2025 Annual Report published: Setting the course for the future SOEP

The Socio-Economic Panel’s 42nd year marked a turning point, as the recently published annual report shows. The SOEP’s vision for its own strategic expansion was evaluated by the Leibniz Association and the German Science Council (as the “great strategic enhancement”). This broad-based initiative aims to ensure the study’s continued sustainability through methodological and technical innovations. The starting point is the increased need for high-quality scientific data to observe societal changes even more quickly and in greater detail. Therefore, the strategic initiative includes, among other things, a significantly accelerated collection and distribution of study data. The results of the evaluation will be announced this fall.

2025 also brought significant changes in personnel, most notably the appointment of Prof. Dr. Sabine Zinn as the SOEP Director and as a member of the DIW Berlin Executive Board. This marks a significant milestone for the SOEP team and for the panel’s future strategy.

Other highlights of the past year include new findings in migration research. Together with the IAB and the BAMF, SOEP presented a new report in March on the situation of refugees from Ukraine. A DIW Weekly Report in September of 2025 recalled the large influx of refugees 10 years ago and explored the question: How are these people faring today?

These and other topics are compiled in the annual report, which is now available for download.