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Der Zensus 2011 war zur Entlastung der Auskunftspflichtigen und zur Reduzierung der Kosten ein registergestützter Zensus, bei dem im Gegensatz zu früheren Volkszählungen nicht alle Personen und Haushalte befragt wurden. Der Zensus 2011 hat dabei unterschiedliche Datenquellen genutzt und unterschiedliche Erhebungsverfahren eingesetzt. Damit hat sich ein breites Spektrum an Auswertungsmöglichkeiten ergeben. Neben den Einwohnerzahlen konnten im Mai 2013 bereits weitere erste Ergebnisse vor dem Abschluss aller Arbeiten am Zensus 2011 erstellt und veröffentlicht werden. Zur Erstellung der endgültigen Ergebnisse wurden weitere Informationen genutzt, zum Teil beruhten die endgültigen Ergebnisse im Mai 2014 auf anderen Datenquellen und anderen Berechnungsverfahren. Anhand von Boxplots über die Gemeinden Deutschlands ab 10.000 Einwohner werden die aus den genannten methodischen Unterschieden resultierenden Divergenzen in den Ergebnissen für ausgewählte Merkmale dargestellt. The German census 2011 has been a register based census. Deviant from former "Volkszählungen" not all persons and households has been surveyed to discharge respondents and to save costs. Therefore the Census 2011 has used different data sources and different methods of survey. This has opened a wide spectrum of potential analysis. In addition to the population size first results had already been compiled and published in May 2013 before the data processing was completed. For final results additional information had been included. In parts the final results in May 2014 were based on other data sources and other methods of calculation. Boxplots on German municipalities with at least 10,000 inhabitants show the divergences in the results due to different methods of survey and analysis for selected variables.

Mixed-mode surveys have been around since the late 1980s. In the past thirty years, major changes in technology and society influenced and changed data collection and survey methodology. However, in those years, mixed-mode strategies remained part of the daily survey practice, although the type of mix implemented followed the changes in technology and data collection methods. In this paper, I summarize the state of the art in traditional mixed-mode surveys and discuss implications for mixed device surveys., Survey Research Methods, Vol 12, No 2 (2018)

Compositional data, also called multiplicative ipsative data, are common in survey research instruments in areas such as time use, budget expenditure and social networks. Compositional data are usually expressed as proportions of a total, whose sum can only be 1. Owing to their constrained nature, statistical analysis in general, and estimation of measurement quality with a confirmatory factor analysis model for multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) designs in particular are challenging tasks. Compositional data are highly non-normal, as they range within the 0-1 interval. One component can only increase if some other(s) decrease, which results in spurious negative correlations among components which cannot be accounted for by the MTMM model parameters. In this article we show how researchers can use the correlated uniqueness model for MTMM designs in order to evaluate measurement quality of compositional indicators. We suggest using the additive log ratio transformation of the data, discuss several approaches to deal with zero components and explain how the interpretation of MTMM designs differs from the application to standard unconstrained data. We show an illustration of the method on data of social network composition expressed in percentages of partner, family, friends and other members in which we conclude that the face-to-face collection mode is generally superior to the telephone mode, although primacy effects are higher in the face-to-face mode. Compositions of strong ties (such as partner) are measured with higher quality than those of weaker ties (such as other network members)., Survey Research Methods, Vol 5, No 2 (2011)

How to achieve survey representativeness is a controversially debated issue in the field of survey methodology. Common questions include whether probability-based samples produce more representative data than nonprobability samples, whether the response rate determines the overall degree of survey representativeness, and which survey modes are effective in generating highly representative data. This meta-analysis contributes to this debate by synthesizing and analyzing the literature on two common measures of survey representativeness (R-Indicators and descriptive benchmark comparisons). Our findings indicate that probability-based samples (compared to nonprobability samples), mixed-mode surveys (compared to single-mode surveys), and other-than-Web modes (compared to Web surveys) are more representative, respectively. In addition, we find that there is a positive association between representativeness and the response rate as well as the number of auxiliary variables used in representativeness assessments. Furthermore, we identify significant gaps in the research literature that we hope might encourage further research in this area., Survey Research Methods, Vol 12, No 1 (2018)

