How to Access European Social Survey Data

All European Social Survey (ESS) data and documentation are now available only through the ESS Data Portal. To get the data, go to the Data Portal, find the round or dataset you need, and download it there. The latest release is Round 11 (2023/24), which covers all 31 countries that took part and includes post-stratification weights alongside the data.

What you can access

The ESS describes itself as providing "high-quality open access data measuring public attitudes, beliefs and behaviour," and it has held European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) status since 2013. Through the Data Portal you can reach:

• Round 11 (2023/24) data and post-stratification weights — the current headline dataset, from 31 countries.
• CRONOS-3 online panel data — collected through the ESS web-first, cross-national, probability-based panel as part of the Infra4NextGen project.
• ICOS Cities data — a three-wave online panel fielded in Munich and Paris during 2023 and 2024 as part of the ICOS Cities (PAUL) research project.
• Findings and publications — the Topline Findings series, the Exploring public attitudes, informing public policy series, and special reports on the human values scale and wellbeing.

Steps to get the data

1. Go to the ESS Data Portal. The ESS site states plainly that "the way you access our data has changed" and that all data and documentation is now only accessible through the portal — so start there rather than looking for download links elsewhere on the site.
2. Choose your dataset. Select the round you need (for example, Round 11 for 2023/24) or one of the other collections such as CRONOS-3 or ICOS Cities.
3. Download the data file together with its documentation. The ESS publishes documentation alongside the data; the Round 11 release explicitly includes post-stratification weights, which you will need if you want results representative of national populations.
4. Check the methodology pages if you need to understand how a variable was collected. The ESS says its methods are set out in the Survey Specification, and methodology information can be accessed via a flow diagram or the main menu.

Timing: what is available and what is coming

If your research depends on the most recent cross-national round, plan around Round 11 for now and watch for the Round 12 release in early 2027.

Common sticking points

• Old bookmarks and direct file links may no longer work. Because access moved to the Data Portal, any previously saved download paths should be replaced with the portal route.
• Don't forget the weights. The Round 11 announcement pairs the data with post-stratification weights; analyses that skip them will not reflect the sampled populations.
• Distinguish the data types. The core cross-national survey, the CRONOS-3 online panel, and the ICOS Cities panel are separate collections with different designs — check which one matches your research question before downloading.

For news of new releases and events, the ESS also posts on BlueSky, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X and YouTube.