ANES surveys cover many topics, with a special focus on electoral behavior, political participation, and public opinion. Each ANES survey is a combination of questions that are new and questions that have been asked over a longer period of time. The questions asked in a particular survey can be found in the questionnaires that are published with each study. ANES studies fall into three main categories: Time Series, Pilot and Special Studies.
Time Series Studies: Since 1948, ANES has conducted surveys, usually administered as in-person interviews, during most years of national elections. This series of studies, known as the ANES “Time Series,” constitutes a pre-election interview and a post-election interview during years of Presidential elections, and, usually, a post-election interview only during years of midterm elections. Topics cover voting behavior and the elections, together with questions on public opinion and attitudes.
Pilot Studies: ANES Pilot studies test content and methodology for forthcoming Time Series studies in interviews that are usually administered by telephone. Pilots have been conducted ‘between’ most of the Time Series studies since 1979. Most often, a selection of respondents from the latest completed Time Series Study is interviewed.
Special Studies: Panel Studies have been conducted frequently by ANES, each collecting data over a selected time period of special interest. Panel studies reinterview a sample of respondents over the chosen period, for example during a specific election campaign in order to track changes in attitudes and opinions as the campaign develops and to examine the effects of events occurring during the campaign. On occasion, other ANES studies are conducted which do not fall into the other categories listed here.