Retrieval of data holdings – Data access

Search – survey information & data holdings

Tools to search GESIS survey information and data holdings:

  • Data catalogue - simple search – advanced search
    The data catalog contains survey descriptions of all archived surveys, empirical survey research data, historical social research, and text material for content analyses. Documentation of official data is continually being added.
    • Survey data from Europe - Data holdings at CESSDA - Council of European Social Science Data Archives
    • Survey data from USA - Data holdings at ICPSR - Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (Info)
  • Survey-questions database Qbase-DE
    Integrated full-text search in German-language questionnaires pertaining to the ALLBUS, Politbarometer, and GDR / New federal states data pools.
  • Survey-questions database Qbase-EN
    Integrated full-text search in English-language questionnaires pertaining to the Standard Eurobarometer and ISSP data pools.
  • Welfare Survey Online
    The Welfare Survey Online represents a tool which enables users to analyze welfare survey data from 1978 to 1998 interactively and the facility to produce online tabulations and charts.
  • Microdata Information System - MISSY
    The Microdata Information System MISSY supplies comprehensive information on a multitude of individual data sets. At the current stage of development, meta-information is available on the microcensus, a survey conducted by the offical statistics.
  • Digital Information System Social Indicators - DISI
    This database comprises facts on 14 areas of life that include almost 400 indicators and more than 3000 time series. It thus provides an empirical picture of the changes in the population’s objective living conditions as well as changes to the macro structure of German society.

Data access – downloading data files & study documentation

Direct access to data files and their documentation for scientific analyses is facilitated by the following features of our service. Access to and availability of our information holdings are laid out in the terms and conditions of each of the service segments.

  • ZACAT - Online Study Catalogue
    Enables data search, analysis, and download of selected international comparative surveys and national data collections. Data are extensively documented both on the level of variables as well as on the level of the study. Use is free of charge; data download and analysis are available immediately upon registration.
  • ALLBUScompact
    Download available for institutional academic research, training, and teaching (comparable to the full version but with a reduced demography).
  • ALLBUS full version
    Download available for personal academic research (registration free of charge).
  • HISTAT DB
    Historical statistics online (registration free of charge).
  • Parlamentarian portal
    Data bases with biographical information on parlamentarians of the German Reichs- and Landtage and the Deutsche Bundestag.
  • German System Social Indicators
  • European System Social Indicators

Data access – ordering data & study documentation / accessing official microdata