Encyclopedia of Sociology

DATA BANKS AND DEPOSITORIES

in the study and the arrangement of social indica-
tors. The importance of the GSS in U.S. social
research is exemplified by the more than 1,000
publications related to GSS data analysis listed in
the catalog prepared by NORC.

The GSS is done through interviews of a rep-
resentative sample of U.S. residents who are over
18 years old and are not institutionalized.
Representativeness is guaranteed by a complex
sampling mechanism, which relies on a multilevel
selection over metropolitan areas, municipalities,
regions, and individuals. Sampling criteria have
been modified throughout the course of different
GSS, but to keep the results comparable between
one edition and the following ones correctors
have been added to allow for these adjustments.

The GSS questionnaire consists of standard
questions that are asked each time, and sometimes
groups of questions on specific themes are includ-
ed. The topics treated are the ones most interest-
ing in the study of society and its trends, with a
particular focus on family, economic and social
status, gender and ethnic group relationships, and
moral questions. Political behavior and working
activity are not included because the former is
already studied in detail through surveys organ-
ized by the Institute for Social Research of the
University of Michigan, and the latter is well de-
scribed in the research on labor forces arranged by
the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Given that one of the fundamental aims of the
GSS is to provide a general view of time trends, not
only in population characteristics, but also and
overall in opinions, evaluations, and behaviors
over the most important topics describing the
social scenery, these questions are included only
from time to time, so the questionnaire is not
weighted excessively. Some questions are included
only two years in three, others every 10 years, and
some only after particular and significant events.
Over 100 sociologists worked on the first draft of
the questionnaire (in 1972). These sociologists
devised a final, definite version by voting for each
single question. Every year the selection of ques-
tions is done by an ad hoc committee, selected by
American Sociological Association members.

Some questions utilized in the GSS come from
the national surveys run before 1972 that were
promoted by commercial research institutes (e.g.

Gallup, Harris), university research institutes (es-

pecially ICPSR), and also federal commissions

organized to study particular phenomena. Data

comparability is assured by the question scheme,

which is the same of the original study.

Continuous National Surveys. The Continuous

National Surveys (CNS) are national studies (the

first one dates back to 1973) conducted monthly,

with the aim of supplying the various governmen-

tal agencies with the necessary data (e.g. welfare

indicators) to schedule social programs. The sam-

ple plan consists of persons selected on the basis of

their living groups. On this regard, the NORC

has carefully prepared a master probability sam-

ple of households, that is, a multi-stage sample

to collect on a first stage municipalities or else

groups of municipalities. From them, all districts

or block groups are selected, and then the proper

cohabitational groups in which to choose the indi-

viduals to interview are selected.

U.S. National Surveys. U.S. national surveys

on representative samples of U.S. population have

been held since 1974 by the Survey Research

Center of the University of Michigan. Some of

these studies are held regularly (e.g. the Surveys of

Consumer Finances, the Survey of Consumer Attitudes

and Behavior, and the Panel Studies of Income Dy-

namics). In particular, the yearly Panel Study of

Income Dynamics is one of the most interesting

surveys on income trends, and, specifically, on the

possible causes for changes in the economic status

both of households and single individuals.

The representative sample initially extracted

consisted of 2,930 households, to which has been

added 1,872 households that were already survey

subjects by the U.S. Bureau of the Census on the

income topic in the two previous years. Each year

these households are re-interviewed, and the sam-

ple has grown as members of the original sample

established new households. For the first time

ever, phone interviews were tested in these re-

searches, and since then the telephone has be-

come broadly used in social research and panel

studies.

Eurobarometers. Eurobarometers are opinion

studies that have been held twice a year since 1973

in what are now the European Union countries.

These studies sample about 1,000 individuals for

each country, which represents the population