SOEP-Core v33.1i (update international edition, data 1984-2016)

The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study is a wide-ranging representative longitudinal study of private households, located at the German Institute for Economic Research, DIW Berlin. Every year, there were nearly 15,000 households, and more than 25,000 persons sampled by the fieldwork organization TNS Infratest Sozialforschung. The data provide information on all household members, consisting of Germans living in the Eastern and Western German States, foreigners, and immigrants to Germany. The Panel was started in 1984. Some of the many topics include household composition, occupational biographies, employment, earnings, health and satisfaction indicators. As early as June 1990—even before the Economic, Social and Monetary Union—SOEP expanded to include the states of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), thus seizing the rare opportunity to observe the transformation of an entire society. Also immigrant samples were added in 1994/95 and 2013/2015 to account for the changes that took place in Germany society. Two samples of refugees were introduced in 2016. Further new samples were added in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The survey is constantly being adapted and developed in response to current social developments. The international version contains 95% of all cases surveyed.
Conclusion: International Science Use Version of the original SOEP data (95% version of the data set http://doi.org/10.5684/soep.v33). This data set can be used worldwide.

Dataset Information

Title: Socio-economic Panel (SOEP), data from 1984-2016, International Scientific Use Version

DOI: 10.5684/soep.v33.1i
Collection period: 1984-2016
Publication date: 2018-01-30
Principal investigators: Jürgen Schupp, Jan Goebel, Martin Kroh, Carsten Schröder, Charlotte Bartels, Klaudia Erhardt, Alexandra Fedorets, Andreas Franken, Marco Giesselmann, Markus Grabka, Peter Krause, Hannes Kröger, Simon Kühne, Maria Metzing, Jana Nebelin, David Richter, Diana Schacht, Paul Schmelzer, Christian Schmitt, Daniel Schnitzlein, Rainer Siegers, Knut Wenzig


You can see the complete information by clicking at the DOI of the original data set https://doi.org/10.5684/soep.v33i.

Data set information:

 Number of units 118,920
 Number of variable 72,709 in 439 data sets
 Data formats STATA, SPSS, SAS, CSV

MD5 fingerprints

Distribution format zip file
 all data sets
Stata bilingual 50b148cf824d8bf5eeb0de549f923a26   | TXT, 19.29 KB
Stata German b9e05c11664de6993310ff7c0fcb2b12   | TXT, 19.29 KB
Stata English b3ccbe1abc08b89624e07fac29609a96   | TXT, 19.29 KB
SPSS German 3a05fcca4b5e8ba227a2860c95cb403e   | TXT, 19.29 KB
SPSS English 3779e50a9eaa407a01da51ce35f486ef   | TXT, 19.29 KB
SAS German 7532c2840d42cc6d25dd1412145e7a42   | TXT, 21.53 KB
SAS English 1bc8c9c6b3c08df263629e04b0fc1d4b   | TXT, 21.53 KB
CSV 1ea90dee447ea9ce3e4a2e7578de0f90   | TXT, 19.29 KB

Publications:

  • Jan Goebel, Markus M. Grabka, Stefan Liebig, Martin Kroh, David Richter, Carsten Schröder, Jürgen Schupp (2018): The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik / Journal of Economics and Statistics (online first) doi: 10.1515/jbnst-2018-0022 (download)
  • Gert G. Wagner, Joachim R. Frick, and Jürgen Schupp (2007) The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) - Scope, Evolution and Enhancements, Schmollers Jahrbuch (Journal of Applied Social Science Studies), 127 (1), 139-169 (download).
  • Schupp, Jürgen (2009): 25 Jahre Sozio-oekonomisches Panel - Ein Infrastrukturprojekt der empirischen Sozial- und Wirtschaftsforschung in Deutschland, Zeitschrift für Soziologie 38 (5),  350-357 (download).
  • Gert G. Wagner, Jan Göbel, Peter Krause, Rainer Pischner, and Ingo Sieber (2008) Das Sozio-oekonomische Panel (SOEP): Multidisziplinäres Haushaltspanel und Kohortenstudie für Deutschland - Eine Einführung (für neue Datennutzer) mit einem Ausblick (für erfahrene Anwender), AStA Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv 2 (4), 301-328 (download).

