Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) Series

Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) is an ongoing collaborative program of crossnational research among national election studies designed to advance the understanding of electoral behavior across polities. The data project, which is being carried out in over 50 consolidated and emerging democracies, was coordinated by social scientists from around the world who cooperated to specify the research agenda, the study design, and the micro- and macro-level data that native teams of researchers collected within each polity. Participating countries vary for each topical module. Studies in this series include comprises data from surveys conducted during 1996-1998 in Argentina, Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the United States. data from surveys conducted during 1996-1998 in Argentina, Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the United States.The format includes a common questionnaire module and background (demographic) characteristics of respondents, coded to agreed-upon standards. Every survey includes questions about general attitudes toward Measures included in the study focus on three main issues: the impact of electoral institutions, with questions about parliamentary versus presidential systems of government, (2) the nature of political and social cleavages and alignments, and (3) the evaluation of democratic institutions and processes. Additionally, data were collected on voter turnout, voter choice, and respondents' age, sex, education, employment, and income.

Please see the CSES Web site for additional information about these surveys and other materials about the project.