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New DeZIM.panel dataset: Extensive longitudinal data on migration and integration available for research

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The data set contains responses from the recruitment study, the first rapid survey and eight regular survey waves.

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Researchers can now use the new scientific use file in the long format of the DeZIM.panel. The DeZIM.panel - the online access panel of the DeZIM - examines social life in Germany through recurring, representative population surveys. At the beginning of 2021, over 9,000 people with and without a history of migration from all over Germany took part in the DeZIM.panel recruitment study. Almost 7,000 participants subsequently agreed to take part in follow-up surveys over the long term and several times a year.

The responses are now available as an anonymized data set (in Stata format) and make it possible to analyse both short and long-term trends and changes in the German population with and without a history of migration. For example, attitudes to political issues, opinions on social issues and personal experiences can be examined over time. The data is particularly interesting for those conducting research in the fields of integration, migration and racism: it provides a broad database on integration indicators, experiences of discrimination, xenophobic and racist attitudes as well as national and ethnic identities.

The questionnaire for the recruitment study, which was conducted at the beginning of 2021, covered the following topics, among others

  • Migration biography
  • language skills
  • Ethnic and national identity
  • religion
  • Transnational ties
  • Housing situation and partnership
  • Political attitudes and protest
  • Education and educational background of parents
  • discrimination
  • Work and income.

Since 2022, the DeZIM.panel has been conducting a total of four regular waves of 20-minute online surveys every year. These waves consist of two parts: One half of the survey is intended for questions that employees of the DeZIM Institute, the DeZIM research community and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) can suggest. The other half of the survey consists of various core modules that remain largely the same every year and rotate on a quarterly basis. There are also questions on current topics.

The four core modules focus on:

  • political institutions and attitudes as well as political behavior (Module 1)
  • Social values and attitudes (Module 2)
  • Health and well-being (Module 3)
  • Work and education and experiences of discrimination (Module 4)

Questions on subjective well-being and assessment of the individual life situation are asked in each wave.

Figure 1 below shows an evaluation of this regularly collected assessment of the individual life situation across the various waves. At the beginning of each regular wave, participants were asked how they are doing and how they currently assess their personal circumstances. Specifically, they were asked: "Compared to the average in Germany, how would you rate your personal situation with regard to" various areas and could indicate whether they rated themselves better, worse or the same. The question relates to the following areas of life: "Popularity with others", "Doing things that are important to you", "State of health", "Monthly income", "Regular income", "Being able to afford something", "Assets" and "Housing situation".

 

The longitudinal data shows that the proportion of people who rate themselves as better than average in various areas of life (green line) decreased significantly in all areas between 2021 and 2023. This is particularly noticeable in the areas of "health" and "being able to afford something": While 57% still stated that they were more likely to be better off at the end of 2021, this figure had fallen to just 48% in 2023. In terms of health, this figure fell from 47% to 36%. In the areas of "popularity with others" and "housing situation", there was also a significant drop in the assessment of being "better" in favor of the "about the same" category. The strongest increase in the category "worse off" can be observed in the area of "being able to afford something". These results may indicate that the multiple crises, such as pandemics, economic crises, climate change and wars, have had a negative impact on respondents' assessments of their personal living situation in recent years.

Citation

Dollmann, Jörg; Jacobsen, Jannes; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Lietz, Almuth; Köhler, Jonas; Schmälzle, Michaela; Siegel, Madeleine; Zimmermann, Stefan; Chouaibi, Doreen; Kalter, Frank (2024). DeZIM.panel Data Release 4.0.0. Dataset. Version: 4.0.0. Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM).https://doi.org/10.34882/dezim.panel.download.4.0.0

How is the DeZIM.panel data requested?

The data is accessible via DeZIM.fdz exclusively for research purposes. The anonymity of the survey participants is guaranteed at all times. DeZIM.fdz offers research data via various access channels: Scientific Use Files (SUF) are currently available via download and on-site at the DeZIM Institute premises. Soon, data use will also be possible via remote access.

Apply for data

 

Access to DeZIM data is regulated by law. In order to use an SUF, there must be a scientific research purpose and employment at a scientific institution. In addition, a data usage agreement must be concluded.

 

Background information on the DeZIM.panel

The population of the DeZIM.panel comprises all persons living in Germany with and without a history of migration who were born between 1941 and 2004. It is a random sample based on the residents' registration offices, which can be used to map current moods and trends in the German population on a longitudinal basis. The DeZIM.panel sample is based on two-stage stratified sampling with the aim of disproportionately including certain population groups in the sample, in particular people from Turkey, other predominantly Muslim countries, countries with guest worker recruitment agreements and ethnic German repatriates from the former Soviet Union and Romania. As a result, the DeZIM.panel provides sufficient cases for comparisons and analyses within these subgroups, both cross-sectionally and, in future, longitudinally.

