The Sustainability of Social Science Survey Infrastructures

Abstract

Social science surveys are undergoing rapidchange due to fundamental shifts in the way data is generated, collected and processed. In order to address this challenge, several large scale social surveys have been integrated into the European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). This has allowed them to develop specialized and professionalized survey work flows within an integrated infrastructural context. This allows for greater sustainability through investment in survey methodologies and data collection which advance the field of social science. This paper examines three case studies within the ESFRI framework; The Survey of Health & Retirement (SHARE) and the European Social Survey (ESS) are European Research Infrastructure Consortia and are both landmarks within the ESFRI landscape. The third case study is of the Generations & Gender Programme which is an Emerging Community in the ESFRI landscape. The three case studies are used to illustrate the developments but also the persistent challenges for social surveys as they evolve with the framework of European Research Infrastructures. Each survey infrastructure is presented and it’s scientific, financial and governance sustainability. Conclusions are drawn as to the sustainability of survey infrastructures and how they could be further improved.