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Release of the TRANSMIT surveys: Longitudinal surveys of Syrians and their neighbors in Lebanon and Turkey (2019-2023)
/ Research
Syrians and their neighbors
The target population for the TRANSMIT surveys included individuals aged 15 years or older who were residing in Lebanon or Turkey at the time of the surveys. The survey was stratified according to the country of birth of the head of household, such that 50 percent of respondents were from Syrian households and 50 percent were from non-Syrian households. As there are no publicly accessible population registers, respondents were selected using area sampling combined with the random walk method. To compensate for the dropout of participants, refreshment samples were recruited. In addition to the main questionnaire, basic demographic information on household members and family members outside the household was collected. For methodological details, see Gundacker et al. (2025, link: https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2024-0091). The Data Explorer provides a descriptive overview of the sample population (Link: https://www.projekte.hu-berlin.de/en/transmit/data/transmit-data-explorer).
Unique data base to study migration and participation processes
The surveys were conducted as part of the TRANSMIT project (Link: https://www.dezim-institut.de/projekte/projekt-detail/transnational-perspectives-on-migration-and-integration-transmit-7-13/). The project targeted a better understanding of the dynamics of migration as a complex social phenomenon situated in its regional and geopolitical contexts. To this end, a multi-method and transnational data infrastructure was established, covering countries of origin, transit countries and host countries. With Lebanon and Turkey, the data collection covered two countries that are central to migration towards Europe - as origin, transit, and host countries. In addition to demographic and socio-economic characteristics, the surveys cover migration biographies as well as aspects of societal and economic participation, health, and well-being. Where possible, the questionnaires were harmonized with the IAB-BAMF-SOEP survey of refugees in Germany. In response to current events, additional modules on events such as the Covid-19 pandemic or the explosion at the port of Beirut were added at short notice.
Covering Syrian refugees and their host populations in equal numbers makes it possible to take local contexts into account and examine group differences. In addition to the main respondents, basic characteristics of household and family members are recorded and provided in separate data sets.
How to get access to the TRANSMIT Surveys?
The data are accessible in Stata format via DeZIM.fdz exclusively for research purposes. The anonymity of the survey participants is guaranteed at all times. DeZIM.fdz offers various access channels: via download (strongest anonymization), remote access, and on-site on the premises of the DeZIM Institute (weakest anonymization).
Selected publications based on the TRANSMIT Surveys
- Gundacker, Lidwina, Sekou Keita, & Simon Ruhnke (2024a). Unequal access to protection? Selection patterns over arrival cohorts of Syrians seeking refuge in Lebanon, Turkey, and Germany. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 5, DOI: dx.doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2023.1171885.
- Gundacker, Lidwina, Laura Hertner, & Simon Ruhnke (2024b). Six years after the EU-Turkey Agreement: A quantitative assessment of the living conditions of Syrians in Turkey. IAB-Forschungsbericht 18/2024, DOI:10.48720/IAB.FB.2418.
- Rischke, Ramona & Nader Talebi (2021). Lebanon at a critical conjuncture—Perspectives of Syrians and Lebanese in Lebanon 2019-2021 (SSRN Scholarly Paper 3848223). Social Science Research Network. doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3848223
- Ruhnke, Simon (2021), The EU-Turkey Deal as a successful Blueprint? New Data on the Wellbeing of Syrian Refugees in Turkey, MERGE Data Brief Series #1, www.projekte.hu-berlin.de/en/merge/publications/data-brief-the-eu-turkey-deal-as-a-successful-blueprint
- Ruhnke, Simon, Laura Hertner, Lidwina Gundacker & Simon Wagner (2024). Going from bad to worse? Well-being of Syrian refugees in Turkey in the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquakes (BIM News). Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. doi.org/10.18452/28152
- Ruhnke, Simon, Laura Hertner, Judith Köhler & Ulrike Kluge (2024). Social ecological determinants of the mental distress among Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Turkey: A transnational perspective. Social Science & Medicine, 116700. doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116700
- Ruhnke, Simon & Ramona Rischke (2024). Predicting mobility aspirations in Lebanon and Turkey: A data-driven exploration using machine learning. Data & Policy, 6, e47. doi.org/10.1017/dap.2024.32
- Ruhnke, Simon, Michele Scala, Fadi Wahbi & Nader Talebi (2023). Healthcare Access Crisis in Lebanon, MERGE Data Brief Series #3, www.projekte.hu-berlin.de/en/merge/publications/data-brief_healthcare_access_crisis_in_lebanon.
- Ruhnke, Simon & Nader Talebi (2022), Food insecurity in Lebanon and the potential ripple effects of the war in Ukraine, MERGE Data Brief Series #2, www.projekte.hu-berlin.de/en/merge/publications/food-insecurity-in-lebanon-and-the-potential-ripple-effects-of-the-war-in-ukraine
Citation
Download: Gundacker, Lidwina, Laura Hertner, Nora Kühnert, Ramona Rischke, Simon Ruhnke, Nader Talebi, Caroline Trocka & Herbert Brücker (2025). TRANSMIT Surveys of Syrian nationals and their neighbors in Lebanon and Turkey (2019-2023). Dataset. Version: 1.0.0. Berlin: Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM). doi.org/10.34882/dezim.transmit1.download.1.0.0
Remote: Gundacker, Lidwina, Laura Hertner, Nora Kühnert, Ramona Rischke, Simon Ruhnke, Nader Talebi, Caroline Trocka & Herbert Brücker (2025). TRANSMIT Surveys of Syrian nationals and their neighbors in Lebanon and Turkey (2019-2023). Dataset. Version: 1.0.0. Berlin: Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM). doi.org/10.34882/dezim.transmit1.remote.1.0.0
Onsite: Gundacker, Lidwina, Laura Hertner, Nora Kühnert, Ramona Rischke, Simon Ruhnke, Nader Talebi, Caroline Trocka & Herbert Brücker (2025). TRANSMIT Surveys of Syrian nationals and their neighbors in Lebanon and Turkey (2019-2023). Dataset. Version: 1.0.0. Berlin: Deutsches Zentrum für