Professor Sir Roger Jowell, the ESS’s Principal Investigator, has died aged 69.

Roger spent his entire career in survey research. In 1969 he co-founded with Gerald Hoinville Social and Community Planning Research, later to become the National Centre for Social Research.  He started the British Social Attitudes Survey in 1983, co-founded the International Social Survey Programme in 1984, and from the mid 1990s chaired the Methodological Committee of what would become the European Social Survey.

In its obituary notice, the UK’s Social Research Association wrote that ‘Roger’s influence on several generations of social researchers in the UK and Europe and on the development of the social survey as a vehicle of enquiry contributing to better evidenced policy making has been profound.’

He was a truly exceptional colleague. He was unwavering in his commitment to high quality social research, but he was also unfailingly supportive to, and appreciative of, those with whom he worked. His contribution to the cross-national measurement of attitudes and behaviour has been immense, and we feel his loss deeply.

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Sharon and sons Marco and Adam.