CHICAGO, April 29, 2026 — NORC at the University of Chicago has been named a recipient of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences, one of the world’s leading scientific honors, whose past laureates include 34 Nobel Prize recipients. NORC shares the prize with the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan.

The award committee recognized the two organizations for “their long-term contribution to the objective measurement of public opinion and social life,” citing their creation of “a reliable and unsurpassed source for social scientists, policymakers, and journalists” through data series built over eight decades of research.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards, established in 2008, honor singular contributions across eight fields, from basic sciences to music. The 18th edition drew 40 candidates across 36 nominations.

Central to NORC’s recognition is the General Social Survey (GSS), launched in 1972 and one of the most widely used datasets in social science research. GSS data have informed more than 34,000 articles, books, reports, and dissertations, and the International Social Survey Programme it inspired now spans 45 countries. 

“The GSS has been building a record of American life since 1972, and this recognition reflects the cumulative work of generations of researchers committed to making that data trustworthy and accessible,” said Michael Davern, a chief research officer at NORC and a principal investigator for the GSS. “This recognition also speaks to NORC’s ongoing innovations in social science methodology and our commitment to providing independent evidence that researchers, policymakers, and journalists depend on.”

NORC was founded in 1941 and has been affiliated with the University of Chicago since 1947. The award will be presented at the annual ceremony in Bilbao, Spain.