SOEP Innovation Sample

Citation

• Title: soep-is
• SOEP Innovation-Sample
• Authors: SOEP-IS Group
• Publications using these data should cite the DOI and include the following reference:
  Richter, David, and Jürgen Schupp. 2015. The SOEP Innovation Sample (SOEP IS). Schmollers Jahrbuch 135 (3), 389-399 (doi: 10.3790/schm.135.3.389)
• URL: SOEP-IS

Study Information

The SOEP group at DIW Berlin introduced the SOEP-IS panel for short-term experiments but also for long-term surveys that are not possible in the core SOEP - for instance, because they require instruments that are not yet well established or that deal with very specific research topics. In addition to Samples E and I from the core SOEP, which were started in 1998 and 2009, respectively, new samples were drawn over the years to achieve a number of about 5,000 respondents. The annual interviews since 2011 (except 2021) have contained not only questions from the core SOEP but also innovative modules, which are selected in a peer-reviewed competition as of the 2013 survey year to identify the “best” research questions. Some of the many topics include earnings, employment, education, health and more.

Collection period: 1998-2020, 2022-2023

Data collector:

• since 2022: infas - Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft
• until 2020: Kantar Public Deutschland GmbH

Method

All samples of SOEP-IS are multi-stage random samples with regional clustering. In the past, households were selected by random-walk. Since 2023 SOEP-IS uses register-based sampling.

Until 2020, data collection was exclusively conducted via CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). No data was collected in 2021. In 2022, infas shifted data collection to CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) and CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing) with CAPI only available by request or if the telephone number was missing. In 2023, the CATI mode was dropped, and the interviews were conducted by CAPI or CAWI. Generally, all household members of age 18 and older within a sampled household are asked to participate in the surveys. In addition, one household member (head of household / anchor person) is asked to complete a household questionnaire covering information on living conditions, housing costs, and different sources of income. This questionnaire also includes some questions about children in the household up to age 16 (until 2022) or 18 (since 2023), for example, their kindergarten or school attendance.

Data access

To ensure the confidentiality of respondents’ information, the SOEP adheres to strict security standards in the provision of SOEP data. The data are reserved exclusively for research use, that is, they are provided only to the scientific community. The procedures are described here on our website.