ESS Strategic Plan published
The European Social Survey (ESS) has published its Strategic Plan 2024-29: The Road to a Sustainable Self-Completion Future.
The Strategic Plan is built around the upcoming change in mode of data collection: from face-to-face interviews to self-completion methods.
It formalises a phased transition, with Round 12 (2025/26) data collected in parallel modes: half the sample in each country will be interviewed through in-person interviews, with the other half completing online or postal questionnaires.
This will allow for mode effects to be fully considered ahead of a full transition to only self-completion data collection in Round 13 (2027/28).
The Plan also outlines the intention to implement a cross-national online panel by 2029 which would be fielded in between the main survey.
The panel would become a permanent feature of the ESS and will be based on the model used in various Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects: CROss-National Online Survey.
As part of the self-completion transition, financing of national teams will be reviewed to ensure that they are adequately resourced to continue delivering high quality fieldwork.
National teams will benefit from an internal training programme to support the transition and the composition of the Core Scientific Team (CST) will be refreshed and enhanced.
An external training programme for ESS users will also be developed following a consultation of the demand for digital training.
The plan will ensure that the ESS continues to provide an excellent service to social scientists, policy makers and citizens in Europe by ensuring the infrastructure is organised to collect data in increasingly challenging circumstances.
Professor Rory Fitzgerald Director of the ESS
Where possible, the ESS will look to undertake training activities with other research infrastructures, particularly amongst social sciences and humanities projects.
The Strategic Plan also sets out plans to actively reach public affairs audiences and better equip national teams to promote the data at national level among non-academic audiences.
In terms of governance, the ESS will propose the introduction of longer-term periods (from two to four years) to encourage further strategic planning.
The plan - The Road to a Sustainable Self-Completion Future - was adopted by the ESS General Assembly at their meeting in London on Thursday 11 April.
Professor Rory Fitzgerald, Director of the ESS, said:
“This Strategic Plan formalises our exciting new plans for the European Social Survey.
“Over the next five years, we will carefully manage the transition to self-completion data collection without sacrificing data quality and understanding mode effects.
“The permanent addition of an online panel by 2029 will enable the project to collect survey data every year, and not just every other year.
“We will also focus on training - both amongst our national teams and amongst our data users - to ensure that the data we produce can be made available to the widest possible audience.”
“The plan will ensure that the ESS continues to provide an excellent service to social scientists, policy makers and citizens in Europe by ensuring the infrastructure is organised to collect data in increasingly challenging circumstances.
“I look forward to delivering on the strategic plan in collaboration with all ESS stakeholders.”