The General Social Survey (GSS) is part of a continuing study of American public opinion and values that began in 1972. The GSS gathers information about contemporary American society in order to study and explain trends in attitudes and behaviors, and to compare American society to other societies around the world. Fewer than 5,000 Americans are invited to respond to this survey. When you participate, you are ensuring your voice is heard.
Do you ever wonder how some issues become hot topics on TV, online, or during elections?
Researchers and policy-makers need some way of knowing what Americans think and care about. The best way to make those decisions is to ask! Being a part of the General Social Survey is one of the best ways for you to give your input and for your voice to be heard.
This is your chance to represent your opinions about the many issues facing America today! As a society, we have big challenges to face.
The General Social Survey (GSS) is a continuing study of American public opinion and values that began in 1972.
For 80 years NORC has led independent research in a range of areas critical to public policy and public interest. Among this research, NORC has conducted the GSS for 50 years, making it one of the top social science research studies in America!
What makes this study so valuable and different from an average poll is that the GSS has been conducted consistently with scientific rigor. This allows researchers, scholars, and policy-makers to use accurate data when understanding changes in American attitudes across generations.
Click the graph below to explore GSS data, and see how different kinds of people feel about national spending priorities in the past 35 years.
30 Years of Spending Priority
35,000 Publications: After the Census, the GSS is the most widely used social science dataset in United States!
72,390 Total GSS Participants: Each person who participates represents 93,000 people.
You will be asked about your opinion on a variety of topics, ranging from your thoughts on government spending and immigration, to your satisfaction with your job and how you spend your free time.
Here are a few examples of questions in the survey:
If you've ever read a headline that says "Women are more likely than men to initiate a divorce", it is likely that the data used comes from a survey like the GSS. Without asking questions these questions, we won't be able to address the needs of our society.
You can skip on any question you don't wish to answer.
The National Science Foundation funds the GSS.
The NSF is an independent agency of the U.S. Government, established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. The Foundation's mission is to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense. The GSS is the largest project funded by the Sociology Program of the National Science Foundation.
Your convenience is very important to us, so the survey can be completed wherever is most convenient for you. The interview can also be split up, as well, to better fit your schedule.
The survey is conducted every two years.
NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent non-profit organization that has been conducting studies in the public interest for seventy-five years. NORC has been conducting the GSS for 44 years and is one of the oldest and most respected social science research organizations in the world.
NORC at the University of Chicago is giving social scientists and other researchers an easy way to fold social media conversations into their research projects with the launch of its General Social Media Archive. The Archive complements NORC’s long-running, highly influential General Social Survey (GSS).
That explains why consumers say they feel as bad as they did in the financial-crisis year of 2009, a recent Gallup poll showed. For the first time, Americans who say they are "not too happy" outnumber those who say they're "very happy," according to a survey from the nonprofit group NORC at the University of Chicago.
Twenty-four percent of Americans reported they were “not too happy” in life in 2021, up from 13% in 2018, according to the General Social Survey, a sociological survey conducted by research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. The share of those who said they were “very happy” declined to 19% from 31% over the same period.
Thousands of publications, news articles, and governmental meetings use this data collected from people like you to make an impact. Check out some of the featured articles on our site from the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, USA Today, and Reads Digest, among others.
Data from this survey are used in international comparisons of opinions between the US and in more than 40 other countries.
