2012 CCES

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) is a data infrastructure project involving the collaboration of research teams from over 60 academic institutions. Collectively these research teams have fielded national surveys of 35,000 adults in 2006, 37,000 in 2008, and, with partial funding from NSF, 54,000 in 2010. In addition the project has produced a 10,000-person survey panel in 2006 and 2007, a 2,000-person panel in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and a Hispanic sample in 2010. The core of this award is to guarantee a minimum survey of 20,000. Each research team that wishes to be involved in the project purchases a 1,000 person sample survey. Each individual team determines half of the questions on its survey while the other half of the content is created by a design committee, drawn from the participating teams (called Common Content). With 35 teams, as in 2006, there are 35 individual team surveys each with a sample of 1,000 and a single common survey of 35,000 cases. Researchers have used their team modules to conduct survey research on themes and questions for which appropriate public use data are not available. Since 2006, the CCES has produced studies that have appeared in over 60 journal articles and dozens of books. This includes over a dozen articles that have appeared in the top three journals in the discipline. The National Science Foundation support will pay for the Common Content part of the survey, and will facilitate participation from a large number of institutions that otherwise could not afford to participate. By providing survey data for so many scholars at so many institutions, the survey helps to create and sustain a network of researchers interested in a wide variety of public opinion topics. Over 60 institutions have participated in the project so far, and each team involves multiple faculty members and research assistants. Those who participate in this project build research skills, especially in the area of questionnaire design, and generate further research ideas that can be pursued through this or other vehicles. The CCES also has a central educational mission. The current grant will allow for further development and distribution of instructional materials relating to the survey that may be adopted widely as part of graduate curricula. In addition, several university teams have used this platform to support PhD dissertation and post-doctoral research.