International Social Survey Programme 2022-2024
Lead Research Organisation:
National Centre for Social Research (NatCen)
Department Name: Research Department
Abstract
The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) is one of the most important attempts to undertake cross-national survey research that exists. Forty-four countries participate, covering all five inhabited continents. Each year, countries field a module of 60 questions on a particular topic, usually as part of an existing random probability survey. These data, along with a set of prescribed socio-demographic background variables, are then deposited in an agreed format with the ISSP data archive.
A wide range of modules have been fielded since the project began in 1985. Topics are chosen at an annual plenary meeting and are revisited periodically, with many having been covered several times. As a result, ISSP data can be used to examine differences between countries at a particular point in time and to compare differences in trends over time.
A combined dataset containing data for all countries is made publicly available to the research community approximately two years after data collection. ISSP data are widely used, with numbers of publications increasing annually; more than 500 new publications were recorded in the last year for which data is available. In Britain, there have been 757 publications using ISSP data since the programme began.
The ISSP 2022 module data will be collected via the NatCen Panels, in both GB and Scotland, a method that was adopted in 2020 as a result of restrictions on face-to-face fieldwork introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This will ensure that data collection in Britain and Scotland is carried out using the same methodology. Members of the British and Scottish Panels are recruited from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) and Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) surveys respectively. These are both high-quality, random probability surveys. Those interviewed as part of BSA/SSA are asked to join the Panel at the end of the interview, and all those who have not subsequently left are asked to participate (no quotas are used) which maintains the random probability design. The proposal for the ISSP 2023 and 2024 modules is to utilise the BSA main survey. BSA in 2023 and 2024 will use a mixed-mode push-to-web design with an optional Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) opt-in to cover the offline population.
ISSP will cover three topics during this period: family and changing gender roles (2022), national identity and citizenship (2023) and digital societies (2024):
-The family and changing gender roles and national identity and citizenships modules have previously been fielded on ISSP and will provide valuable opportunities to look at the changing nature of attitudes to these highly salient issues.
- The third topic, Digital Societies, is being included as an ISSP module for the first time, to map international views on the impact of the move towards more digital societies across the world.
The continued growth in ISSP membership means these modules will also provide a valuable opportunity to examine these issues across a wider range of countries and contexts.
A wide range of modules have been fielded since the project began in 1985. Topics are chosen at an annual plenary meeting and are revisited periodically, with many having been covered several times. As a result, ISSP data can be used to examine differences between countries at a particular point in time and to compare differences in trends over time.
A combined dataset containing data for all countries is made publicly available to the research community approximately two years after data collection. ISSP data are widely used, with numbers of publications increasing annually; more than 500 new publications were recorded in the last year for which data is available. In Britain, there have been 757 publications using ISSP data since the programme began.
The ISSP 2022 module data will be collected via the NatCen Panels, in both GB and Scotland, a method that was adopted in 2020 as a result of restrictions on face-to-face fieldwork introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This will ensure that data collection in Britain and Scotland is carried out using the same methodology. Members of the British and Scottish Panels are recruited from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) and Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) surveys respectively. These are both high-quality, random probability surveys. Those interviewed as part of BSA/SSA are asked to join the Panel at the end of the interview, and all those who have not subsequently left are asked to participate (no quotas are used) which maintains the random probability design. The proposal for the ISSP 2023 and 2024 modules is to utilise the BSA main survey. BSA in 2023 and 2024 will use a mixed-mode push-to-web design with an optional Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) opt-in to cover the offline population.
ISSP will cover three topics during this period: family and changing gender roles (2022), national identity and citizenship (2023) and digital societies (2024):
-The family and changing gender roles and national identity and citizenships modules have previously been fielded on ISSP and will provide valuable opportunities to look at the changing nature of attitudes to these highly salient issues.
- The third topic, Digital Societies, is being included as an ISSP module for the first time, to map international views on the impact of the move towards more digital societies across the world.
The continued growth in ISSP membership means these modules will also provide a valuable opportunity to examine these issues across a wider range of countries and contexts.