Looping questions are used to collect data about several similar events, such as employment spells, retirement accounts, or marriages. The loops gather information about the number of events experienced as well as details about each one. The questions require respondents to think hard to recall each event and are often lengthy and repetitive. Looping questions can be asked in two formats, and which format a survey uses may aect the quality of the data collected. We develop hypotheses about the eects of format on measurement error in looping questions and test the hypotheses using experimental data from a web survey with a link to administrative records. Results show that one format collects more accurate event reports, but the other format provides higher quality data to the follow up questions. We conclude with guidance for those who write survey questions as well as those who rely on survey data for substantive analyses., Survey Research Methods, Vol 12, No 1 (2018)

"Was kostet ein Kind?" Diese einfache Frage kann in Österreich eigentlich nicht mehr beantwortet werden. Da die Referenzwerte aus dem Jahr 1964 stammen, führte das ÖIF Anfang 2018 eine Pilotstudie durch, die die Möglichkeiten der Erhebung der direkten Kinderkosten testete. Die methodischen Erkenntnisse werden im Working Paper Nr. 90 wiedergegeben.

Previous research has shown that people often engage in other activities while responding to surveys and that respondents’ multitasking generally has no effect on indicators of data quality (e.g., item non-response, non-differentiation). One of the limitations of these studies is that they have mostly used self-reported measures of respondents’ multitasking. We build on prior research by combining self-reported measures of multitasking with interviewers' observations of respondents' distractions recorded after each interview. The dataset comes from a statewide dual-frame random digit dial telephone survey of adults in a Midwestern state (n = 1,006) who were queried on topics related to awareness of and attitudes toward STEM education. We found that multitasking was frequent (45.6%) and that respondents who reported engaging in other activities were described as distracted twice as often as those who did not report multitasking (38.3% versus 19.0%). In terms of data quality, respondents who were multitasking provided less accurate responses to a knowledge question. However, we found no evidence that distractions, assessed by interviewers, compromised data quality. The implications of the results for survey practices are discussed.

Interactive voice response (IVR) is gaining popularity as a data collection method for survey research. In low- and middle-income countries, IVR is used as a primary data collection mode. The system places an out-bound dial; when the individual answers, he/she hears a recorded greeting and invitation to begin the survey. This approach has the benefit of reducing labor costs, but without an interviewer, there is no one to help gain cooperation, answer questions, or identify the appropriate language in which to continue, resulting in low production outcome rates (e.g., cooperation rate, response rate). In this paper, we use experiments embedded in four studies in three countries (Ghana, Malawi, and Nigeria) to test how three design choices affect production and representativeness in IVR surveys in low- and middle-income countries. Specifically, (1) should we send an SMS (i.e., text message) prior to the first IVR contact? (2) Where should we place the language selector within the introduction? (3) Should we notify the individual that they are listening to a recording during the introduction? While some of these design choices resulted in different production outcome rates at different points in the survey, there was no clear effect on overall yields nor on the representativeness of the sample.

International audience; Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are a method to assess impact that has become increasingly popular over the last fifteen years, particularly as a result of the work done by Esther Duflo and her Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), an or-ganization devoted to the promotion of randomization. This article aims to explore and understand this success by using an in-depth sociographical study of the J-PAL and a network analysis of economists who use RCT. J-PAL appears to be a concentration of educational and academic capital that give great legitimacy to the RCT method. The network is controlled by certain leaders who are able to diffuse the J-PAL approach to RCTs. Furthermore, this article argues that it is necessary to go beyond the intrinsic quality of this method to explain how it became so popular

