SOEP Survey Papers 1332: Series C - Data Documentations (Datendokumentationen)
Miriam Gauer, Cornelia Kristen
2023
The Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) was established in 1984 as a longitudinal study of private households in Germany. It collected data on migration and immigrant integration from the outset. Over time, samples and contents were expanded, resulting in an extensive database that enables researchers to examine immigration-related processes over time (Brücker et al. 2014; Brücker et al. 2016; Goebel et al. 2019; Krupp 2008; Liebau and Tucci 2015). For nearly three decades, from 1984 to 2012, the German Socio-Economic Panel at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) was responsible for designing and conducting the SOEP. In 2013, in collaboration with the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the IAB-SOEP Migration Sample was created and implemented. Subsequent IAB-SOEP Migration Samples were also jointly designed and drawn in later years (2015 and 2020). In 2015, a collaborative effort involving three institutes – the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF-FZ), and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) – led to the establishment of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees. Together, these institutes planned, developed, and conducted the data collections specifically focused on refugees. As we approach four decades since the SOEP’s establishment, this guide takes stock of these accomplishments and documents the various samples and contents that are relevant for research on immigrants and their descendants. We also provide detailed information on when and how these contents were measured. Our guide serves as a tool for scholars to quickly assess whether the data is suitable for their research objectives. This compendium draws upon two prior works that have identified and organized key contents relevant to research on individuals of immigrant origin: Liebau and Tucci’s (2015) summary of migration-specific topics up until that time, and Jacobsen, Krieger, Schikora, and Schupp’s (2021) outline of the SOEP’s potential for migration research. Our documentation builds on these works, updating and modifying the descriptions to reflect ongoing developments and providing detailed information on the measurement of key contents. While following in their footsteps, we also deviate to some extent from these earlier contributions in our presentation of the various constructs and the ways in which we organize and assign them to higher-level topics. Section 2 presents an overview of the various migration subsamples. The centerpiece of this guide is Section 3, where the migration and integration constructs covered in the SOEP are introduced. In Section 4, detailed information on the measurement of these constructs is provided. Finally, Section 5 offers practical guidance on how to utilize the SOEP’s migration and integration data.