News

W4B shaft currently in the field

FReDA wave W4B (anchor) has been in the field since 17 October 2024. The anchor gross sample comprises 23,804 cases. Participation is high; by the end of November, around 17,500 people had already taken part in the survey, which corresponds to a response rate of around 74% - and the field period for this wave runs until 6 January 2025. Once again, it is striking how strongly online participation is favoured: Around 94 per cent of respondents opted for the CAWI variant.

Participation in our W5R recruitment wave, which was conducted almost simultaneously, is also very pleasing. The participation rate for this refresher survey was around 35 per cent. The high rate of panelconsent is particularly pleasing.

FReDA On-Site File

From 15 December, you can request data access to the FReDA On-Site File via the GESIS Data Secure Centre in Cologne, Mannheim and Essex (UK). This sensitive dataset contains more information than the usual Scientific Use File (SUF), including, for example, relatively small-scale geo-information.

This detailed data requires a specially regulated access procedure to ensure adequate data protection. On-site access is only possible in person in one of GESIS's designated Safe Rooms and researchers must fulfil a whole series of strict requirements and conditions. These include, among other things, that you may not copy the data onto a USB stick or send it by e-mail. The analysis of the sensitive information must serve a clearly specified research project for which access to this sensitive information is essential. Further information can be obtained directly from GESIS.

New FReDA data version

GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, our project partner responsible for conducting the surveys, data preparation, documentation and provision of data for FReDA, has updated the data version of our survey and published a new version. The new data package (version 4.1.0) contains the following studies, as did version 4.0.0 published in May:

• FReDA - The Family Demographic Panel (ZA7777)
• pairfam relationship and family panel (ZA5678)
• The pairfam COVID-19 Survey (ZA5959)

If you are currently using FReDA data, please get the updated data! The new data version of FReDA can be found as usual via this link in the GESIS search. You can also download and read which data corrections have been made in an errata table.

Additional biopart syntax for pairfam wave 14

From mid-December, an additional Stata syntax will be available for all pairfam users, which supplements the generated ‘biopart’ dataset on partnership history with information from survey wave 14. So far, this additional dataset only includes waves 1-13. The syntax will be included in release 14.2 from mid-December in the data and syntax folder. If you are already using this release, you can informally request the extended version of the release from the GESIS data archive dataservices@gesis.org.

Open Modules for wave W5B

For the autumn survey of the fifth FReDA wave (W5B) in 2025, we gave researchers the opportunity to submit their own proposals for modules or even individual questions. The submission deadline for this expired on 31 May 2024 and we would like to thank you very much for the numerous submissions. In the meantime, the FReDA committees have selected the items to be included in the W5B wave in a multi-stage process. These are questions from these three subject areas:

• Gradational gender identity: measuring variations in self-rated femininity and masculinity
  Submitted by Prof Dr Pia S. Schober (Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen)
• Individual differences and longitudinal relationship predictors of family-friends interdependence
  Submitted by Prof Dr Cornelia Wrzus (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg) and Dr Michael D. Krämer (University of Zurich)
• Intergenerational transmission of parenting styles and their economic and social implications within families in Germany
  Submitted by Prof Dr Daniel Schunk, Dr Katharina Hartinger, Erik Sarrazin, Maria Krempl and David Blum (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)

The modules are now being incorporated into the FReDA questionnaire and will form part of the survey in autumn 2025.

Further information on the open modules in the FReDA question catalogue can be found here. We will inform you in good time about the next ‘Call for open modules’ on our website.

Refugees from Ukraine in Germany

There are currently 1.1 million Ukrainians living in Germany who are seeking protection from the Russian war of aggression against their home country. The study ‘Refugees from Ukraine in Germany (IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP survey)’ was launched in summer 2022 as a joint project of the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), the Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF-FZ) and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) to investigate the living situation of those seeking protection in Germany.

Since August 2022, more than 30,000 interviews have already been conducted with Ukrainians who arrived in Germany between 24 February and the beginning of June 2022. The fifth survey is currently being conducted as part of this longitudinal survey, which takes place every six months. From autumn 2025, the sample will continue to be surveyed as a sub-study of FReDA, so that this longitudinal study can be continued in the long term and compared with FReDA data for the entire German population.

Publications

FReDA's analyses, publications and events are widely covered by the media. The authors of our studies are frequently asked for interviews or explanations. We are pleased that the interested public also learns about the observations and research results in this way. We have compiled a small selection of press comments on FReDA in our press review. Whether ‘Social Report 2024’ or ‘BiB.Monitor Wellbeing’, whether ‘People seeking protection from Ukraine’ or ‘Loneliness in younger and middle-aged adults’, whether ‘Birth rate’ or ‘Rush hour of life’ - in our thematically sorted press reviews you will find some of the media coverage on FReDA.

Dates

At various conferences, workshops and user training courses, we introduce FReDA or present current analyses from our research project. This is a very good opportunity to familiarise yourself with the work of FReDA and to talk to the researchers.

The next dates we expect to attend are:

Workshop of the panel surveys in German-speaking countries

13 - 14 March 2025 in Vienna

German Society for Demography

19 - 21 March 2025 in Wiesbaden

European Survey Research Association ESRA

14 - 18 July 2025 in Utrecht

German Sociological Association DGS

22 - 26 September 2025 in Duisburg