Getting started

What can you do when you visit the ANES website and what resources are available?

Read an overview of studies conducted by ANES.
Read about how ANES studies are released as datasets.
Download data and documentation for a study.
Read details about the individual studies.
Examine codebooks or questionnaires for individual studies, or find other study materials.
Find a question asked by ANES.
Find prepared tables of data from ANES studies.
Check for recent errata for an ANES study.
Examine or analyze data from an ANES study.
Examine the Bibliography documenting use of ANES data.
Submit a proposal, or examine proposals for studies in development.
Read about ANES history.
Read about the ANES policy on questionnaire use.
Find out about access to restricted data.
For answers to other questions, please check Answers to some frequently asked questions

Read an OVERVIEW OF STUDIES conducted by ANES.

1) Since 1948, ANES has conducted surveys, usually administered as in-person interviews, during most years of national elections. This series of studies, known as the ANES "time series," constitutes a pre-election interview and a post-election interview during years of Presidential elections, and, usually, a post-election interview only during years of midterm elections.
2) In addition, ANES periodically conducts Pilot studies that are designed to test new or revised instrumentation and methodology, or, in some years,
3) special studies that are neither Pilots nor time series studies.
1948-1980 Chart of ANES studies
1982-2004 Chart of ANES studies
ANES Time Series: Sample and Mode by Wave

Read about how ANES studies are released as datasets.

A study is released as a compressed file containing the study's codebook and data. The codebook comprises 3 ASCII files (introduction file, variable documentation file, and appendix file). Data are available in the form of raw data and statement files that can be run using statistical software to create system files (SAS, SPSS or Stata). The raw data can also be imported directly as a comma-delimited file. [Note: for some earlier studies, data are not yet available in this format and are still available only as SAS transport and SPSS portable data files; all releases are planned for eventual re-release in the newer format]
Questions? You might find How to read ANES data into SPSS helpful.

Download data and documentation for a study.

Studies are released as data and documentation files (see above). All datasets are available for free download from the ANES Data Center. At the Data Center, select the tab for study type [see 1), 2), 3) in the overview of studies description above], and then locate the study from the list of studies for that type. Each study will be listed with a download link.

Read details about the individual studies .

Every study in the ANES archive is described in detail on its own 'Study Page.' Links to Study Pages are available from the Data Center. At the Data Center, select the tab for study type [see 1), 2), 3) in the overview of studies description above], and then locate the study from the list of studies for that type. Each study will be listed with a link to its Study Page.

Examine codebooks or questionnaires for individual studies, or find other study materials.

Links to a study's codebook and questionnaire, as well as links to other documentation, are found on its Study Page. The Study Page also provides detailed description of study content, design, etc. A link to every study's Study Page is available from the Data Center. At the Data Center, select the tab for study type [see 1), 2), 3) in the overview of studies description above], and then locate the study from the list of studies for that type. Each study will be listed with a link to its Study Page.

Find a question asked by ANES.

Questions Asked in ANES Surveys can be searched to find a question asked in the ANES time series. More generally, a study's codebook can be searched, either by downloading the codebook as part of the zipped release file for the study, or else by accessing the codebook from a link on the study's Study Page. Links to Study Pages are available from the Data Center. At the Data Center, select the tab for study type [see 1), 2), 3) in the overview of studies description above], and then locate the study from the list of studies for that type. Each study will be listed with a link to its Study Page.

Find prepared tables of data from ANES studies.

The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior provides summary tables and graphs, organized by subject area, representing key questions from the ANES time series.

Check for recent errata for an ANES study.

Every study has a Study Page which includes a link to documented errata for the current release. Links to Study Pages are available from the Data Center. At the Data Center, select the tab for study type [see 1), 2), 3) in the overview of studies description above], and then locate the study from the list of studies for that type. Each study will be listed with a link to its Study Page.

Examine or analyze data from an ANES study.

Some ANES studies are available for analysis using software developed at the University of California, Berkeley, as part of the Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA) archives of the Computer-assisted Survey Methods Program (CSM). CSM maintains datasets in their archives at no cost to ANES or its user community, and we are grateful to them for this service. (Please be aware that datasets may not be as recent as those that appear on the ANES website, and ANES is not responsible for the SDA utility, the SDA data archives, or their use.)

Examine the Bibliography documenting use of ANES data.

The ANES Bibliography is a research and teaching resource which contains citations of known published works and a large number of unpublished papers that make use of ANES data. You may also submit your work via the online submission form.

Submit a proposal, or examine proposals for studies in development.

A recent innovation in study planning has been the ANES Online Commons, which is available to interested researchers for submission of proposals for survey content of forthcoming ANES studies. These submissions may be made during an announced 'open' period, which is followed by systematic review and final selection of proposals by the ANES Board of Overseers. Submitted proposals for recent, but now 'closed,' ANES studies may be viewed from the Online Commons. There is currently no open period for any forthcoming ANES study.

Read about ANES history.

The origins and general history of the ANES is a history of its studies: the Time Series, Pilot studies, and other major data collections.

Read about the ANES policy on questionnaire use.

It is ANES policy that we do not release the content of the questionnaire to the public before the election. However, to facilitate coordination with other election studies, ANES will respond to inquiries about whether or not specific questions will appear on a study that is not yet in the public domain. Such requests must be made about specific questions (rather than the questionnaire as a whole) and the requestor must sign an agreement not to publicize in any way the fact that ANES is the source of the questions until after the full questionnaire has been publicly posted on the ANES website. Please read our full policy statement.

Find out about access to restricted data.

Some data restricted in the public release may be obtained though special permission via the Restricted Data Access (RDA). Read about the application process.