The SOM Institute is a research and conference center studying Society, Opinion and Media (S.O.M.) at Göteborg University. The SOM Institute is jointly managed by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMG) , The Department of Political Science, and
The Research Center for the Public Cector (CEFOS).

Every year since 1986, the SOM Institute carries out a nationwide survey, Riks-SOM (National SOM) , in which people are asked questions about politics, society, their use of media, public service, the environment, risks, new media technology and leisure-time activities. The National SOM survey is mailed to 6 000 randomly selected individuals between the ages of 15 and 85.

Since 1992 a corresponding survey is carried out in Gothenburg and its surrounding communities: Väst-SOM ( Western SOM ) . Beginning in 1998, this survey was broadened to cover the whole region of Västra Götaland using a representative sample of 6 000 individuals. In the year of 2000,
a special survey, Ung-SOM (Youth SOM) , focused on individuals in this region aged 15 to 29. Also, a local study, Kom-SOM (Community SOM) , is occasionally carried out in different municipalities surrounding Gothenburg as well as in districts in the city of Göteborg . Starting in 2001, regional surveys are also done every other year in Region Skåne, Syd-SOM ( Southern SOM ).

Since 1993, the SOM Institute each year also monitors the opinions and habits among students at the faculty of Social Sciences: Student SOM. A new initiative taken 2007 is that the SOM institute has begun carrying out surveys over the internet.

The SOM Institute is financed by the research projects taking part in the surveys: first and foremost projects run by the three institutions that founded the SOM Institute. SOM also offers researchers from other universities and external participants the opportunity to include questions in the surveys if space permits.

SOM is run by a steering committee consisting of Professor Lennart Weibull, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMG); Professor Sören Holmberg, Department of Political Science; and Associate Professor Lennart Nilsson, director for The Research Center for the Public Sector (CEFOS) at Göteborg University . Assisting researchers Åsa Nilsson, Susanne Johansson and Jonas Ohlsson are project coordinators responsible for the administration of the surveys and Kerstin Gidsäter is responsible for SOM´s secretariat and publications.

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