The GESIS Panel is part of GESIS, Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Mannheim, Germany. The GESIS Panel offers the social science community a unique opportunity to collect survey data within a probability-based mixed-mode access panel. More detailed information on the GESIS Panel can be found in the General Overview.

The most important information about the GESIS Panel:

Survey

• Probability-based mixed-mode access panel
• Start: February 2014 (Development phase 2013)
• About 5100 panelists (October 2020)
• Participation mode: online (web-based) or offline (by mail)
  • Participation (October 2020): about 72,8 % of respondents participate online and about 27,2 % take part offline
• 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: 20 minutes per wave
  • about five minutes for the GESIS Panel longitudinal core study 
  • about 15 minutes for submitted studies, i.e. a maximum of five minutes per submitted study

Sample

• 2013: Probabilistic sample of the German-speaking population aged between 18 and 70 years (at the time of recruitment) and permanently resident in Germany
• 2014: The first, initial cohort of the GESIS Panel comprised about 4900 panelists
• 2016: 1st refreshment sample was drawn from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS)
  • This "second" cohort in the GESIS Panel includes respondents aged 18 and older
• 2018: 2nd refreshment sample was drawn from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS)
  • This "third" cohort in the GESIS Panel includes respondents aged 18 and older
• 2021: The GESIS Panel currently contains three cohorts (2013, 2016 and 2018) with about 5100 panelists in total (October 2020)

Collect data with the GESIS Panel

• We offer various submission options for scientists.
• Peer review procedures for all regularly submitted studies.
• The GESIS Panel does not accept commercial projects. Should you have any doubts or questions as to whether your specific research project might cause conflicts between these interests, responsibilities, and regulations, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• When making the final decision to accept or refuse a proposal, the GESIS Panel Team has to balance various interests, responsibilities, and regulations, namely (a) legal regulations and ethical standards; (b) GESIS' responsibility to protect the integrity of panelists; (c) GESIS' interest in maintaining an unbiased panel (e.g., by avoiding panel attrition and differential drop-out likely to be induced by certain topics and experimental procedures); (d) the interest of the primary and secondary researchers in collecting and using survey data.

Data usage for secondary researchers

• The GESIS Panel data can be used for secondary analyses.
• An overview of our data sets and data access forms can be found here.

Costs

• Data collection and data usage for academic purposes is in most cases free of charge.
• Studies funded by third-party applications must contribute to survey costs if the GESIS Panel reserves survey time in specific waves in advance. If you plan to conduct a third-party funded survey in the GESIS Panel, please contact us at least one year before the start of the project. Further information is available on request.