Die Entwicklung von technischen Unterstützungssystemen für ältere Menschen verläuft bisher vorwiegend technologiegetrieben und geht in ihren Ergebnissen vielfach an den realen Herausforderungen einer selbstbestimmten Lebensführung im Alter vorbei. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird im Rahmen des Beitrags eine Forschungsstrategie vorgestellt, die darauf abzielt, die diesbezüglichen Bedürfnisse und Wünsche auf der Basis einer Analyse der alltäglichen Lebensführung zu erheben. Die Ergebnisse können genutzt werden, um technische Assistenzsysteme für ältere Menschen zu entwickeln, die dazu beitragen, deren selbstständige und selbstbestimmte häusliche Lebensführung zu unterstützen. Dabei ist die präsentierte Methodik auf den ersten Schritt einer Identifikation der konkreten Bedürfnisse ausgerichtet. Der Transfer der sozialwissenschaftlichen Daten in konkrete technische Anforderungsprofile wäre der darauf aufbauende zweite Schritt. Im von uns entwickelten Ansatz einer kontextintegrierenden, praxiszentrierten Bedarfsanalyse werden Elemente der Feldforschung und der partizipativen Forschung verknüpft, um auf diese Weise zu einem validen Bild der relevanten Herausforderungen im Alltag älterer Menschen zu gelangen. Die Methodik lässt sich – auch jenseits des Anwendungsfeldes der Technikentwicklung für ältere Menschen – besonders dann sinnvoll einsetzen, wenn technische Systeme für Anwendungskontexte entwickelt werden sollen, die sich durch ein hohes Maß an Routinehaftigkeit und entsprechend durch eine Widerständigkeit gegenüber den Zumutungen auszeichnen, die mit der Adaption von Innovationen verbunden sind., Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, Vol 19, No 1 (2018)

Die Autorin hat in einem partizipativen Forschungsprojekt mit Frauen mit Lernschwierigkeiten Fragen im Zusammenhang von Fremd- und Selbstbestimmung beforscht und präsentiert hier die Ergebnisse. Durch das aktive Einbeziehen der Frauen mit Lernschwierigkeiten spiegelt sich deren Sichtweise zu Inhalten, Methoden und Ergebnissen der Forschung in dem gemeinsam geplanten Projekt wider. (DIPF/ Verlag)

The study compared the level of valuation variance and inaccuracy between Nigeria and UK. In order to achieve the aim for the study, a survey method was employed using questionnaire administered on respondent estate surveyors and valuers in Calabar and Uyo metropolises. The study surveyed valuers opinions on the existence of valuation variance and inaccuracy, the possible causes and the margin of valuation error and data collected through questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics to find the mean score, standard deviation and percentages. The findings from the study show that valuation variance and inaccuracy is high in Nigeria as compared to UK. The possible causes include lack of standards, lack of market data/comparables, lack of regulatory framework, methods/bases of valuation adopted, client’s influence, inadequate training of valuers, imperfect knowledge of the property market, wrong assumptions on cost per square metre, lack of professional experience as well as failure to discipline valuers on cases of negligence with lack of standards ranked first with the highest frequency and mean score. The study concluded by recommending the creation of a central property database, adopting/enforcement of international valuation standards, enforcement of disciplinary measures for erring members on negligence and a defined acceptable margin of valuation error.

The Global Slavery Index aims to, among other objectives, recognize the forms, size, and scope of slavery worldwide as well as the strengths and weaknesses of individual countries. An analysis of the Index’s methods exposes significant and critical weaknesses and raises questions into its replicability and validity. The Index may prove more valuable in the future if proper methods are implemented, but the longer improper methods are used the more damage is done to the public policy debate on slavery by advancing data and policy that is not based on sound methodology. To implement proper methods, a committee of sophisticated methodologists needs to develop measurement tools and constantly analyze and refine these methods over the years as data is collected.

