ESS data analysed for more than 7,000 papers
New research has revealed that 7,060 academic articles have been published featuring significant analysis of European Social Survey (ESS) data (2002-23).
The annual study monitors the publication of English-language methodological or substantive research papers that incorporate at least one ESS item in primary analysis.
Each year, analysis of journal articles, books, book chapters, working papers, conference materials, research papers, reports, or theses listed by Google Scholar is produced by the University of Ljubljana.
This latest analysis found an additional 475 new publications, with the majority of them published during the 2023 calendar year.
Publications are manually coded to establish the publication type, author affiliations, journal domain, round(s) of data used and survey item(s) analysed.
Of the 7,060 academic papers, 4,027 (57%) featured in peer-reviewed journals most commonly related to six academic disciplines: sociology (33.1%), political science (24.6%), economics (13.7%), health and medicine (6.4%), psychology (5.6%), and methods (5.5%).
Analysis of all 7,060 articles established that the most common research topics are politics (24%), immigration (14.3%), survey methods (11.9%), welfare (10.6%), and the labour market (9.4%).
Data has also been analysed for a significant proportion of papers covering the economy, social inequalities, subjective wellbeing, health, trust, values, age groups, family and gender.
The report includes analysis of trends in the share of publications over the past 20 years, by selected survey items and geographical location.
All 475 new publications identified since the previous report was published have been added to the ESS Bibliography – a resource that allows users of ESS data to submit their own publications.
The ESS Bibliography therefore now features references for 9,601 academic articles – a higher number than listed on Google Scholar as it includes papers published in all languages.
Papers in the Bibliography are searchable by author name(s), country of academic affiliation, journal name/field, round(s) of data used, title, topic, individual survey question, and section of the ESS questionnaire.
This latest iteration of the academic monitoring process includes a specific focus on the use of ESS data in policy and research reports.
Of the 144 policy and research publications available in the ESS Bibliography, 32 have been produced as part of European Commission-funded projects.
Additionally, eight European Commission institutions have commissioned or issued reports that include analysis of ESS data.
There is also information about the national affiliation of authors, the use of country’s data in published papers, the use of questionnaire sections and specific items, the round(s) of data analysed, different modes of data collection, and methodological considerations.
The 2024 annual bibliographic report is now available alongside two appendices, via the ESS Impact section of our website. The appendices are:
- A bibliography that includes APA citations of all 7,060 publications, including weblinks
- An item usage report that shows which ESS questions are most used by scholars