The BSA series is held at the UK Data Archive under generic study number 33168. The questionnaire has two parts, one administered and one left for self-completion and later return. Each year the interview questionnaire contains a number of `core' questions. These cover major topic areas such as defence, the economy, labour market participation and the welfare state. The majority of these questions are repeated in most years, if not every year. In addition, a wide range of background and classificatory questions is always included. The remainder of the questionnaire is devoted to a series of questions (modules) on a range of social, economic, political and moral issues - some asked regularly, others less often. Cross-indexes of those questions asked more than once appear in the reports.
As an example, in the 2000 survey, information was collected on a number of social issues including the following: political attitudes, democracy and political participation, constitutional change, social trust, public spending and welfare, health care, labour market issues, cohabitation and marriage, teenage pregnancies, education, transport and genetics. Demographic data were also collected. The topic of the ISSP element of the BSA questionnaire was 'environment'.
Data is supplied at the individual level and geographical identifiers include: Countries; Counties; Scottish Regional Councils; Local Authority Districts; Parliamentary Constituencies; Postcode Sectors; Standard Regions; Wards; Government Office Regions.