NORC at the University of Chicago was named a recipient of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences on April 29, sharing the honor with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.
The recognition highlights both organizations’ longstanding contributions to measuring public opinion and social life. The award committee said their work has created “a reliable and unsurpassed source for social scientists, policymakers, and journalists” through data series built over eight decades.
Established in 2008, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards honor achievements across eight fields. In its 18th edition, there were 40 candidates from 36 nominations. Past laureates include 34 Nobel Prize recipients.
A key factor in NORC’s selection is its General Social Survey (GSS), which began in 1972 and is widely used by researchers. The GSS has informed more than 34,000 articles, books, reports, and dissertations. It also inspired the International Social Survey Programme that now includes participation from 45 countries.
Michael Davern, executive vice president and chief research officer at NORC as well as a principal investigator for the GSS, said: “This recognition speaks to NORC’s ongoing innovations in social science methodology and our commitment to providing independent evidence that researchers, policymakers, and journalists depend on.” He added: “The GSS has been building a record of American life since 1972, and this recognition reflects the cumulative work of generations of researchers committed to making that data trustworthy and accessible.”
NORC was founded in 1941 and has been affiliated with the University of Chicago since 1947. The award will be presented at an annual ceremony in Bilbao, Spain.
