On June 15, 2022, the data of the GLES Candidate Study 2021 were published in a pre-release (ZA7704, Version 1.0.0).
The dataset contains interviews with 735 direct and list candidates of the parties that were represented in the Bundestag with parliamentary group status prior to the 2021 federal election (CDU, CSU, SPD, AfD, FDP, DIE LINKE and BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN). The survey, to which all candidates of these parties were invited, was conducted between 19.10.2021 and 31.01.2022 in a mixed-mode design consisting of computer-assisted web-based interviews (CAWI) and written interviews (PAPI).
The core of the study consists of questions about the candidates' backgrounds, recruitment and selection, campaigns, political attitudes, and policy positions. Through international cooperation with the Comparative Candidates Survey (CCS), the survey instrument of the Candidates Study includes the CCS core questionnaire and thus allows for international comparative analyses of candidate attitudes and behavior.