The use of open-ended questions in survey research has a very long history. In this paper, building on the work of Paul F. Lazarsfeld and Howard Schuman, we review the methodological uses of open-ended questions and verbatim responses in surveys. We draw on prior research, our own and that of others, to argue for increasing the use of open-ended questions in quantitative surveys. The addition of open-ended questions – and the capture and analysis of respondents’ verbatim responses to other types of questions – may yield important insights, not only into respondents’ substantive answers, but also into how they understand the questions we ask and arrive at an answer. Adding a limited number of such questions to computerized surveys, whether self- or interviewer-administered, is neither expensive nor time-consuming, and in our experience respondents are quite willing and able to answer such questions., methods, data, analyses, Vol 11, No 2 (2017)

GESIS Papers

GESIS Papers

Am 7. und 8. Juli 2017 fand in Hamburg das zwölfte Treffen der Gruppe der zwanzig wichtigsten Industrie- und Schwellenländer (G20) statt. Gemeinsam mit dem Forschungszentrum Ungleichheit und Sozialpolitik (Socium) und dem Göttinger Institut für Demokratieforschung (GIfD) haben Wissenschaftler innen des Instituts für Protest- und Bewegungsforschung eine Befragung der Protestierenden für zwei zentrale Demonstrationszüge durchgeführt: die bereits für den 2. Juli, also am Wochenende vor dem offiziellen Gipfel, angesetzte Demonstration G20 Protestwelle, zu der vor allem Umweltorganisationen, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen und das Mobilisierungsnetzwerk Campact aufgerufen hatten, sowie die Abschlussdemonstration am 8. Juli mit dem Titel Grenzenlose Solidarität statt G20! , für die ein Bündnis linker, überwiegend antikapitalistischer Organisationen und Parteien warb. Es werden zentrale Ergebnisse der Fragebogenstudie und einer Demonstrationsbeobachtung dargestellt, wobei insbesondere der Frage nachgegangen wird, ob sich die Protestierenden nicht doch ähnlicher sind, als die unterschiedliche Charakterisierung der beiden Demonstrationen suggeriert. Erleben wir ein erneutes Aufleben der globalisierungskritischen Bewegung oder eher eine Parallelität einzelner Protestereignisse, die keinen gemeinsamen Nenner mehr besitzen? Diesen Fragen wird nachgegangen, indem die Motive, Überzeugungen und Einstellungen der Protestierenden in den Mittelpunkt der Untersuchung gestellt werden. Die Protestbeobachtung liefert darüber hinaus eine Analyse der eskalierenden Dynamik polizeilicher Maßnahmen, die letztlich vor allem darauf gerichtet waren, Protest zu erschweren. Zusammen liefert die Studie auch ein Gegengewicht zu der öffentlichen Fokussierung auf die den Gipfel begleitende Gewalt.

Dies ist ein Beitrag aus der Forschungsberichtsreihe zur Vermächtnisstudie. Die Vermächtnisstudie ist eine Kooperation von DIE ZEIT, infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft und dem Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB) unter der wissenschaftlichen Leitung von Jutta Allmendinger. Befragt wurden 3.104 zufällig ausgewählte Personen im Alter von 14 bis 80 Jahren in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Die Befragung fand zwischen Anfang Juli und Mitte Oktober 2015 statt. Eine weitere Sonderbefragung wurde im November und Dezember 2015 zum Thema "Flucht" durchgeführt. Zwischen Mitte Juni und Mitte August 2016 wurde eine dritte Befragung der Vermächtnisstudie durchgeführt, die Teile der ersten Befragung replizierte. Die Forschungsberichte dieser Reihe dienen als Übersicht der Datenauswertungen und stellen Begleitpublikationen zum Buch "Das Land, in dem wir leben wollen" von Jutta Allmendinger dar. Allen Forschungsberichten liegen Arbeiten des gesamten Forschungsteams zugrunde. Der folgende Forschungsbericht befasst sich mit den Grundlagen und Methodik der Erhebung mit Sinnesreizen.

