Korean General Social Survey (KGSS), 2003-2023

The Korean General Social Survey (KGSS) is the Korean version of the General Social Survey (GSS), closely replicating the original GSS conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

The KGSS comprises five parts: The first part includes core questions covering key aspects of Korean society. The second part is the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) module, a cross-national survey conducted in 45 countries. The third part is the East Asian Social Survey (EASS) module, a joint GSS-type survey of Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. The fourth part, newly added, is the European Social Survey (ESS). In 2023, the ESS focused on the "Personal and Social Well-being" module, covering topics like volunteer participation, optimism, emotional experiences, and social relationships. The last part contains modules proposed by researchers.

This data collection is the cumulative version of the previous 20 years of survey data from 2003 to 2023. The survey was conducted annually from 2003 to 2014 and biennially from 2016 onward. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 survey was skipped and conducted in 2021 instead (excluding 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022).

Respondents were asked for their opinions about Korean society, economic conditions, government performance, politics and political conditions. Additional questions include the healthcare system, health behaviors, human rights, attitudes toward aging and the elderly, household composition, income, education, occupation, environmental issues, international migration and so on. Demographic data collected includes age, sex, education level, household income, employment status, religious preference, political party affiliation, and political philosophy.