Why the CSS Community Survey Matters
The State of CSS survey for 2022 is still open, and anyone who writes CSS can participate. It's available in multiple languages, all questions are optional, and it takes only a few minutes to complete. This year's edition was designed collaboratively with community input, resulting in a number of improvements over previous years.
The survey isn't just a popularity contest. Browser vendors and specification authors use the collected data to decide where to focus their efforts. Chrome, for instance, is funding the survey precisely because the results help its team identify developer pain points worth addressing.
Past Results, Tangible Impact
Looking at the 2019 survey's "Missing features" section, nearly every item listed is now shipped, in progress, or at least on the CSS Working Group's radar:
- Container queries — size queries shipped in Chrome 106; style queries are behind a flag.
- Parent selector / :has() — shipped in Chrome 105.
- Nesting — implementation is underway, though delayed by last-minute syntax discussions in the CSS Working Group.
- Functions — no stable specification yet, but the CSS WG is actively working on it.
- Scoping — experimental implementation exists in Chrome 105 behind a flag.
- Mixins — no specification yet, but ideas are being explored.
- Subgrid — implementation is in progress.
The 2020 survey added a few more items to the list, and progress followed:
- Form element styling — work is underway on a stylable
<selectmenu>element, with an experimental implementation in Chrome behind a flag. - Conditional logic — no specification yet, but several proposals are being explored in the CSS WG.
- Masonry layout — already in development, with an experimental implementation in Firefox Nightly.
The 2021 results largely echoed these themes, with one new addition: color functions. Chrome is now implementing the ones with stable specifications and has funded specification work on the rest.
Chrome isn't the only browser vendor paying attention. The priorities for Interop 2022 were substantially shaped by these survey results.
Shaping the Roadmap for Styles and Selectors
This year's survey zeroes in on styles and selectors, aiming to identify emerging trends and help developers decide which features and tools to learn next. The results will also guide browser vendors in aligning their roadmaps and improving cross-browser consistency.
The survey is your chance to voice what you want from CSS — whether that's better typography, new responsive layout capabilities, or tools that improve maintainability. Share your feedback in the survey before the response period closes; the answers you provide today can directly influence what lands in browsers tomorrow.
