Taiwan Social Change Survey partnership established

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed between the European Social Survey (ESS) and the Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS).

The agreement was made by representatives of the ESS and TSCS at a conference held at City, University of London in January 2024.

The ESS hosted the East Asian Social Survey (EASS) research network, including the TSCS, Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), Japanese General Social Survey (JGSS) and Korean General Social Survey (KGSS).

This formal relationship between the ESS and the TSCS will help foster cooperation and exchange knowledge, for the advancement of survey research methodology for both parties. 

The TSCS is based in the Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei. Established in 1984, it has been an essential tool for understanding social trends, attitudes and behaviours within Taiwan. 

The survey collects data on a wide range of topics, including political attitudes, social values, family structures and economic conditions.

The agreement will allow for the exchange of personnel, with the ESS accepting at least two TSCS researchers at its City, University of London headquarters during the four-year MoU period.

This partnership will enable the organisations to share their research and development programmes to boost skills, advance innovation, and share insights into their methodological approaches. 

Alongside other EASS members, TSCS will replicate ESS questions, making it possible to compare the attitudes and behaviours of respondents between European and East Asian countries for the first time.

All four East Asian Social Survey members (China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan) have agreed to field our Round 12 wellbeing module in their next wave.

This recent MoU adds to initiatives driven by the ESS to connect to global institutions who undertake survey projects.

Along with the agreements made with organisations in the EASS, the ESS has already established successful partnerships with the Australian National University, General Social Survey (United States) and the South African Social Attitudes Survey. 

This has led to the replication of ESS questions across the globe, contributing to a more comprehensive dataset.

To access data collected in this way, visit our resources webpage. When available, a link to data collected by the KGSS will also be added to the related studies section.

The process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871063.