Pre-announcement: Call for rotating modules

The call for academic teams to apply to field questions in Round 13 (2027) of the European Social Survey (ESS) will be published in January 2024.

In each wave of our survey, we ask around 200 questions - most of which form part of the core questionnaire that is asked in every round.

Additionally, teams of researchers are invited to apply to field up to 30 questions on a single topic - two successful applications become the rotating modules that are fielded in each round.

Each rotating module covers a single academic and/or policy concern within Europe and is primarily drafted by an external cross-national team whose proposal is chosen by the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

The chosen Question Module Design Teams (QDTs) will then work closely with the Core Scientific Team (CST) to develop their rotating modules.

Applications will be invited for new topics and repeat modules.

New modules may either cover a wholly new topic to the ESS or cover a topic or module that has previously been included but using a different approach.

Repeat modules provide an opportunity to explore how attitudes and behaviour towards a given topic may have changed over time.

At least two-thirds of the items in the repeat module must be administered in an identical formal to those in the earlier module.

Most items in proposed modules should be relevant to all ESS respondents (adults aged 15+), with routing that targets particular sub-groups kept to a minimum.

In Round 10 (2020-22) of the ESS, the rotating modules were Europeans’ understandings and evaluations of democracy - repeated from Round 6 (2012/13) - and Digital social contacts in work and family life - fielded for the first time.

In Round 11 (2023), on the subjects being covered are Social inequalities in health and their determinants – repeated from Round 7 (2014/15) – and Gender in contemporary Europe: rethinking equality and the backlash, a new module for this round.

In Round 12 (2025), rotating modules are being included on Personal and social wellbeing – repeated from Round 6, and Attitudes to immigrants and refugees - repeated from Round 7.

Multi-national teams will be invited to apply for the opportunity to design a rotating module addressing a topic of academic and/or policy relevance across Europe to be included in Round 13 of the ESS.

Round 13 fieldwork will take place in 2027 using only self-completion (web and paper) data collection. The data will be available for analysis in 2028.

As with Round 12, there will be a two-stage application process for Round 13 rotating modules. The call for stage one applications will be issued in early January 2024, with a deadline of April 2024.

The application process will be completed by late 2024, with work on the chosen Round 13 rotating modules due to begin in January 2025.