COMPASS – Centre of Methods and Policy Application in the Social Sciences

The Centre of Methods and Policy Application in the Social Sciences (COMPASS) was established as a standalone research centre in September 2008. From 2004 to 2008 the staff had been operating under the name Social Statistics Research Group within the Department of Sociology. COMPASS is based within the Faculty of Arts of the University of Auckland and comprises a team of researchers with a wealth of experience and expertise in a range of disciplines and research methodologies.

As a multidisciplinary, leading edge research centre, COMPASS strives to:

• Deliver theoretically informed, empirically grounded and high quality research
• Support the development of social science research capability in New Zealand
• Foster research collaboration and academic collegiality
• Inform policy for the public good.

Along with the ISSP survey, COMPASS staff run the New Zealand Election Surveys every three years.

Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, The Australian National University (ANU)

The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AuSSA) is a biennial survey of social attitudes that began in 2003 and is run by the Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute (ADSRI) at The Australian National University (ANU), Canberra. Developed with the co-operation of leading social scientists around Australia, the Survey is designed to provide authoritative data on Australians social attitudes and behaviour. The Survey is mailed to a randomly selected sample of Australians aged 18 or over. AuSSA provides scholars, governments, the media, and the public with data about Australian social attitudes in areas such as work, government spending and taxes, families and Australia’s place in the world. The core survey consists of 130 items enabling the tracking of key indicators of social attitudes and behaviour change over time. The rest of the survey consists of modules (including ISSP modules) that deal with specific topics that interest social scientists.

The fieldwork is conducted by Academic Surveys Australia, the survey research arm of the Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Inc. (ACSPRI).