At the beginning of 2021, over 9,000 people with and without a history of migration from all over Germany took part in the recruitment study. Almost 7,000 participants subsequently agreed to take part in follow-up surveys in the long term and several times a year. Since 2022, the DeZIM.panel has been conducting four regular survey waves per year, each with 20 minutes of online survey time. The number of respondents per wave is currently around 3,500.

In addition to the regular survey waves, the DeZIM.panel also conducts quick surveys, with a shorter survey duration of approx. 5 minutes and a field time of 7 days. In contrast to the regular survey waves, in which people are invited to take part in the survey by post and email, only people who have provided us with their email address are invited to take part in the quick surveys due to the tight time frame.

DeZIM.panel publications

Schiefer, David; Nowicka, Magdalena; Lazaridou, Felicia Boma (2024): Binational Identities and Experiences of Discrimination in the Context of Migration: The Role of Transnational Family Ties and Practices. Identity. DOI: 10.1080/15283488.2024.2354200.

Dollmann, Jörg; Jacobsen, Jannes; Mayer; Sabrina J. (2023): One year of war of aggression: continued strong solidarity with Ukrainian refugees and high support for sanctions against Russia. DeZIM.insights Working Paper 8, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM). DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/9vkrf.

Dollmann, Jörg; Jacobsen, Jannes; Mayer, Sabrina Jasmin (2023): The support of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. In: Oltmer, Jochen et al. (eds.): Report Global Flight: 2023. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer. S. 243-254.

Kleist, J. Olaf; Weiberg, Mirjam; Schöll, Anja (2023): Promoting more democracy! Majority sees democracy under pressure and favors longer-term support for civil society. DeZIM Briefing Notes 10, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM).

Mayer, Sabrina J.; Nguyen, Christoph G.; Dollmann, Jörg; Veit, Susanne (2023): The hidden majority/minority consensus: Minorities show similar preference patterns of immigrant support as the majority population. The British Journal of Sociology 74 (4), 711-716. DOI: 10.1111/1468-4446.13013.

Siegel, Madeleine; Köhler, Jonas; Chouaibi, Doreen; Dollmann, Jörg; Jacobsen, Jannes; Lietz, Almuth and Schmälzle, Michaela (2023): How does the German population rate the reform of citizenship law? DeZIM.insights 11, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM).

Yanaşmayan, Zeynep; Rischke, Ramona; Ateş, Merih; Sinanoğlu, Cihan (2023): Destiny voting in Turkey: findings on the voting preferences of communities of Turkish origin in Germany. DeZIM.insights Working Paper 9, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM).

Dollmann, Jörg; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Lietz, Almuth; Siegel, Madeleine and Köhler, Jonas (2022): DeZIM.panel - Data for Germany's Post-Migrant Society. Yearbooks of Economics and Statistics. https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2022-0025.

Dollmann, Jörg; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Lietz, Almuth; Siegel, Madeleine; Köhler, Jonas (2022): Setting Up an Offline Recruited Online Access Panel with an Oversampling of Immigrants and their Descendants: The German DeZIM.panel. Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM). DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/mdpnx.

Dollmann, Jörg; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Jacobsen, Jannes; Köhler, Jonas; Lietz, Almuth; Siegel, Madeleine (2022): Continued high willingness to support Ukrainian refugees in Germany: a longitudinal analysis of the DeZIM.panel. DeZIM.insights Working Paper 4, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM). DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/8h5c6.

Jacobsen, Jannes; Dollmann, Jörg; Köhler, Jonas; Lietz, Almuth; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Siegel, Madeleine (2022): Consequences of inflation in Germany: people with children and people without German citizenship are particularly affected. DeZIM.insights Working Paper 3, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM). DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/jwmx9.

Mayer, Sabrina J.; Lietz, Almuth; Dollmann, Jörg; Siegel, Madeleine and Köhler, Jonas (2022): Reactions to the Ukraine war. A quick survey of the DeZIM.panel. DeZIM.insights Working Paper 1, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM).

Schiefer, David (2022): Transnational Relationships with Parents Abroad: Life Realities in the Context of International Migration. IAF Information 2/2022, Association of Binational Families and Partnerships, iaf e.V., 8-15.

Steinhilper, Elias; Jacobsen, Jannes; Dollmann, Jörg; Isani, Mujtaba; Köhler, Jonas; Lietz, Almuth; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Walter, Lisa (2022): Protest potential in the energy crisis. DeZIM.insights Working Paper 7, Berlin: German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM). DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/9dvf6.