EVS 2017

The final release of the EVS2017 includes data and documentation of altogether 37 participating countries and two surveys of minorities. Integrated and individual national datasets of EVS 2017 are accessible through the GESIS Data Collection at GESIS- Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences.

The full release includes three integrated datasets:

  • The EVS 2017 Integrated Dataset (ZA7500) contains data from 59.438 respondents and 36 countries.
  • The EVS 2017 Integrated Dataset – Matrix Design Data (ZA7502) includes data from about 10.500 respondents and the four countries (DE, IS, CH, NL) that applied the matrix design. Please consult the documentation describing the concept behind the composition of the two EVS 2017 integrated datasets (GESIS Papers Guide to mixed-mode approach and matrix design).
  • The EVS2017 Integrated Dataset – Sensitive Data (ZA7501) contains data that could not be included in the SUF because of data protection concerns. Due to the sensitive nature of the data, its use is subject to specific contractual regulations. The contract allowing for off-site access can be downloaded here. 

In addition, individual datasets have been released in the context of EVS2017.

Specific samples used: 

Data published after the Full release of October 2020 (integrated into the final release):

Suggested citation of the integrated datasets:

  • EVS (2022): European Values Study 2017: Integrated Dataset (EVS2017). GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA7500 Data file Version 5.0.0, doi:10.4232/1.13897.
  • EVS (2020): European Values Study 2017: Integrated Dataset – Matrix Design Data (EVS2017 Matrix Design). GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA7502 Data file Version 2.0.0, doi:10.4232/1.13561.
  • EVS (2022): European Values Study 2017: Integrated Dataset – Sensitive Data (EVS2017 Sensitive Data). GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA7501 Data file Version 2.0.0, doi:10.4232/1.13898.

For further information on data download, see Data Access.

Errata & Version History
  • For information on Errata and Version History, please see the Study description, section ‚Errata in current version‘ of the corresponding dataset.
  • PATCHES to correct data errors can be downloaded under the link Downloads and Data Access, section Material/Datasets.

What is new in the final release?

  • Latvia conducted the survey in 2021 and was included in the Integrated Dataset.
  • Ukrainian data published as an individual country dataset in May 2021 is now also included in the Integrated Dataset.
  • New harmonized variables for education: ISCED 1997 (one-digit) and 8-categories variables included ensuring comparability with previous waves.

Documentation

Documentation – Overview of all documentation provided on the datasets of the full release of EVS2017
Participating countries and country information – Overview of documentation provided on the national datasets of EVS2017

Data Quality

Read more about what has been done in EVS2017 to reach data quality in all the phases of the survey cycle.

Participating countries and study design

The integrated dataset of the full release of EVS2017 includes data from 36 countries:

Albania (AL); Armenia (AM); Austria (AT); Azerbaijan (AZ); Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA); Bulgaria (BG); Belarus (BY); Switzerland (CH); Czechia (CZ); Germany (DE); Denmark (DK); Estonia (EE); Spain (ES); Finland (FI); France (FR); Great Britain (GB); Georgia (GE); Croatia (HR); Hungary (HU); Iceland (IS); Italy (IT); Latvia (LV); Lithuania (LT); Montenegro (ME); Netherlands (NL); North Macedonia (MK); Norway (NO); Poland (PL); Portugal (PT); Romania (RO); Serbia (RS); Russia (RU); Sweden (SE); Slovenia (SI); Slovakia (SK); Ukraine (UA)

For an overview of countries participating in several EVS waves, click here.

Representative single-stage or multi-stage sampling of the adult population of the country 18 years old and older was used for the EVS2017. The sample size was set as an effective sample size: 1200 for countries with a population over 2 million, and 1.000 for countries with a population less than 2 million. Some countries deviated from the guidelines and planned with an effective sample size below the set threshold. Germany, Netherlands, Iceland, and Switzerland, due to the mixed-mode design, allocated only part (50% or more) of the effective sample size to the interviewer-administered mode.

Sample design and other relevant information about sampling were reviewed by the EVS-Methodology Group (EVS-MG) and approved prior to contracting of fieldwork agency or starting data collection. In case of on-field sampling, EVS-MG proposed necessary protocols for documentation of the probabilities of selection of each respondent.

The sampling was documented using the Sampling Design Form (SDF) delivered by the national teams (see the EVS2017 Methodological Guidelines, Sampling). The SDF includes the description of the sampling frame and each sampling stage as well as the calculation of the planned gross and net sample size to achieve the required effective sample. Additionally, it includes the analytical description of the inclusion probabilities of the sampling design that are used to calculate design weights.  

In all countries, fieldwork was conducted on the basis of detailed and uniform instructions prepared by the EVS advisory groups. The main mode in EVS 2017 is face-to-face (interviewer-administered). An alternative self-administered form was possible but as a parallel mixed mode, i.e. there was no choice for the respondent between modes: either s/he was assigned to face to face, either s/he was assigned to web or web/mail format. In all countries the EVS questionnaire was administered as a face-to-face interview (CAPI or/and PAPI); in Germany, Netherlands, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, and Latvia additionally self-administered mode (CAWI/Mail) was used.

The EVS2017 Master Questionnaire was provided in English and each National Program Director had to ensure that the questionnaire was translated into all the languages spoken by 5% or more of the population in the country. A central team monitored the translation process by means of the Translation Management Tool (TMT), developed by CentERdata (Tilburg).