National Election Studies

This wealth of data presents National Election Studies surveys of the American electorate conducted in presidential and congressional election years from 1948 to 2006. Large files of raw data can be downloaded. In addition, The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior is available and is readily accessible.

Composed of more than 100 tables and graphs, the guide traces nine key variables in the makeup and opinions of the electorate. These include: social and religious characteristics; partisanship and evaluation of political parties; ideological self-identification; public opinion on public policy issues; support for the political system; political involvement and partisanship; evaluation of presidential candidates; evaluation of congressional candidates; and vote choice. This website also provides pilot studies on recent surveying issues, such as measuring exposure to television advertisements, and a 5,000-item bibliography.