Creating an open data source for social science

In 1971, during an era of sweeping social change, NORC director James A. Davis proposed an annual national research project to monitor Americans’ shifting attitudes on social issues. The goal was to provide clear, unbiased data on what Americans think about important topics such as civil liberties, intergroup relations, and gender roles.

Key to that vision was distributing these data to all interested researchers without cost or delay—a groundbreaking concept at the time. Until the early 1970s, only well-connected, well-positioned researchers had access to funds and resources for conducting large-scale research, and they released data to other researchers only after thorough analysis.

NORC changed this dynamic in 1972 with the launch of the General Social Survey (GSS), as an in-person survey with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF)—which remains the survey’s primary funder—and the Russell Sage Foundation. We conducted the GSS almost every year until 1994, when it became biennial. Over the last 50 years, the GSS has become the gold standard for unbiased social science research and NORC’s longest-running project.

Tracking societal evolution over time

To understand where we are as a society, we must understand where we have been. Since its inception, the GSS has gathered longitudinal data about contemporary U.S. society to understand trends in opinions and attitudes, thereby creating a historical record about virtually every consequential topic including health care, government, crime, religion, and the economy.

With every survey round, GSS questions change subtly to reflect emerging trends such as the COVID-19 pandemic, political polarization, and crime.

NORC has also widened the scope of the GSS, over the decades. In 1984, the GSS co-founded the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) with institutions from Australia, Germany, and Great Britain. The number of ISSP member nations, all of which have designated institutions that conduct comparable social science surveys, has grown to more than 40.

The GSS has also spawned a number of auxiliary studies. The National Organizations Study, launched in 1991, surveys U.S. employers across industrial sectors about workplace safety and health programs. The National Congregations Study, launched in 1998, is the first-ever high-quality survey of all types of religious congregations. Other studies include the Sibling Study, the National Voluntary Association Survey, the GSS-National Death Index, and the 2020 follow-up to the American National Elections Studies, which allowed researchers to examine reported social views alongside political preferences and changes in society before and after the 2020 election.

Contributing to scholarship, journalism, and education

Scholars rely on GSS data to understand the perspectives of different people and groups in America, and how those perspectives change over time. Their research is then used to address vital issues of public interest and public policy.

GSS data have served as the basis for more than 32,500 scholarly papers, books, PhD dissertations, and countless news stories. Every year, more than 400,000 high school and college students use GSS data in their classrooms. The GSS also has transformed the way social sciences are taught because it provides a more quantifiable way of exploring different views in sociology throughout the years.

In 2015, we debuted the GSS Data Explorer, a tool that researchers, educators, and journalists can use to search and analyze GSS data online, share their work with others, and download datasets and extracts for analysis in any statistical software program.

Looking to the future

Heading into the survey’s sixth decade, our GSS team will continue to work at the cutting edge of survey research methodology, making the dataset ever more valuable with each iteration. Data dissemination is another area of opportunity. The more people can use GSS data, the more powerful it becomes. Our most recent progress on this front is a series of videos to educate the public about the GSS. Yet another area of opportunity is ISSP expansion, especially into under-represented countries. These innovations will highlight what may be the GSS’s most valuable contribution—inspiring new generations of social scientists.