The European Social Survey (ESS) is an academically driven cross-national survey that has been conducted across Europe since 2001. The presentation will focus on three pillars of quality enhancement in social research: good data, good documentation and good analytics.

2. 2
Data data data everywhere...
● Rising awareness of benefits of open science
– Dates back to at least 60-70s
● Social science data archives
– ‘Boils down to’ secondary data analysis

3. 3
Data data data everywhere...
● Rising awareness of benefits of open science
– Dates back to at least 60-70s
● Social science data archives
– ‘Boils down to’ secondary data analysis
● Development of ICT made research data
available to anyone (not only scientists)
– Virtual social science data archives

4. 4
Data data data everywhere...
● Rising awareness of benefits of open science
– Dates back to at least 60-70s
● Social science data archives
– ‘Boils down to’ secondary data analysis
● Development of ICT made research data
available to anyone (not only scientists)
– Virtual social science data archives
● Does this availability allows for ‘more’ and ’better’
research?
– Let’s look at an often discussed topic in the media...

5. 5
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
The WHO

6. 6
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
OECD

7. 7
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
OECD

8. 8
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
OECD

9. 9
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
Special Eurobarometer 331

10. 10
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
Special Eurobarometer 331

11. 11
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
Special Eurobarometer 331

12. 12
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
Special Eurobarometer 331

13. 13
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
European Social Survey, Round 7

14. 14
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
European Social Survey, Round 7

15. 15
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
European Social Survey, Round 7

16. 16
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
European Social Survey, Round 7

17. 17
Do Lithuanians drink a lot of alcohol?
European Social Survey, Round 7

18. 18
How to do good research with open
data?
● Even good (open) data in the hands of bad
(“unaware”) analysts is at best useless

19. 19
How to do good research with open
data?
● Even good (open) data in the hands of bad
(“unaware”) analysts is at best useless
● Three pillars of quality ensurance in secondary
data analysis
– Good data
– Good documentation
– Good analytics

20. 20
How to do good research with open
data?
● Even good (open) data in the hands of bad
(“unaware”) analysts is at best useless
● Three pillars of quality ensurance in secondary data
analysis
– Good data
– Good documentation
– Good analytics
● European Social Survey (ESS) was developed not
as “just another international attitudes survey” but
with these pillars in mind
– In 2005 has won the EC Descartes Prize for Research & Science
Communication

21. 21
How to do good research with open
data?
● The ESS is an academically driven cross-national
survey that has been conducted across Europe since
2001
● Every two years, face-to-face interviews are conducted
with newly selected, cross-sectional samples
● The survey measures the attitudes, beliefs and
behaviour patterns of diverse populations in more than
thirty European countries
● The ESS data and documentation is available free of
charge for non-commercial use and can be downloaded
or analysed here www.europeansocialsurvey.org
● Free educational resources (for self-study)

22. 22
How to do good research with open
data?
● The main aims of the ESS are:
– To chart stability and change in social structure, conditions and
attitudes in Europe and to interpret how Europe’s social, political and
moral fabric is changing
– To achieve and spread higher standards of rigour in cross-national
research in the social sciences, including for example, questionnaire
design and pre-testing, sampling, data collection, reduction of bias
and the reliability of questions
– To introduce soundly-based indicators of national progress, based on
citizens’ perceptions and judgements of key aspects of their societies
– To undertake and facilitate the training of European social
researchers in comparative quantitative measurement and analysis
– To improve the visibility and outreach of data on social change
among academics, policy makers and the wider public

23. 23
How to do good research with open
data?

24. 24
How to do good research with open
data?

25. 25
How to do good research with open
data?

26. 26
How to do good research with open
data?

27. 27
How to do good research with open
data?

28. 28
How to do good research with open
data?

29. 29
How to do good research with open
data?

30. 30
How to do good research with open
data?

31. 31
How to do good research with open
data?

32. 32
Thank you !