Recent decades have seen a gradual shift away from surveys in which all procedures are completely standardised towards a variety of approaches (tailored, responsive, adaptive) in which different sample members are treated differently. A particular variant of the non-standardised approach involves applying to each of a number of subgroups of the sample a targeted design feature (or set of features) that is identified in advance of field work and is not then modified during field work. Thus, the design is not “responsive.” As procedures are applied to broad subgroups, they are not “tailored” either. Targeted designs may be seen as a sub-category of adaptive designs. The effectiveness of targeted designs depends partly on the richness of information available about sample members prior to field work. For this reason they have mainly been implemented on panel surveys and mainly to address non-response and attrition. This article reviews the development of targeted designs in recent years, discusses the objectives of such designs, provides a framework for consideration of these designs, and outlines ways in which targeted designs might usefully develop in the years ahead., Survey Research Methods, Vol 11, No 1 (2017)

Die MediaMap ist eine Methodenexploration, die im Zuge von Feldforschungen zur Medienaneignung in Nairobi (Kenia) entstand. Impulse zur Methoden-entwicklung gingen vor allem von forschungspraktischen Herausforderungen aus. Ziel der MediaMap ist es, mit Medienfiguren - ähnlich den Figuren eines Brettspiels - eine Landkarte der von einer Person genutzten Medien anzulegen, zeichnerisch zu ergänzen und über diese zu sprechen. Damit ist die MediaMap eine semi-strukturierte, interaktive Kombination aus einer Interview- beziehungsweise Gesprächsmethode und einer Mappingmethode. Durch haptisch-visuelle Vergegenständlichung von Teilen der Medienwelt durch die Medienfiguren sollen Gesprächsimpulse für ein Forschungsinterview evoziert werden und begegnen dabei der Herausforderung der Abstraktheit reiner Wortsprachlichkeit im Interviewkontext. Die MediaMap ist inspiriert von der Net-Map (Schiffer 2007) sowie dem Ansatz der communicative ecologies (Tacchi/Slater/Hearn 2003) und methodisch verankert in Ansätzen des partizipativen Mappings sowie der Photo-Elicitation. (DIPF/Orig.), The MediaMap is a research methods-exploration which evolved from ethno-graphic research on the appropriation of mobile telephones in Nairobi (Kenya). The motive for developing the MediaMap arose from practical challenges in the field. The MediaMap is a semi-structured method that aims to map out (like with the pieces in a board game) the individual media being used by participants on a daily basis, to complement this map with participant generated illustrations, and ultimately to discuss the map and the mapping process. In doing so, the "board-game pieces" - as a symbolic reification of parts of the participants' media worlds - serve as elicitation artefacts that might help participants to overcome any challenges posed by the abstract nature of conventional conversation-based research methods. The MediaMap was inspired by the Net-Map method (Schiffer 2007) and the communicative ecologies-approach (Tacchi/Slater/Hearn 2003). It is methodologically grounded in participatory mapping and photo-elicitation. (DIPF/Orig.)

Der Deutsche Alterssurvey (DEAS) ist eine seit 1996 durchgefuhrte Befragung von Menschen in der zweiten Lebenshalft e in Deutschland. Mit der jungsten DEAS-Erhebung im Jahr 2014 hat sich der Beobachtungszeitraum der Studie auf nunmehr 18 Jahre und funf Erhebungen erweitert (1996, 2002, 2008, 2011, 2014). In Verbindung mit den kombinierten Quer- und Langsschnittstichproben und der grosen thematischen Breite des DEAS steht damit ein Datensatz zur Verfugung, der eine fundierte Sozialberichterstattung uber einen langen Zeitraum hinweg und zu einer Vielzahl alter(n)srelevanter Themen und Fragen ermoglicht.

