HGCNSTYRMIN provides the lower limit of the time period in which the household's building was constructed. HGCNSTYRMAX provides the upper limit. E.g. if a household's HGCNSTYRMIN is 1984 and HGCNSTYRMAX is 1990, the building was built between 1984 and 1990.
Households new to the SOEP and households who have moved since the last interview are asked for the time period of construction of the building they live in. With this information HGCNSTYRMIN and HGCNSTYRMAX are constructed. For old households the variables are carried forward from the last years. Since Wave X, households are also asked for the exact construction year. In these cases, HGCNSTYRMIN and HGCNSYTRMAX contain the same value. If a building was built before 1919, HGCNSTYRMIN contains a zero and HGCNSTYRMAX 1919.
In Wave BE, the question about the construction year was not included in the SOEP. All information for HGCNSTYRMIN and HGCNSTYRMAX derives from the previous year.
HGCNSTRMIN and HGCNSTRMAX replace CNSTYR$$ that has previously been distributed in $HGEN files. The latter was a categorial variable grouping about one decade each into one category. Hence, with the last category having a flexible upper limitation and being split up regularily, sorting was ambiguous in some cases. For example, a household responding in Wave L that his house has been built “1981 or later“ was not unambiguously assignable to either “1981-1990“ or “1990 or later“. Using HGCNSTRYRMIN and HGCNSTYRMAX, changing questions can be far better described.
HGCNSTYRMIN provides the lower limit of the time period in which the household's building was constructed. HGCNSTYRMAX provides the upper limit. E.g. if a household's HGCNSTYRMIN is 1984 and HGCNSTYRMAX is 1990, the building was built between 1984 and 1990.
Households new to the SOEP and households who have moved since the last interview are asked for the time period of construction of the building they live in. With this information HGCNSTYRMIN and HGCNSTYRMAX are constructed. For old households the variables are carried forward from the last years. Since Wave X, households are also asked for the exact construction year. In these cases, HGCNSTYRMIN and HGCNSYTRMAX contain the same value. If a building was built before 1919, HGCNSTYRMIN contains a zero and HGCNSTYRMAX 1919.
In Wave BE, the question about the construction year was not included in the SOEP. All information for HGCNSTYRMIN and HGCNSTYRMAX derives from the previous year.
HGCNSTRMIN and HGCNSTRMAX replace CNSTYR$$ that has previously been distributed in $HGEN files. The latter was a categorial variable grouping about one decade each into one category. Hence, with the last category having a flexible upper limitation and being split up regularily, sorting was ambiguous in some cases. For example, a household responding in Wave L that his house has been built “1981 or later“ was not unambiguously assignable to either “1981-1990“ or “1990 or later“. Using HGCNSTRYRMIN and HGCNSTYRMAX, changing questions can be far better described.