Peter Krause: A Pioneer in Household Panel Surveys and Quality of Life Applications

Abstract

Born in the south of Germany during the mid-1950s, I grew up in the tensions of parents with a [post] World War II background and the political and social re-orientations within the younger generations. My parents were farmers by passion–starting their family life with solid economic and social foundations, albeit against the fragile political background of WWII. My two eldest siblings were born at home–in what is now Poland–ten years later, my third sibling was born in Alsace, France. Meanwhile, my family had experienced war captivity, displacement, and hunger–and also several helping hands [where needed] and the incredible human support of the Alsacian local community. After my parents restart as farmers–now without solid economic grounds and as refugees–I was born as the only member of a German family within today’s German borders. The structural decline of farming has further left its traces in our next generation.