The CSPI has been established to provide valid, detailed and comprehensive data for academic research, to integrate resources in different research areas, and to construct a platform for foreign exchange so as to conduct more extensive international scholarly cooperations. The CSPI is making great effort to build linkages between macro and micro data.

The CSPI has the following advantages and special features: to cooperate extensively with various government agencies, research institutes and international organizations; to collect and analyze data in multiple independent yet interrelated fields; to link macro data with micro data so as to facilitate the construction of multi-level analysis models and expanded research; to collect high-quality panel data on different issues to provide data sources for longitudinal analyses; to create a group of highly qualified, inter-disciplinary staff so as to assure sustainability in data replenishment, application, and maintenance.

The CSPI keeps a good record of classified questionnaires and cleaned datasets according to standard management models for datasets; uses a webpage as the main channel to provide timely information on available datasets to people around the world and to carry out further coordination and cooperation with those who share common interests in certain issues; and provides updates on datasets to key cooperative institutions and individuals by sending newsletters periodically. The data collected so far mainly covers issues such as social protection, health care, education, and community development.