ESS is designed for use primarily by the academic community. ESS has over 230,000 registered users world wide and there are over 6500 publications using ESS data. Many ESS users are students and ESS data is used extensively in university teaching of data analysis in the social sciences. However, the data itself and publications using the data which are produced by academics are also used to provide direct and contextual evidence across a range of non-academic bodies, both governmental and agencies. ESS has helped inform the work of other surveys in Europe in terms of methodology and questionnaire content including the European Quality of Life Survey, the European Values Survey and the International Social Survey Programme. ESS data and methodology are used in academic teaching in many countries. In addition, the ESS has an ongoing and expanding programme of knowledge transfer directly with policy makers and has held seminars at the European Parliament, Italian parliament and OECD, and European Commission, including with its Joint Research Centre. As part of ESS SUSTAIN (H2020 GA 676166) Technopolis was commissioned to carry out a wide-ranging impact study of ESS; the report (September 2017) is available via the ESS website (www.europeansocialsurvey.org). As part of the ESS SUSTAIN 2 project (GA 871063), this exercise was updated and the report made available on the ESS website (see https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/findings/impact). A new multi-partner Horizon Europe project (INFRA4NEXTGEN, GA 101131118) seeks to harness social science data from the ESS,, Gender and Generations Project, European Values Survey and Eurostat to respond to Make it Green, Health, Strong, Equal and Digital' themes.

The key services provided through its data portal, underpinned by its comprehensive programme of dissemination, include the provision of free access (for non commercial use) to an ever increasing volume of robust data measuring changes of social attitudes and behaviours over time. Such data may be used for scholarly and policy-focused teaching, research and analysis purposes. Support for use of the data is also provided through the provision of available tools and methodological and data curation documentation that are made available, supporting training and analysis activities.