2022 General Social Survey Data Released to Public
Survey results offer a look at how Americans’ beliefs and opinions changed in the past few years.
CHICAGO, May 17, 2023 — NORC at the University of Chicago released the 2022 cross-sectional data for the General Social Survey (GSS) today at gss.norc.org. The GSS, a biennial, nationally representative survey, has been conducted by NORC since 1972 to monitor societal change and study the growing complexity of American society. The new data provide a unique opportunity to study how the public’s attitudes and opinions may have shifted in recent years.
For the 2022 GSS, the survey was conducted for the first time using three modes of data collection: in-person interviews, web self-administered surveys, and phone interviews. This methodology enabled the GSS—which had previously been predominately conducted in person—to survey respondents in multiple ways and as a result, the survey increased the number of interviews completed.
“The past three years were a period of great trial and change for the United States. Understanding how these times affected Americans’ thoughts, beliefs, and opinions is critical to understanding social change,” said René Bautista, director of the GSS and associate director of Methodology & Quantitative Social Sciences at NORC.
“The past three years were a period of great trial and change for the United States. Understanding how these times affected Americans’ thoughts, beliefs, and opinions is critical to understanding social change.”
The 2022 design allows researchers to study the potential impact of the mode of data collection (in person, web, or phone) on survey responses. Documentation is available at the GSS website to help users understand the impact of the methodological changes. “The evolution in methodology is a significant step forward for the GSS. We are still researching the full implications of mode of survey on responses and on trends in GSS estimates over time,” Bautista said.
The GSS is second only to the U.S. Census in the number of scientific references among social science researchers and is one of the most reliable and robust sources of information in the social sciences.
“The GSS has seen the nation through more than five decades, 10 presidents, and a host of societal and cultural changes from the end of the Cold War to the start of the digital age,” said Lisa Blumerman, senior vice president of Economics, Justice & Society at NORC. “NORC has had the privilege of administering the GSS for the entirety of its history with support from the National Science Foundation. As the nation looks ahead, NORC and the GSS will be there to help make sense of the issues that matter most.”
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).
About the General Social Survey
Since 1972, NORC’s General Social Survey (GSS) has been one of the nation’s most rigorous and widely used sources of data on what Americans think and feel about important national issues such as government spending priorities, crime and punishment, intergroup relations, and confidence in institutions. In addition to informing countless news articles, GSS data have been the basis of more than 32,500 books, scholarly papers, and PhD dissertations over its 51-year history. It is used by more than 400,000 students in their classes each year. The General Social Survey is a project of NORC with principal funding provided by the National Science Foundation.