About the GESIS Panel
Depending on their research interests, researchers can choose between the GESIS Panel.pop Population Sample (formerly known as the "GESIS Panel") and the new GESIS Panel.dbd Digital Behavioral Data Sample (which is currently being established).
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The GESIS Panel.pop is a mixed-mode panel based on a random survey sample of the adult German-speaking population of Germany and thus allows drawing conclusions about the general population. Respondents take part in a self-administered mode and can answer web-based or by paper questionnaires.
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The new GESIS Panel.dbd is based on a hybrid recruitment design that includes both random-based and non-random samples. The online-based survey addresses researchers who, in addition to survey data, are also interested in collecting (and linking) digital behavioral data such as web tracking data.
Costs
Data collection for scientific purposes via peer-reviewed study submissions is free of charge in the GESIS Panel.pop and in the GESIS Panel.dbd. Research proposals from third-party funded projects can also be submitted to us through the standard process (Regular Submission or Short Submission) - however, reserving survey slots for specific waves before project funding is approved or before the project starts will incur a fee. GESIS Panel.pop is also part of the Open Probability-based Panel Alliance (OPPA), which enables coordinated collection of comparative survey data in the Netherlands and the USA. Data collection within the OPPA framework is subject to charges.
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Through the GESIS Panel.pop longitudinal core studies, which have been running almost annually since 2014, and the external submissions, GESIS Panel.pop offers a comprehensive and thematically diverse data set that also covers topics rarely addressed in survey research (for example, willingness to pay for health insurance or attitudes towards meat consumption).
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The GESIS Panel.dbd offers the possibility of linking survey data with web tracking data. The web tracking data is collected using a browser add-on and contains the complete website content in addition to the website URLs. For data protection reasons, this data is currently only made available as aggregated data. However, we are working on solutions that would allow the statistical analysis of raw web tracking data. Please feel free to contact us, if you are interested in this.
Survey design
GESIS Panel.pop
- Mixed-mode panel based on a random survey sample
- Start: February 2014 (Development phase 2013)
- More than 5400 respondents (April 2023)
- Participation mode: online (web-based) or offline (by mail)
- Mobile-first layout in the online questionnaire and use of a comparable offline questionnaire layout
- About 75% of respondents participate online
- Data collection: every three months (a total of four waves per year)
- Six waves per year with bi-monthly data collection until 2020
- Survey duration: about 20-25 minutes per wave
- About seven minutes for the GESIS Panel.pop longitudinal core studies
- Remaining survey time for submitted studies, with a maximum of five minutes per submitted study
GESIS Panel.dbd
- Hybrid sample design (about 60% random-based, about 40% non-random-based)
Start: 2023 (development phase 2022 - 2023)
Over 7000 respondents (July 2024)
Participation mode: online (web-based)- Mobile-first layout
- Data collection: 3-6 waves per year
- Survey duration: about 15-20 minutes per wave
- About seven minutes for the GESIS Panel.dbd longitudinal core studies (core studies based on those of the GESIS Panel.pop)
- Remaining survey time for submitted studies, with a maximum of five minutes per submitted study
Samples
GESIS Panel.pop
- 2013: Random-based sample of the German-speaking population aged between 18 and 70 (at the time of recruitment) with permanent residence in Germany
- 2014: The first/original cohort of the GESIS Panel comprised about 4900 panelists
- 2016: 1st refreshment sample, drawn from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS)
- 2018: 2nd refreshment sample, drawn from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS)
- 2021: 3rd refreshment sample, drawn from the German study of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP)
- 2023: 4th refreshment sample, drawn from the German study of the European Social Survey (ESS)
- All refreshment samples consist of respondents aged 18 and above
- 2024: The GESIS Panel.pop currently includes five cohorts in the active panel (2013, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2023) with about 5400 panelists in total (April 2024)
GESIS Panel.dbd
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Hybrid sample design (about 60% random-based, about 40% non-random-based) for recruiting the German-speaking adult population with permanent residence in Germany
- Random-based recruitment:
- Non-random-based recruitment:
- Since 2023: open recruitment in case of expression of interest
- 2023: Several social media advertisement-based recruitment campaigns (Facebook and Instagram)
The key information on the GESIS Panel.pop is provided in the corresponding reference article:
Bosnjak, M., Dannwolf, T., Enderle, T., Schaurer, I., Struminskaya, B., Tanner, A., & Weyandt K. W. (2018). Establishing an open probability-based mixed mode panel of the general population in Germany: The GESIS Panel. Social Science Computer Review, 36(1): 103-115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439317697949.
Do you still have a question about data collection with the GESIS Panel or about our using our data?
Then you have the opportunity to contact us here.