This paper reviews the performances and limits of low-energy electron-induced X-ray spectroscopy (LEEIXS) in the surface and thin film analysis of polymer-based materials. The major interest of this soft X-ray emission technique results from the use of a windowless gas discharge tube operating in the primary vacuum of the X-ray spectrometer as an electron excitation source (1-5 keV). The capabilities of LEEIXS are illustrated through the analysis of light elements (C, O, F, Si, etc.) (i) in thin polymeric films deposited on metallic substrates from various wet (dipping, electrodeposition, electropolymerization) and dry (plasma polymerization, thermal evaporation) processes and (ii) on polymer substrates subjected to chemical or physical surface treatments. These examples also show that LEEIXS analysis, when it concerns organic or polymeric materials, is limited to those materials which present a sufficient chemical and thermal stability, as the electron beam bombardment, in spite of the low current density (0.1 mA cm(-2)) used, can cause degradation of many materials.