BackgroundThe objectives of the study were to generate normative data for the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3) for different age groups for men and women and to further investigate the factor structure in the general population.MethodsNationally representative face-to face household surveys were conducted in Germany in 2008 (n = 2524).ResultsNormative data for the Oslo Social Support Scale were generated for men and women (52.3% female) and different age levels (mean age (SD) of 48.9 (18.3) years). Men had mean scores comparable to women (10.1 [SD = 2.3] vs. 10.2 [SD = 2.2]). The EFA resulted in a clear one-factor solution for the OSSS-3.ConclusionsThe normative data provide a framework for the interpretation and comparisons of social support with other populations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40359-018-0249-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.