The Chinese Social Survey Network (CSSN) is a nationwide academic cooperation network initiated in 2009 by the National Survey Research Center at Renmin University (NSRC), building on the foundation of the China General Social Survey (CGSS). The network aims to promote academic exchange and advancement, facilitate the sharing of survey resources and data, and support the scientific, professional, and sustainable development of social survey research in China.

CSSN was originally established with 22 member institutions, pioneering a new model for organizing and implementing academic surveys in China. Today, the network has expanded to more than 60 member institutions, covering all provincial-level regionsacross mainland China.

Since 2010, CSSN has taken responsibility for implementing the China General Social Survey (CGSS). Practice has shown that this organizational model has achieved remarkable results in various aspects, such as reducing survey costs, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring high data quality. CSSN has not only successfully built a nationwide, academic, inter-university platform for economic and social data collection, but has also significantly enhanced the technical standard and data quality of China’s survey research. As a result, academic survey data have emerged as a strong third-party force alongside government and commercial data in the field of foundational economic and social statistics.