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General Social Survey (GSS)

guide to accessing and using the General Social Survey data and related data and literature

GSS Data Sources

Temple faculty, students and affiliates may obtain ​​​​​​​GSS data in four ways.

1. GSS Get the Data Website

  • GSS Get the Data website provides exclusive access to the GSS panel data from 2006-2014 or any of the General Social Survey-National Death Index linked data sets, are only available through the GSS website at GSS Get the Data page in either SPSS or Stata formats. 
  • U.S. data are in any datafile associated with the year that the module was fielded. The full cross-national datasets can be obtained through GESIS and can be downloaded by registered users.  To allow time for harmonization, there is often a two year lag on the release of ISSP data.

2. Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). 

3. Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA) website at the University of California, Berkeley

4. Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. 

  • Access data at Roper iPoll.  Read the below section on Access to GSS Data from ICPSR and Roper.

 

Create MyGSS Data Account

You must create an account if you want to extract some data, save variables, analyses, or visualizations, save collections of data into projects, share your projects with other MyGSS account users.

Even without an account, you can download the entire dataset and explore variables and questions. 

Download and Extract Data from GSS and SDA

Data Download from GSS

To extract the entire GSS dataset without creating an account, open this “Quick Downloads” link, which appears at the bottom of the GSS Data Explorer website.  Choose STATA, SPSS, or SAS format.

To create a custom extract, start by adding variables to MyGSS. Read the Variable Search guide for instructions.

Instructions are also provided on the Cornell University Library guide.  There is also a listing of data resources. 
Beware:  When using non-Temple library guides, the databases will be linked to their libraries collection.  Copy the name of the database and search in Temple Library Search for the access link.

Data Download from SDA

Access to Berkely is free, but  you need to create an account:   SDA Search interface for GSS 1972-2021. SDA GSS Help and Interface Introduction Video

To access and download data from ICPSR and Roper, read the below section on Access to GSS Data from ICPSR and Roper.

Restricted sensitive data

"The GSS geographic identification code files are made available to researchers under special contract with NORC. *** Under contract, the GSS will provide data on State, Primary sampling unit, County, & Census track, but in no circumstances will individually identifying information (name, address, etc.) be provided." 

"Sensitive Data” includes any data from the GSS that might compromise the anonymity or privacy of respondents to those studies. Specifically, it includes any data file that, for either individuals, or families, includes:

  • (a) Identification numbers or demographic information (such as month and year of birth, age, ethnicity, occupation, industry, gender, etc.);
  • (b) geographic identification of areas smaller than Census Division, including, but not limited to state, county, minor civil division, primary sampling unit (PSU), segment, city, place, zip code, tract, block numbering area, enumeration district, block group, or block;
  • (c) any variables or fields derived from the data mentioned in items a)-b) above, including data linked to a GSS dataset using the data mentioned in items (a) and (b) above as linking or matching variables.

Read about accessing GSS sensitive data files.

Access GSS Data from ICPSR and Roper iPoll

How to search Roper iPoll