As a continuous cross-sectional survey, the first aim of the CGSS is to trace social change trends. But in the Cycle I of the CGSS, the CGSS team has not done well at consistency for modules, questions, and options in questionnaire. A clear core module doesn’t exist in the questionnaire, there are only some background variables and some other questions because of the CGSS team member’s research interests have been repeated.  Even for these repeated questions, some options of them have been changed. When we analyze the integrated dataset of the CGSS Cycle I, we found only a few variables, especially endogenous variable have been asked at multiple time points. At most of the situation, we could only do two time points comparative analysis.

At the Cycle II, the CGSS improve the questionnaire structure, the personal questionnaire composes three kinds of modules: core module, topic module (rotation module), and additional module. The core module will be annually repeated, which includes 152 variables. There are two kinds of the CGSS core module variables. One is the standard background variables, which include 71 variables.   Another is the variables to trace social change trends. They are the rest 81 variables. The core module of the CGSS has 11 dimensions: Social demographic, health, life style, migration, social attitude, class identity, political attitude and behavior, cognitive ability, labor market participation, social welfare, and family. The topic modules will be rotated every five years.  There are one or two topic modules in the annual questionnaire. The topic modules aim to address important social issues.  Since 2012, the CGSS began to publicly call for topic module in academic community.  Researchers could submit topic modules at any time. In each annual CGSS Board Conference, board members will vote on the proposed topic modules to decide which has the possibility to be developed as topic module.  The additional modules include EASS module, ISSP module, and other ad hoc one-time module. Some proposed topic module also might be uses as one-time additional modules. The questions in core module and topic modules will be asked to all respondents.  The questions in additional modules only have one-third or a half chance to be asked. The chance is decidedby how many additional modules have in that year and the sample size demand of each additional module.