Publications using this file should refer to the above DOI infoFind an explanation on the usage of DOI here.and cite following references

  • Goebel, Jan, Markus M. Grabka, Stefan Liebig, Martin Kroh, David Richter, Carsten Schröder, and Jürgen Schupp. 2019. The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik (Journal of Economics and Statistics) 239 (2), 345-360. (https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2018-0022)

If you do not exclude the cases of the migration samples in your analysis, then please also cite the following reference:

  • Herbert Brücker, Martin Kroh, Simone Bartsch, Jan Goebel, Simon Kühne, Elisabeth Liebau, Parvati Trübswetter, Ingrid Tucci & Jürgen Schupp. 2014. The new IAB-SOEP Migration Sample: an introduction into the methodology and the contents. SOEP Survey Paper 216 (PDF, 444.25 KB), Series C. Berlin, Nürnberg: DIW Berlin.

If you do not exclude the cases of the refugee samples in your analysis, please also cite: 

  • Herbert Brücker, Yuliya Kosyakova, Nina Rother, Sabine Zinn, Elisabeth Liebau, Wenke Gider, Silvia Schwanhäuser, & Manuel Siegert. 2025. Exploring Integration and Migration Dynamics: The Research Potentials of a Large-Scale Longitudinal Household Study of Refugees in Germany. European Sociological Review. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaf032.

If you use data from the SOEP-LEE2 surveys, please also cite:

  • Wenzel Matiaske, Torben Dall Schmidt, Christoph Halbmeier, Martina Maas, Doris Holtmann, Carsten Schröder, Tamara Böhm, Stefan Liebig, and Alexander S. Kritikos. 2023. SOEP-LEE2 : Linking Surveys on Employees to Employers in Germany. Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik Data Observer, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2023-0031.

If you would like to refer more specifically, please also cite:

  • Schröder, Carsten, Johannes König, Alexandra Fedorets, Jan Goebel, Markus M. Grabka, Holger Lüthen, Maria Metzing, Felicitas Schikora, and Stefan Liebig. 2020. The economic research potentials of the German Socio-Economic Panel study. German Economic Review 21 (3), 335-371. (https://doi.org/10.1515/ger-2020-0033)
  • Giesselmann, Marco, Sandra Bohmann, Jan Goebel, Peter Krause, Elisabeth Liebau, David Richter, Diana Schacht, Carsten Schröder, Jürgen Schupp, and Stefan Liebig. 2019. The Individual in Context(s): Research Potentials of the Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) in Sociology. European Sociological Review 35 (5), 738-755. (https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcz029)
  • Jacobsen, Jannes, Magdalena Krieger, Felicitas Schikora, and Jürgen Schupp. 2021. Growing Potentials for Migration Research using the German Socio-Economic Panel Study. Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik 241 (4), 527-549. (https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2021-0001)
  • Fedorets, Alexandra, Stefan Kirchner, Jule Adriaans, and Oliver Giering. 2022. Data on Digital Transformation in the German Socio-Economic Panel. Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik 242 (5-6), 691-705. (https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2021-0056)

Field-de
Individual (PAPI) 2016: Field-de Field-de Var-de Var-en
Household (PAPI) 2016: Field-de Field-de Var-de Var-en
Biography (PAPI) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Catch-up Individual 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Youth (16-17-year-olds, A-L1) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Early Youth (13-14-year-olds) 2016: Field-de
Pre-teen (11-12-year-olds) 2016: Field-de
Early Youth (13-14-year-olds) 2016: Var-de
Pre-teen (11-12-year-olds) 2016: Var-de
Early Youth (13-14-year-olds) 2016: Var-en
Pre-teen (11-12-year-olds) 2016: Var-en
Mother and Child (Newborns) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Mother and Child (2-3-year-olds) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Mother and Child (5-6-year-olds) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Parents and Child (7-8-year-olds) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Mother and Child (9-10-year-olds) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Deceased Individual 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Grip Strength 2016: Field-de
Interviewer (PAPI) 2016: Field-de Var-de Var-en
Live in the Region 2016: Field-de