"The IAB Establishment Panel was launched to obtain information on the demand side of the labor market. This data meets two requirements: providing high quality data for the scientific aims and having an information system for policy makers and practitioners. As it started in 1993 a rich data set of 20 years establishment survey is available now. This article provides information about methodological issues of sample design and data sampling and changes that have taken place in recent years. We focus on quality issues, efforts to improve the survey and on some ongoing discussions about methodological adjustments of the survey mode." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

"The aim of the Panel Study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS) is to provide a database which allows analysing the dynamics of welfare benefits receipt after the introduction of the Unemployment Benefits II in Germany in 2005. This entails the take up and ending of benefits receipt as well as the social situation of households and individuals receiving benefits, their subjective ways of coping with the situation and the contact to institutions providing the basic income support. PASS is set up as a household panel study with a sample of approx. 10,000 households interviewed in each wave. In addition to household interviews with the heads of the households about 15,000 interviews with individual household members aged 15 and older are carried out. This article provides an overview of the first six waves of PASS. It focuses on the survey's main goals, the questionnaire, the sampling and study design, the number of interviews, data access and methodological research on PASS. The article closes by describing the outlook for future developments." (Authors' abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Schwartz's theory of human values, as operationalized using different instruments such as the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), was confirmed by multiple studies using Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). Because of its success, a short version of the PVQ was introduced in the European Social Survey (ESS). However, initial tests using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) pointed to low discriminant validity of the 10 basic values: The correlations between values next to each other in the two-dimensional space described by SSA were close to or greater than 1. In response, one research stream suggested combining the factors with low discriminant validity. Another stream suggested that the problem was not low discriminant validity but rather misspecifications in the model. Analyses of the short Portrait Values Questionnaire of the ESS confirmed the latter view. This paper demonstrates that the problems of the short version of the PVQ exist in the full 40-item PVQ as well. Based on SEM analyses of the items of the full PVQ, we propose that it can provide measures of 15 more narrowly defined values with good discriminant validity. Our proposal respects the conceptual complexity of the values theory while avoiding contamination of composite scores. It can be expected that the improved measurement of 15 values will increase their predictive power. The presence of some single items suggests the extension of the value theory and scales to encompass more than 15 values. Implications for further development of the scale are drawn., Survey Research Methods, Vol 7, No 1 (2013)

Survey researchers are making increasing use of paradata - such as keystrokes, clicks, and timestamps - to evaluate and improve survey instruments but also to understand respondents and how they answer surveys. Since the introduction of paradata, researchers have been asking whether and how respondents should be informed about the capture and use of their paradata while completing a survey. In a series of three vignette-based experiments, we examine alternative ways of informing respondents about capture of paradata and seeking consent for their use. In all three experiments, any mention of paradata lowers stated willingness to participate in the hypothetical surveys. Even the condition where respondents were asked to consent to the use of paradata at the end of an actual survey resulted in a significant proportion declining. Our research shows that requiring such explicit consent may reduce survey participation without adequately informing survey respondents about what paradata are and why they are being used., Survey Research Methods, Vol 7, No 1 (2013)

In business surveys in general, and in multipurpose agricultural surveys in particular, the problem of designing a sample from a list frame usually consists of two different aspects. The first is concerned with the choice of a rule for stratifying the population when several size variables are available and the second is devoted to sample size determination and sample allocation to a given set of strata. The main property that is required of the sample design is that it delivers a specified level of precision for a set of variables of interest using as few sampling units as possible. This article examines how this can be achieved via a basic partition into two strata, one completely enumerated and the other sampled, defined in such a way as to achieve both these objectives. The procedure was used to design the Italian Milk Products Monthly Survey on the basis of a set of auxiliary variables obtained from an annual census of the same target population. Given the combinatorial optimization nature of the problem, we use stochastic relaxation theory, and in particular, we use simulated annealing because of its flexibility. Our results indicate that in this situation the multivariate partition obtained by using this random search strategy is a suitable solution as it permits identification of boundaries of any shape. Furthermore, numerical comparisons between sampling designs obtained by using these procedures and some simple extensions of univariate stratification rules are made. The gain from using the proposed strategy is nontrivial as it achieves the required precision using a sample size that is notably smaller than that required by simple extensions to univariate stratification rules., Survey Research Methods, Vol 6, No 3 (2012): Special Issue: Papers from ITACOSM11