The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes - 2027 - Social Networks and Social Resources

The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AuSSA) is Australia’s main source of data for the scientific study of the social attitudes, beliefs and opinions of Australians, how they change over time, and how they compare with other societies.

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The survey is used to help researchers better understand how Australians think and feel about their lives. It produces important information about the changing views and attitudes of Australians as we move through the 21st century. Similar surveys are run in other countries, so data from AuSSA survey also allows us to compare Australia with countries all over the world.

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AuSSA is also the Australian component of the International Social Survey Project (ISSP). The ISSP is a cross-national collaboration on surveys covering important topics. Each year, survey researchers in some 40 countries each do a national survey using the same questions. Here are some examples of surveys in other countries that are the equivalent to AuSSA:

 

The ISSP focuses on a special topic each year, repeating that topic from time to time. The topic for 2027 is "Social Networks and Social Resources". This is the fourth time this has been the topic of the survey, having previously been the theme for the survey in 1986, 2001 and 2017.

 

​Data collection for the AuSSA 2027 is due to begin in May 2027, and due to complete in May 2028.

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How will participants be selected?

AuSSA aims to survey a representative sample of adult Australians. The fairest way of doing that is to draw a random sample from the Australian Electoral Roll. This means every Australian citizen has an equal chance of having their views included in the survey, and means that researchers are able to use statistical techniques to make inferences about Australian society overall on the basis of characteristics of the sample. ACSPRI has been named in a Federal Regulation as a permitted user of the Electoral Roll for the purposes of inviting persons to participate in the AuSSA.

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We will randomly select at least 6000 citizens from the electoral roll. Each of them will be posted an explanatory letter, followed by a questionnaire booklet and reply paid envelope. Up to three reminder mailings will be sent for participants who do not return a booklet. We expect around 1000 will return a completed questionnaire.

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​Selected topics

Questions asked of respondents will include:​

  • ​Do you know anyone who is a lawyer, mechanic, bus driver?
  • ​Who should primarily care for the sick, or the elderly?
  • ​How often have your participated in organised groups, clubs or associations?
  • ​Who would you turn to for help for jobs you couldn't do yourself, if you had to stay in bed sick, or for advice about family problems?
  • ​How often have you felt isolated or left out?
  • ​How much trust do you have in Australia's courts and major private companies?
  • ​Do you feel that your family, relatives or friends make too many demands on you?
  • ​How often do you communicate with your parents, siblings, friends?

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Contributing questions to the AuSSA 2027

 

Running a high quality, nationally representative survey requires the support of individual researchers willing to include their own questions in return for sponsorship of the survey. The fee will be $1,500 (exc GST) per question (i.e. per 'tick') - $1,250 (exc GST) for students for the full sample of 1000. Please contact surveys@acspri.org.au for more information. Each of the 4 waves of data collection is to a distinct sample (i.e. the design is a repeated cross sectional survey). Any contributed questions must be finalised by 28 March 2027

 

Advisory committee

The AuSSA advisory committee is made up of researchers who advise ACSPRI on survey methodology, ethics considerations, and liaise with the ISSP. The AuSSA Advisory Committee members for 2027 are:

  • Shaun Wilson, Macquarie University (Chair)
  • Nicola McNeil, Swinburne University
  • Bruce Tranter, University of Tasmania
  • Steven McEachern, University of Essex
  • Xianbi Huang, La Trobe University
  • Markus Hahn, Australian National University

 

Access to results from AuSSA 2027

 

AuSSA data will be submitted to the Australian Data Archive in mid 2028 and should be available on the site in late 2028. We also encourage AuSSA contributors to present their results at the ACSPRI Social Science Methodology Conference.

 

 

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For more information:

Tel. 1800 122 251 (free call)
Email: surveys@acspri.org.au