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European Election Studies (EES)

The European Election Studies (EES) offer data about electoral behaviour in European Parliament elections. Collecting survey data as well as a variety of other data types, they cover topics such as the evolution of a political community in the European Union, citizens' perceptions of and preferences about the EU political regime, and the evaluation of its political performance. They offer wide opportunities for comparative and longitudinal analyses across the EU member states.

The EES is run under the responsibility of the international European Election Research Group constituted by political and social scientists from academic institutions across Europe.

Besides 'voter surveys' conducted since 1979, the EES program comprises political elite surveys, media studies and the Euromanifestos project, which is content-coding Party Manifestos. Until 1994, the question modules of the voter survey were part of the European Commission's Eurobarometer surveys. Starting with the 1999 elections, the European Election Studies surveys are collected independently from Eurobarometer surveys.

  Year
Component 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
Voter Study X   X X X X X X X
Euromanifesto Study X X X X X X X X X
Elite Study X     X     X    
Media Study X       X X X    
Panel Study               X  
Social Media Study               X  

Primary data and documentation for all European Election Studies and related Eurobarometer stored at GESIS are available for DOWNLOAD through the respective study description entry in the GESIS data catalogue as soon as you have signed in (registration required). Download is free of charge.

The ELITE STUDIES (except public use files) are subject to special permission and usage conditions. The data have to be ordered through the GESIS data catalogue.

EES Steering Committee

Katjana Gattermann, University of Amsterdam
Mail: k(dot)gattermann(at)uva(dot)nl

Sara B. Hobolt, London School of Economics and Political Science
Mail: S(dot)B(dot)Hobolt(at)lse(dot)ac(dot)uk

Alexia Katsanidou, GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
Mail: Alexia(dot)Katsanidou(at)gesis(dot)org

Sebastian Popa, Newcastle University
Mail: Sebastian(dot)popa(at)ncl(dot)ac(dot)uk

Miriam Sorace, University of Kent
Mail: M(dot)Sorace(at)kent(dot)ac(dot)uk

Ilke Toygur, IE University, Spain
Mail: ilke(dot)toygur(at)ie(dot)edu

Wouter van der Brug, University of Amsterdam
Mail: W(dot)vanderBrug(at)uva(dot)nl

Data Service

GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
Unter Sachsenhausen 6-8
D-50667 Cologne
Phone: +49-221-47694-420
E-Mail: datenservice(dot)das(at)gesis(dot)org