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Have you been conducting research with pairfam data and are now wondering how you can continue this work? Don't worry: pairfam is now part of FReDA and the survey of the pairfam sample will continue in this way. The FReDA questionnaires also use many questions and scales that originate from pairfam or are at least compatible with pairfam questions. This enables analyses that combine data from the actual pairfam study (up to 2022) and data from FReDA (from 2022 onwards).
The funding of pairfam by the German Research Foundation ended as planned after 14 years - and the last independent survey (survey wave 14) was conducted in 2021/2022 under the project name pairfam. But the survey was by no means discontinued: Since 2022, the pairfam sample has been part of the FReDA surveys. Extensive panel data will therefore continue to be available for analyses, and the time span covered by this panel data continues to grow steadily. The focus on partnership and family-related issues remains unchanged, and there is also a high degree of overlap in the instruments used in the questionnaire. The multi-actor design focuses on the survey of partners, so that dyadic analyses are possible for the pairfam sample, as well as for other FReDA respondents.
The 14th pairfam survey wave completed in early summer 2022 already marked a first step in the transition to the FReDA survey in terms of the survey mode: Most pairfam anchors and their partners were surveyed online for the first time, which corresponds to the main mode in FReDA. Since 2022, the pairfam sample has now been fully included in the FReDA survey and thus also in the available FReDA dataset (release v4.0.0, May 2024). However, the pairfam child and parenting surveys were conducted for the last time in 2022 and will not be continued in FReDA (at least for the time being).
The processed data from pairfam surveys 1-14 are still available - more information on pairfam data access can be found here.
Access to the FReDA data sets - including the pairfam surveys 2022 - can be found here.
You can therefore continue to conduct research with current pairfam data, as FReDA collects this data every six months. They will be delivered together with the current data release from FReDA. In future, the FReDA study will also include the provision and documentation of the pairfam data. This means that in future you will also be able to find all accompanying documents, data documentation, codebooks etc. for pairfam on the FReDA website. FReDA will also provide user support for the pairfam data from the 2022 survey onwards.
However, the pairfam website will also remain available. It will continue to provide comprehensive information on the creation and development of the relationship and family panel. In addition to general information, you will also find the pairfam bibliography, which will be regularly updated until the end of 2024. In addition, all materials such as codebooks, questionnaires, method reports, instrument overviews and instructions for the surveys up to and including wave 14 are available for download in German and English. Please note, however, that this pairfam website will no longer be updated after 2025. Current information and notes on pairfam from wave 15 onwards can be found on the FReDA website (as described above).
The relationship and family panel pairfam (‘Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics’) is a multidisciplinary longitudinal study to research partnership and family living arrangements in Germany.
The representative study was launched in 2008 with over 12,000 randomly selected people born between 1971-73, 1981-83 and 1991-93. A fourth cohort (2001-2003) was added later. Survey data from these people and their partners, parents and children was collected annually until 2022. The processed and anonymised data is available to the specialist public for scientific analyses. Thus, pairfam offers a globally unique potential for analysing the development of partnership and intergenerational relationships in different phases of life. Although the survey was only conducted in Germany, pairfam is also used internationally by many researchers. The prospect of the end of funding for the pairfam study was a key motivation for applying for the FReDA study as a successor.
The spokesperson for the pairfam study, Karsten Hank, who is also one of the six project leaders of the FReDA study, states: ‘pairfam has set new standards’ - and talks about the future of pairfam in the FReDA research project.
The 7th Interdisciplinary International pairfam Conference in Munich in May 2022 took stock of this unique panel - and looked ahead. You can find a short report on this conference here.
The pairfam sample is a success story. Principle Investigator Karsten Hank describes what made this panel so special – and looks forward to pairfam's future as part of the FReDA research project.
The funding for the German Family Panel pairfam is coming to an end. The 7th pairfam Interdisciplinary International Conference in Munich provided an opportunity to look back – and forward.
FReDA releases the complete dataset from the first wave of the survey. We trace the process of data collection and summarize the most important facts and figures for you.
How are the data collected in FReDA? You can find detailed information on the study’s samples, contents and survey modes here.
Selection made: From the numerous submissions of research questions or modules to be included in the autumn survey of the fifth wave 2025, the FReDA committees selected three modules.
Every three years, FReDA is part of the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS). This makes international comparative analyses possible.
FReDA continues the surveys of the pairfam study so that these cohorts can also continue to be analysed.
FReDA also asks the partners of all anchor persons to participate in the study. This makes dyadic analyses possible.
Are you interested in using FReDA data in the classroom or to conduct research with the latest findings? Learn how you can request data access – you can find the contact address here.
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