ESDS International is developing a resource for researchers analysing cross-national survey data. This complements Unit 3 of the Countries and Citizens resource.

Database of survey questions/questionnaires

ESDS International has linked up with the Survey Question Bank to allow users to search for, and within, survey documents (in PDF format) across a selection of the major cross-national social surveys.

Where we get permission from the questionnaire owners, ESDS International plans to add http links from the PDF documents back to the survey data wherever they are made available in an online browsing tool such as Nesstar. We plan to add these links on a topic-by-topic basis. The first topics chosen are:

• Trust
• Volunteering
• Well-being

The Survey Question Bank hosts a page listing question/variable retrieval tools: Survey Question Bank: Other question banks.

Forums, networks and centres of expertise

• Comparative Survey Design and Implementation (CSDI)
• Comparative Survey Methodology (GESIS)
• European Survey Research Association (ESRA)
• International Data Forum (ESRC)
• International Household Survey Network (IHSN)

Resources: Methodology, measurement and analysis

• General
• Translation
• Equivalence, harmonisation
• Other resources

Cross-national methods: general

• Cross-Cultural Survey Guidelines
• Harkness, J. (1999) 'In pursuit of quality: issues for cross-national survey research' in International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2, 1999, pp.125-140.
• Harkness, J., van de Vijver, F. and Mohler, P. (eds.) (2002) Cross-cultural survey methods, Wiley and Sons.
• Lynn, P. (2003) 'Developing quality standards for cross-national survey research: five approaches', International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 6(4), pp.323-336, and ISER Working Paper Number 2001-21. Retrieved June 30, 2008, from www.iser.essex.ac.uk/pubs/workpaps/pdf/2001-21.pdf
• Skjåk, K. and Harkness, J. (2002) 'Data collection methods' in J. Harkness, F. van de Vijver and P. Mohler (eds.) Cross-cultural survey methods, Wiley and Sons.
• ZUMA – Nachrichten Spezial, 11. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from
  www.gesis.org/fileadmin/upload/forschung/publikationen/zeitschriften/zuma_nachrichten_spezial/znspezial11.pdf
• ZUMA – Nachrichten Spezial, 12. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from
  www.gesis.org/fileadmin/upload/forschung/publikationen/zeitschriften/zuma_nachrichten_spezial/znspezial12.pdf

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Cross-national methods: translation

• Behling, O. and Law, K.S. (2000) Translating questionnaires and other research instruments: problems and solutions, Sage.
• Harkness, J., Pennell, B-E. and Schoua-Glusberg, A. (2004) 'Survey questionnaire translation and assessment' in S. Presser et al. (eds.) Questionnaire development evaluation and testing methods, Wiley Series in Survey Methodology, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

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Cross-national methods: equivalence, harmonisation

• Cross-national harmonisation projects (ESDS Longitudinal)
• Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, J. and Wolf, C. (eds.) (2003) Advances in cross-national comparison: a European working book for demographic and socio-economic variables, Kluwer and Plenum.
• Jowell, R. et al. (2007) Measuring attitudes cross-nationally. Lessons from the European Social Survey, Sage.
• ZUMA – Nachrichten Spezial, 3. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from
  www.gesis.org/fileadmin/upload/forschung/publikationen/zeitschriften/zuma_nachrichten_spezial/znspezial3.pdf

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Cross-national methods: other resources

• Rydland, L., Arnesen, S. and Østensen, Å. (2007) Contextual data for the European Social Survey. An overview and assessment of extant resources, Rapport nr. 124. Bergen: NSD. Retrieved June 30, 2008, from
  ess.nsd.uib.no/files/ESS_context_sources.pdf
• Countries and Citizens
• European Social Survey Education Network (ESS EduNet)
• Guide to freely available international data resources (ESDS)
• Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

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