Please find all sample specific questionnaires of this year and all questionnaires of previous years on this site

1) Methodenbericht zum Befragungsjahr 2016 des IAB-SOEP-Migrationssamples (M1 /M2)

2) SOEP-Core – 2016: Methodenbericht Stichproben A-L1

3) Documentation on ISCED Generation Using the CAMCES Tool in the IAB-SOEP Migration Samples M1/M2

4) Das Studiendesign der IAB-BAMF-SOEP Befragung von Geflüchteten

5) Sampling, Nonresponse, and Integrated Weighting of the 2016 IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees (M3/M4) – revised version

6) SOEP-Core – Documentation of Sample Sizes and Panel Attrition (1984 until 2016)

7) Scales Manual IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees in Germany – revised version

8) SOEP-Core – 2016: Report of Survey Methodology and Fieldwork for M3 and M4

9) SOEP-Core v33.1 – Biographical Information in the Meta File PPFAD (Month of Birth, Year of Death, Immigration Variables, Living in East or West Germany in 1989)

10) SOEP-Core v33.1 – PPFAD

11) SOEP-Core v33.1 – Documentation of the Household-related Meta-dataset HPFAD

12) SOEP-Core v33.1 – $PBRUTTO

13) SOEP-Core v33.1 – $HBRUTTO

14) SOEP-Core v33.1 – Documentation of Person-related Status and Generated Variables in $PGEN

15) SOEP-Core v33.1 – Documentation of Household-related Status and Generated Variables in $HGEN

16) SOEP 2016 – Codebook for the $PEQUIV File 1984-2016: CNEF Variables with Extended Income Information for the SOEP

17) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOIMMIG: Generated Variables for Foreign Nationals, Immigrants, and Their Descendants in the SOEP

18) SOEP-Core v33.1 – HEALTH

19) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOPAREN: Biography Information for the Parents of SOEP-Respondents

20) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOAGEL: Generated Variables from the “Mother & Child”, “Parent”, and “Pupils” Questionnaires

21) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOSIB: Information on Siblings in the SOEP

22) SOEP-Core v33.1 – The Couple History Files BIOCOUPLM and BIOCOUPLY, and Marital History Files BIOMARSM and BIOMARSY

23) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOAGE17: The Youth Questionnaire

24) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOSOC: Retrospective Data on Youth and Socialization

25) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOJOB: Detailed Information on First and Last Job

26) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOEDU: Data on Educational Participation and Transitions

27) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIORESID: Variables on Occupancy and Second Residence

28) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOBIRTH: A Data Set on the Birth Biography of Male and Female Respondents

29) SOEP-Core v33.1 – BIOTWIN: TWINS in the SOEP

30) SOEP-Core v33 – INTERVIEWER: Detailed Information on SOEP Interviewers

31) SOEP-Core v33.1 – LIFESPELL: Information on the Pre- and Post-Survey History of SOEP-Respondents

32) SOEP-Core v33.1 – MIGSPELL and REFUGSPELL: The Migration-Biographies of Samples M1/M2 and M3/M4

33) SOEP-Core v33.1 – Activity Biography in the Files PBIOSPE and ARTKALEN

1) Zur Erhebung des adaptiven Verhaltens von zwei- und dreijährigen Kindern im Sozio-oekonomischen Panel (SOEP)

2) Assessing the distributional impact of "imputed rent" and "non-cash employee income" in microdata : Case studies based on EU-SILC (2004) and SOEP (2002)

All documentation for filtering can be found on this page

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