ABSTRACT
The Continuous National Survey (CNS) was part of a second generation of projects funded by the National Science Founda tion (NSF) which provided support for applied research con cerning the inform ation needs of decision makers in govern ment. The first generation of projects, in the late 1960s, were institutional support grants. NSF gave large grants (up to $4 million) to major private research institutions to underwrite present research and the development of new research. The in tention was to support a perm anent senior staff that could respond quickly to social crises. NSF hoped that some of this research would speak to the needs of federal policy-making agencies. Having a perm anent staff, these institutions had the potential to be responsive to the immediate problems facing de cision makers in Washington. As a problem emerged, these senior staffs could potentially respond with a research proposal.
