Data portal for research on racism and right-wing extremism DP-R|EX

Principal investigators: Dr Pascal Siegers (GESIS), Dr Alexander Jedinger (GESIS); Co-PI: Dr Gregor Wiedemann (Hans Bredow Institute), Dr Kati Mozygemba (University of Bremen, SOCIUM Research Centre, Qualiservice), Prof. Dr Betina Hollstein (University of Bremen, SOCIUM Research Centre, Qualiservice), Dr Jörg Dollmann (DeZIM).

The project DP-R|EX – Data Portal for Research on Racism and Right-Wing Extremism is a collaborative project between GESIS, Qualiservice at the University of Bremen, the Hans-Bredow-Institute, and DeZIM.fdz. The aim is to improve the research data infrastructure for racism and right-wing extremism research, which is of equal relevance to academia and society.

DeZIM.fdz contributed to the following subprojects:
(1) The (further) development of a metadata schema for racism and right-wing extremism research, forming the basis of the subject-specific data registry established at GESIS. Metadata on relevant studies from the DeZIM.fdz holdings were integrated into this registry.
(2) Joint development of processes with consortium partners for the federated archiving and ingestion of data on experiences of discrimination and racism.
(3) Support for outreach and communication activities for the data portal, aimed at increasing visibility within the research community as well as among communities affected by racism and discrimination.

A particular focus was placed on the development of a “Data Explorer,” which enables users to generate uni- and bivariate distributions from selected datasets on racism and right-wing extremism without requiring prior statistical knowledge.

Link to the gesis project page: https://www.gesis.org/forschung/drittmittelprojekte/details/project/187/datenportal-fuer-die-rassismus-und-rechtsextremismusforschung

Although data on racism and right-wing extremism are continuously collected, they have often not been available for secondary use. While established survey programs such as ALLBUS, EVS, or SOEP document long-term trends, there has been a lack of systematic indexing and integration of diverse data sources. Research on discrimination experiences of minority groups, in particular, has been insufficiently institutionalized.

Against this backdrop, the project aims to reduce barriers to secondary data access in order to facilitate the reuse of relevant research data. This contributes to making research in this field more efficient and sustainable. A key approach is to improve data accessibility in line with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), enabling broader use and better connectivity of data.

The overarching goal is to establish and operate a thematic data portal to support research on racism and right-wing extremism. The portal is intended to facilitate the search for and access to relevant datasets and to provide researchers with the opportunity to share their own research data.

• Exploration phase (September 2021–February 2022): Alignment of the work program with the needs of the research community and acquisition of consortium partners (DeZIM.fdz was not yet part of the consortium at this stage).
• Implementation phase (March 2022–June 2024): Since Q1 2024, the data portal (DP-R|EX), the DeZIM.fdz metadata database, and the DeZIM.fdz Data Explorer have been online. The interface between DeZIM.fdz and GESIS was completed in Q3 2024.
• Operational phase (July 2024–August 2026): During this phase, data are archived, published, and disseminated through targeted outreach activities. Data archiving at DeZIM.fdz will continue permanently beyond the end of its consortium participation in October 2024.

The project achieved several key milestones. A major step was the creation and publication of the DeZIM.fdz metadata portal in February 2024, which continues to be expanded with additional datasets. At the same time, the technical interface between DeZIM.fdz and GESIS was planned and completed in Q3 2024, enabling the sustainable integration of metadata from studies conducted at DeZIM into the DP-R|EX index.

Another important technical milestone was the completion of the Data Explorer in Q1 2024. This innovative tool enables the interactive analysis of highly aggregated research data and was specifically designed to facilitate access to scientific insights for civil society actors while adhering to strict data protection standards. The final version has since been available via the DeZIM website and is continuously expanded with additional datasets.

A further milestone was the successful organization of three workshop discussions at DeZIM. These events presented both the Data Explorer and the data portal, discussed use cases for civil society actors, and incorporated feedback and suggestions for improvement.

• DeZIM.fdz   Data    Explorer: Data.Explorer. URL: https://www.dezim-institut.de/forschungsdatenzentrum-dezimfdz/datenexplorer/ (Retrieved November 14, 2025).  
• DeZIM.fdz Metadatenportal: DataSearch. URL: https://datasearch.fdz.dezim-institut.de/ (Retrieved November 14, 2025). 
• DP-R|EX Datenportal (2024): Das Datenportal für die Rassismus- und Rechtsextremismusforschung. URL: https://datenportal-rechtsextremismus.de/ (Retrieved November 14, 2025).