American National Election Studies (ANES)

The American National Election Studies (ANES) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. This national resource has served as a leading source of data on public opinion in electoral politics for decades. Nicholas Valentino, Professor of Political Science and Research Professor in the Center for Political Studies (CPS) at the Institute for Social Research, is currently the Principal Investigator of this multi-institutional collaboration that surveys voter attitudes Through questionnaires that cover policy preferences, identity, prejudice, values, behavior, knowledge, and demographics, ANES data provide insight into turnout and candidate choices in elections for federal office. Known as the “Michigan Election Studies” from 1952-1976, ANES sets “the gold standard” in survey research in political science.

The Center for Political Studies has recently published a series on the 75th anniversary of the ANES: Including a Q&A about the project with Nicholas Valentino, a visual history of the project, and reflections from scholars who have been impacted by the ANES.