ESS wins Kohli Foundation Infrastructure Prize

The Kohli Foundation Infrastructure Prize for Sociology 2024 has been awarded to the European Social Survey (ESS), which is an academically driven survey using the highest methodological standards headquartered at City St George's, University of London.

In a ceremony held at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) last week on Wednesday 13 November, ESS Director, Professor Rory Fitzgerald was formally awarded the Prize on behalf of the project.

The Kohli Foundation for Sociology is an independent private foundation dedicated to honour and promote excellent work that promises to move sociology forward.

They believe that sociology is indispensable for understanding the world we live in, for facing up to its challenges, and for leading it into the future.

The Infrastructure Prize for Sociology is awarded annually to a substantial infrastructure that advances sociological knowledge.

The Kohli Foundation noted the high-quality data collection of the ESS, relevant questionnaire content and ease of data access as particular strengths. The large number of academic publications using ESS data was also noted.

As part of the prize, the ESS will be given €10,000, which will be re-invested back into the project to recognise specific innovations and impacts at the national level.

The ESS is a cross-national academically led survey conducted every two years across Europe to measure the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of respondents on a wide range of topics.

The project has been embedded in the university since 2003, currently within the School for Policy and Global Affairs and linked to the Department of Sociology.

Since 2013, the ESS has been a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) – a legal entity funded by organisations in participating countries, with national government backing.

Professor Rory Fitzgerald, Director of the ESS, said:

I am delighted that our European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) has been awarded the Kohli Foundation Infrastructure Prize for Sociology 2024.

It is a real honour for us to receive this prize in recognition of our infrastructure’s collective work to deliver high quality survey data to European social scientists.

Our National Coordinators are central to the success of the infrastructure, and they will be rewarded with the prize money.

We are extraordinarily proud of our role hosting ESS and of our part in sustaining the critical research infrastructure.

The Kohli Foundation Infrastructure Prize is a great recognition of the vital work of ESS.