| Description | The funding supports the participation of Great Britain and Scotland in the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), facilitating the exploration and comparison of views and attitudes across participating countries. In 2022, the ISSP focused on public opinions about family dynamics and changing gender roles. The resulting analysis was included as a chapter in the BSA 40 report. This chapter examined who should primarily provide childcare for children under school age, as well as who should bear the associated costs. It compared findings from both the 2022 and 2012 surveys. In both years, family members were most frequently identified as the primary providers of childcare, with just under half of respondents choosing this option. However, there was a slight increase in the number of people who believe government agencies should be responsible for providing childcare-rising from 16% in 2012 to 20% in 2022. Overall, the majority of people still felt that children should primarily be cared for by family rather than public daycare. Public opinion on the funding of childcare was more supportive of government involvement: respondents were fairly evenly divided between believing that government agencies (45%) and family members (39%) should primarily cover childcare costs. Nevertheless, a slightly larger proportion favoured government responsibility for funding. Since 2012, support for government funding has risen by 50%, from 30% to 45%. In 2023, the ISSP focused on attitudes toward national identity and citizenship, with the analysis presented in a chapter of the BSA 41 report. This chapter explored trends in people's perceptions of British identity and their sources of national pride. It examined whether people's conceptions of who is 'truly British' are primarily based on 'ethnic' or 'civic' characteristics and how this has shifted over the past thirty years. The chapter also assessed changes in national pride and whether those with different views on British identity take pride in various aspects of the nation. The chapter reported that over the past decade, there has been a decline in the proportion of people who regard birth or ancestry as important for being 'truly British.' The proportion who think that being born in Britain is important for being 'truly British' has fallen from 74% in 2013 to 55% today. In addition, analysis found that people have become less likely to take pride in Britain's achievements and less likely to believe that Britain is superior to other countries. In 2013, 86% of respondents said they were proud of Britain's history, but this figure has since dropped to 64%. The chapter also explored whether perceptions of national identity differ between Scotland and England, and how these differences relate to attitudes toward Scottish independence and Brexit. It found that those who support leaving the EU are more likely than those who support membership to view family matters as central to people's identity. In contrast, those who support Scottish independence are less likely than opponents to hold this view. The comparison of national identity perceptions between England and Scotland highlights the value of the specific Scottish sample boost in the ISSP modules. In 2024, the ISSP introduced its first-ever module on digital societies. This module provided insights into global perceptions of the shift toward digital societies. The findings, to be featured in a BSA 42 chapter (scheduled for release in summer 2025), will explore topics such as news source usage and trustworthiness, online and offline participation, and experiences of polarization. The chapter will investigate how these issues relate to both online and offline trust, political interest, and individuals' positions on the left-right political spectrum. |
| Exploitation Route | The data from all 45 member states, including Scotland, will be archived by the ISSP, providing academic access for analysing views on gender roles, national identity, citizenship, and digital societies across participating nations. The ISSP 2022 data on gender roles has been submitted to the ISSP Secretariat and will be made available in Spring 2025. The 2023 data on national identity and citizenship will be released in September 2025, and the 2024 data on digital societies will be available in 2026. Furthermore, the ISSP has explored the topics of family and changing gender roles, as well as national identity and citizenship, on at least three and up to five separate occasions since 1988. This allows for a comprehensive examination of how global views on these issues have evolved over time. More information can be found on the ISSP website at: https://issp.org/. The introduction of the Digital Societies module in the 2024 ISSP has established a baseline of evidence on global attitudes toward technology, its impact, and concerns about surveillance and data privacy. The module will be repeated in future years to build a time series, tracking how attitudes evolve across the 45 ISSP participating countries. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Government Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://natcen.ac.uk/british-social-attitudes |
| Description | Chapters utilizing ISSP data, either for Great Britain/Scotland alone or in combination with other countries, are regularly included in the annual British Social Attitudes report. These chapters typically offer an accessible introduction to key findings and draw significant media interest. For example, the findings from the first publication of results from the ISSP 2022 survey on family and changing gender roles were published as a chapter in the BSA 40 report. As of March 2025, the chapter page had received 7,650 views, and the chapter itself had been downloaded 2,083 times. The chapter garnered widespread attention and was extensively covered in the media, including articles in The Guardian, BBC news online and The Times. The BSA 40 report was launched on 21st September 2023 at a hybrid event held at Portcullis House, in collaboration with the House of Commons Library. Chaired by Anoosh Chakelian, Britain Editor of The New Statesman, the event attracted 988 registrations, with 452 attendees. The recording of the event has since been viewed 1,700 times. Similarly, the chapter based on data from the 2023 National Identity and Citizenship module, covering both England and Scotland, was included in the BSA 41 report. As of March 2025, the chapter page had received 10,815 views, and the chapter itself had been downloaded 3,823 times. It sparked extensive media coverage, with articles in The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, and The Daily Mail, along with mentions in various online publications and blogs. The findings were also discussed on BBC Radio 4's flagship Today program and on several local radio stations. On 3rd September 2024 data from the National Identity and Citizenship module was also presented in an online seminar hosted by NatCen, attracting 169 attendees and generating 337 additional views on catch-up. On 5th December 2024 John Curtice and Alex Scholes presented findings from the National Identity and Citizenship module to civil servants at HM Treasury. Attendees numbered around 50 and additional analysis was conducted, building on the findings from the report, to present at the seminar. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |