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A Probability-Based Mixed-Mode Panel for the Social Sciences

Data

The GESIS Panel provides multiple versions of its data sets for different access types.

Data set Usage Data Archive entry Access Content
Standard Edition Scientific Use File (SUF) ZA5665 Please follow the in instructions in the Data Access leaflet and fill out the Data Use Agreement afterwards. Cumulative data set including data from all waves
Extended Edition Secure Scientific Use File (SUF) ZA5664 On-site use at the GESIS Secure Data Center in Cologne Cumulative data set including data from all waves plus sensitive variables
Special Survey on the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak Public Use File (PUF) ZA5667 Download via the GESIS Data Archive Corona-related survey fielded in March 2020, only with the online panel members
GESIS Panel Campus File Public Use File (PUF) ZA5666 Download via the GESIS Data Archive A random 25% sample of all panel members; for teaching purposes only

Please finde more information on the datasets below.

Researchers are required to cite the data set they use in publications with the correct ZA version number and DOI. Here is an example citation for version 41.0.0 of both data sets.

GESIS (2021). GESIS Panel Standard Edition. GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA5665 Datafile Version 41.0.0, doi: 10.4232/1.13785
GESIS (2021). GESIS Panel Extended Edition. GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA5664 Datafile Version 41.0.0, doi: 10.4232/1.13784

If you have used data from our special SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus survey in your publication, please cite them as follows:

GESIS (2020): GESIS Panel Special Survey on the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Germany. GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA5667 Datafile Version 1.1.0, doi: 10.4232/1.13520

Additionally, please refer to the GESIS Panel reference paper in publications that are based on the GESIS Panel data set:

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.

The Standard Edition contains the cumulative data set including new data from the latest wave as well as revisions from previous waves. It is a scientific use file accessible for research purposes. Data are accessible about one year after the end of the field period.

To access the GESIS Panel Standard Edition, researchers must follow the instruction of GESIS Panel Data Access, and complete and sign our Data Use Agreement.

To allow students to use the data in the framework of a thesis, their supervisors must request the data. On approval of the data-use request, the GESIS Data Archive will provide researchers with access to the current scientific use file via secure ftp download.

The Extended Edition is a secure scientific use file that is available only for on-site use at the GESIS Secure Data Center in Cologne. Due to data protection regulations, some variables are not included in the scientific use file (Standard Edition) but rather only in the secure scientific use file (Extended Edition). The differences between the versions are marked in the codebook. The GESIS Panel Extended Edition contains the Standard Edition and various sensitive variables from the latest wave as well as revisions from previous waves. Data are accessible about one year after the end of the field period.

The GESIS Panel Special Survey on the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Germany was conducted from March 17 to March 29, 2020 with a subsample of the online respondents on the outbreak of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. 

The data is accessible as a public use file and available for download in the GESIS Data Archive.

In addition to the survey data from the special survey, the data set contains categorized demographic variables.

The GESIS Panel Campus File is intended for teaching purposes only. It provides interested parties (e.g., students or lecturers) with an opportunity to work with an easily accessible, high quality panel dataset that should satisfy many requirements set forth in the interested parties' curriculum. In exchange for easy accessibility, the GESIS Panel Campus File contains only selected portions of the original GESIS Panel scientific use file.To ensure the anonymity of our panelists, the GESIS Panel Campus File contains only a random 25% sample of all panel members surveyed in 2014 (n=1,222). An exact documentation of studies and variables included in the GESIS Panel Campus File can be found in the data description and codebook.

Along with the dataset all documents are stored centrally in the GESIS Data Archive. Due to data protection regulations, some variables are not included in the scientific use file but rather only in the secure scientific use file. The differences between the versions are marked in the codebook.

Researchers interested in using GESIS Panel data for scientific publication purposes should use the full dataset (either the GESIS Panel Standard Edition or the GESIS Panel Extended Edition). Data users are strongly advised not to use the GESIS Panel Campus File for scientific publications other than for teaching purposes.


Do you still have questions about data access and data use? Then please use our contact form.