A Web-Based System for Analysis and Distribution of Questionnaire Survey Data

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This is a project to achieve a new level of technical functionality in systems for providing questionnaire surveys and their data over the World Wide Web. The General Social Survey Data and Information Retrieval System (GSSDIRS) is a state-of-the-art, Web-based system for the documentation, analysis, and distribution of the General Social Survey (GSS) of the National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago. With the exception of the US Census, the GSS is the most widely used source of data in the social sciences. The 21 surveys conducted between 1972 and 1996 contain 2999 variables (1008 with trends) and 35,284 respondents. One goal of the present project is to add the data collected in 1996 and 1998. This work will also expand and improve the prototype GSSDIRS that was created in 1996. Improvements will be made to virtually all parts of the system and will include adding: 1) a variable shopping list, 2) super variables, 3) automatic customized codebooks, 4) an improved search engine, 5) enhanced on-line analysis, 6) more documentation, and 7) integration with related sites. GSSDIRS will also be reformatted to take advantages of the latest browser options. GSSDIRS is the primary prototype system for building digital libraries of questionnaire survey data. It demonstrates the feasibility of managing the great complexity of survey data, indexing and delivering questionnaire texts in varied formats and abstracts of publications based on particular items. Linking more than one data-providing site to thousands of users around the world, it is the prime example of knowledge networking in the social sciences. Given the wide use of surveys in science, education, business and government, the technology developed for GSSDIRS will be employed extensively in future years.