In the European Union today, the European Research Area is being developed, comprising experienced and young researchers who engage in the search for new ideas, knowledge, processes, and methods.

The European Commission acknowledges that Europe's future is shaped through research and requires investment in People and Knowledge. Member States have accepted that achieving the goals of the Lisbon Strategy for "growth, competitiveness, and social cohesion" necessitates the establishment of the Knowledge Society. That is, an upgraded New European Society based on research, education, and lifelong learning.

The aim of this book is to familiarize undergraduate and graduate students studying social sciences with the quantitative and qualitative methods used to describe and investigate social phenomena.

In this book, the student will be informed about the "Large Social Surveys" conducted by the European Statistical Office, such as the Labour Force Survey, the Household Budgets, and the Income and Living Conditions Survey, which aim to record and investigate "social life" in Europe.

Furthermore, they will learn about the European Social Survey conducted in more than 30 countries in Europe, which aims to record the attitudes, opinions, and subjective evaluations of European citizens regarding social, economic, political, and cultural developments.