey

Winner of the 2006 The Descartes Prize “for excellence in collaborative scientific research”

With the expansion of the European Union and the development of supra-national governance worldwide, the volume of cross-national data and the importance of rigorous comparative analysis has grown rapidly.

This book, written by members of the design and implementation team for the groundbreaking European Social Survey (ESS), reviews current best practice in the conduct of cross-national, cross-cultural quantitative research. The first eight chapters cover the background and rationale for theSurveyand offer a detailed analysis of the methods and procedures used, as well as exploring ways to overcome the obstacles to successful cross-national research. The final chapter looks ahead to future comparative surveys and discusses the lessons that can be learned from the ESS.

As well as examining methodological issues,Measuring Attitudes Cross-Nationallyincludes four substantive chapters on the findings of the ESS, including the emergence of hitherto unknown national differences in values regarding immigration and perceptions of citizenship. The ESS data is also considered in comparison with that from US General Social Survey.

Measuring Attitudes Cross-Nationallyoffers a practical guide, firmly grounded in theory, for researchers across the social sciences who have an interest the design, planning or interpretation of cross-national social surveys.