Where to Find European Social Survey Findings and Publications

Updated

The European Social Survey (ESS) publishes its findings in three main places: the Topline Findings series, the Exploring public attitudes, informing public policy series, and special reports on topics such as the human values scale and wellbeing. All three are reachable from the ESS website's findings section. For time-sensitive updates — new data releases, panel waves, and governance meetings — the site's Latest news section and the ESS social media channels are the faster route.

The three publication series

Series What it covers Best for
Topline Findings Summary-level results from ESS rounds Quick reference figures and headline attitudes
Exploring public attitudes, informing public policy Thematic analysis aimed at policy audiences Understanding what a finding means for policy debate
Special reports Focused studies, including the human values scale and wellbeing Depth on a single measured construct

The series differ in purpose rather than in data source: all draw on ESS survey data, so the choice depends on whether you need a fast number, a policy-oriented interpretation, or a detailed treatment of one topic.

Latest news: data releases and governance

The news section carries announcements that matter if you plan to use the data rather than just read about it:

  • Panel survey data — the latest wave of self-completion panel data, collected in 11 countries, is available to view and download (news item dated 13 October 2026).
  • Round 12 (2025/26) — initial data release is scheduled for January 2027 (announced 30 September 2026). If you need Round 12, plan around that date rather than expecting it earlier.
  • General Assembly — the 32nd ESS ERIC General Assembly meeting is scheduled for 5 November 2026.

These dates are the ones the site states; treat them as announced schedules, not guarantees.

Where the underlying data lives

Findings and publications are separate from the data itself. All ESS data and documentation are now accessible only through the ESS Data Portal — the site notes that "the way you access our data has changed." The most recent full round is Round 11 (2023/24), with data and post-stratification weights available for all 31 participating countries.

Two additional datasets are flagged on the site:

  • CRONOS-3 — online panel data from the web-first, cross-national, probability-based panel collected under the Infra4NextGen project.
  • ICOS Cities — a three-wave online panel fielded in Munich and Paris during 2023 and 2024 as part of the ICOS Cities PAUL research project.

If your question is about a specific city, panel format, or wave, check these before assuming the main round data covers it.

Following updates as they happen

The ESS posts regularly on BlueSky, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and YouTube, which the site presents as the way to keep current on news, events, and survey results. For a one-off lookup, the website's findings and news pages are sufficient; for tracking a forthcoming release such as Round 12, social channels plus the news page give earlier notice than revisiting the publications section.

Background worth knowing when citing ESS

The ESS describes itself as providing high-quality open access data measuring public attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour, and it was awarded European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) status in 2013. Methodology is documented in the Survey Specification, with further detail accessible via a flow diagram or the main menu — useful if you need to describe how a figure was produced rather than just report it.