Political actors need reliable surveys

Prof. Dr Marcel Thum is Director of the ifo Institute in Dresden. He is also a university professor and head of the Chair of Economics, especially Finance, at the Technical University of Dresden. His research topics and foci include demography, finance, political economy and the labour market. Prof. Dr Thum is also Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Finance and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB).

We spoke with Prof. Dr Marcel Thum about the importance of FReDA for policy advice.

Question: Why is it important that the Family Demographic Panel FReDA exists?

Marcel Thum: The demographic development in Germany poses great challenges for politics, the economy and society. In order to be able to react to and shape long-term changes, political actors in particular need reliable, representative surveys. FReDA's surveys enable us to recognise, understand and react to demographic upheavals.

For example, family life has changed in various ways over the past decades - the traditional model of the father-mother-child family is often being replaced by other forms of life. Such developments have consequences for the future: For example, there are more childless partnerships, for which the question of extra-familial care, among other things, arises in old age.

What are the strengths of the FReDA panel?

On the one hand, there is the large data base that enables representative analyses: with more than 30,000 interviews, FReDA offers a very good basis for research on questions about families and partnerships in Germany. In addition, the panel design with regular semi-annual surveys makes it possible to observe demographic developments very well. Since the partners and ex-partners of the participants are also interviewed, the different phases of partnerships can be studied.
And finally, as part of the Generations and Gender Survey, FReDA offers the possibility to conduct comparative analyses with other countries. All this allows for a very precise look at the present - and the society of tomorrow.

Is FReDA only concerned with long-term developments or can short-term advisory needs from the circle of political decision-makers also be met in a timely manner?

FReDA has studied life during the Corona pandemic and was able to identify factors that facilitated resilient handling of the crisis situation. As a result, the panel provides policy makers with background knowledge that contributes to understanding the needs of the population. Due to the special design of the biannual surveys, the project was able to pick up on a socially relevant topic very quickly and offer policy-makers important impulses and recommendations with scientific expertise.

How does this transfer of knowledge - from research to politics - take place?

Alternative suggestion: There is no one way. Sometimes the knowledge transfer starts from basic research. By observing and analysing the FReDA data, for example, one gains knowledge that is first processed for the experts and then presented in policy recommendations for the public in a way that is easy to understand. Sometimes, however, the impulse comes from politicians who approach the researchers with an urgent question. And these are not always large expert reports or huge committees, but often also informal discussions at the professional level.

For policy-makers, FReDA regularly offers publications in the form of a short policy brief or for more in-depth discussion in detailed brochures. The event "FReDA informs", which takes place in Berlin, is aimed at political actors and is dedicated to a topic in short impulse lectures followed by a discussion. There is then always room for informal discussions. But of course, the project staff is also available at any time to answer questions and offer expertise on all aspects of the focus on family and partnership.