Social Indicators Research Centre (ZSi)

The Social Indicators Research Centre focuses on social monitoring in general with the following specific research areas: Social Indicators Research and Social Reporting, Welfare Research and Measuring Quality of Life, Social Inequality and Cross-National Comparisons.

Using the instruments of social indicators research the centre continuously monitors and analyses changes in the social structure and the development of living conditions and quality of life of the population. The main focus of these activities is the Federal Republic of Germany in international, especially in European comparison. The centre's tasks include the provision of scientific infrastructure and services. Its research activities include substantial as well as methodological issues within the field of social indicators research.

Among the most important services of the centre are the German System of Social Indicators and the European System of Social Indicators, as well as the Social Indicators Monitor - SIMon allowing comfortable access to the data from both indicator systems, the Social Indicators Information Service (ISI) and the Data Report, provided in cooperation with the Social Science Center Berlin (WZB) and the Federal Statistical Office. For more detailed information on the centre's products please refer to the detailed information or the service guide.

Recent Information

The 7th “Social Monitoring and Reporting in Europe” – Conference will take place from April 25 to 27 at the Villa Vigoni. The 2012 conference addresses the special theme “Subjective Social Indicators: Usefulness and Information Potential for Policy Making”. The program of the 2012 conference as well as  more information on the whole series of “Social Monitoring and Reporting in Europe”-Conferences is available at this site.(04/19/2012)

XIth Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS), Venice, November 1- 4: “Discovering New Frontiers in Quality-of-Life Research“. The Call for Papers und more information is available here (287 KB).

(04/03/2012)
European Social Reporting Network News - Update(02/16/2012)
Social Indicators Information Service, No. 47 (1.0 MB) (in German)(02/14/2012)
The ISA Research Committee 55 "Social Indicators" will participate in the 2nd Forum of Sociology of the International Sociological Association, which takes place in Buenos Aires August 1-4, 2012. The programme is available here (152 KB) (PDF) or on the ISA website.(02/01/2012)
Social Indicators Information Service, No. 46 (637 KB) (in German). (08/03/2011)
“Measuring and Monitoring Social Progress in European Societies – Is Life Still Getting Better?”, Villa Vigoni Conference, March 9-11, 2011, Programme and Presentations(03/15/2011)
Social Indicators Information Service, No. 45 (758 KB)  (in German). (02/09/2011)
European Social Reporting Network: News(11/19/2010)
Social Indicators Monitor – SIMon now online! SIMon allows comfortable access to the two systems of social indicators maintained by the Social Indicatos Research Centre (Zsi).(08/23/2010)
“Current Trends of Societal Development and Social Implications of the Economic Crisis”, Villa Vigoni Conference, March 14-16, 2010, Programme and Presentations(05/10/2010)
Social Reporting in Europe - Different Ways of Adding Meaning to Numbers, Villa Vigoni Conference, March 22-24, 2009, “Programme and presentations”(03/25/2009)
Social Reporting in Europe - Migration and Integration, Villa Vigoni Conference, March 16-18, 2008, “Programme and presentations”(04/22/2008)
Information about previous events can be found in the Conference Archive.
European Social Reporting