Modern empirical social research demands knowledgeable and informed application of multivariate analysis techniques. GESIS supports the scientific community through research and knowledge transfer on advanced analytical methods. Key aspects include multidimensional scaling, measurement and structural models with latent variables, causal inference, consideration of design effects in analytical procedures or coding and analysis of open questions.

Methodological research at GESIS also comprises work on methodological aspects of official statistics such as, for example, on sampling error in the microcensus, on harmonizing the available Scientific Use Files (SUFs) of the microcensus or to check the sampling selectivity of the microcensus panel.

Building upon their own research, the scientists working within GESIS contribute to university teaching on methods and statistics and bring an extensive offer to workshops on various aspects of multivariate data analysis.

One exemplary result of GESIS research is the publication of the Handbuch der sozialwissenschaftlichen Datenanalyse (Handbook of Data Analysis for the Social Sciences). Focusing on the basic principles of data analysis, regression analytical techniques for cross-sectional and longitudinal data as well as scaling techniques; this publication reflects the combination of research and service at GESIS.