Access to the SOEP data
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Data distribution
The SOEP micro data which we make available for scientific research for a small fee can only be interpreted using statistical software.
Selected results of data analyses we prepared for you in our press releases (German only). Published results are registered in the database SOEPlit and can be searched online. Moreover, we have itemized many of the publications which are available via Internet on our website.
More information
Direct use of SOEP data is subject to the high standards for lawful data protection in the Federal Republic of Germany. Signing a contract on data distribution is therefore a precondition for working with SOEP data.
If you have not already signed such a contract, you can apply for it here.
If you already have one, please order SOEP data with our order form. Due to security considerations, the data will be sent via certified mail (and cannot be received via the Internet).
To process your application, we need the following:
- the full office address (including telephone and fax number) of the person in charge of the research project (in the case of a student or doctoral thesis, the supervisor);
- the title of the research project or research program in which you wish to use the data.
If you should have any further questions, please contact Michaela Engelmann.
Statistical series based on SOEP Data
We got data series for the years 1984 to now - disaggregated for East and West Germany since 1990 - for households and persons. The SOEPmonitor Haushalt especially provides information about housing conditions; in the SOEPmonitor Personen you will find classification numbers for labour market, education, income and subjective indicators (documents in German).
The data report published by the German Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt) contains some publications concerning living conditions and their ratings on the basis of SOEP data (e.g. Statistisches Bundesamt (Hg.) (2008): Datenreport 2008. Ein Sozialbericht für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Available via internet at the publications of Destatis or at publications of GESIS.
Using SOEP data for expert reports
Expert reports for third parties using SOEP data can be written, but a user fee applies. Please contact the current head of the SOEP, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Schupp.
Contract analyses
If you would like to commission work or special analyses from DIW Berlin, please contact the current head of the SOEP, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Schupp.
SOEPinfo provides an overview of the contents of the data set and frequencies of variables.
Introductory courses in using SOEP data
The SOEP group generally holds introductory courses at DIW in the spring. In addition, every two years courses for international users are held, usually in the US. Both courses are announced well ahead of time in the SOEPnewsletter; you can also obtain registration forms there.
The Documentation offers an introduction to analysis with SOEP data. Especially the core of SOEP documentation, the Desktop Companion (DTC) can be accessed there. For participation in a SOEP workshop, working through the DTC thoroughly is required, as well as knowledge of one of the statistics software packages supported by the SOEP group (mainly SPSS, STATA, SAS).
Scientific Use File
In order to allow access to the SOEP data for researchers outside the EEA-countries, the data set must be reduced due to German stipulations regarding data protection. The SOEP Scientific Use File is a 95% random variable sample, which means that 5% of the households surveyed in the first wave of a sample have been removed. It is not problematic to carry out longitudinal analyses with these data. The process does not distort the results; sample errors are, of course, larger than in the 100% data set due to the smaller number of cases.
In addition, wealth balances, as gathered by the fifth wave, are also not included (file EV).
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