GML

European Microdata

The German Microdata Lab (GML) at GESIS offers services for microdata from Eurostat (European Microdata) and engages in methodological and substantive research based on microdata from official statistics in general. Our principal purpose is to improve the efficiency of the research process by minimizing the costs for individual researchers in terms of obtaining information about the research potential of the data; acquiring basic knowledge (of both: content and methodology) needed to work with the data, data management and data analyses.

Our services:

  • Documentation: Empirical research relies on comprehensive, well-structured documentation of the data. We offer documentation (such as questionnaires, data descriptions, classifications and definitions) for European Microdata through our Microdata Information System MISSY.
  • Knowledge transfer: There is a growing demand on expertise on using data from official statistics. We organize workshops (introductory and topic-oriented).
  • Building networks: There are few opportunities for researchers working with European Microdata to meet and discuss findings and problems. We organize EU User Conferences (in cooperation with Eurostat) offering a forum to present and discuss research. Our EU User Conferences also foster contacts and exchange between researchers and data producers. We also run an e-mail list through which we inform researchers about new data, new services and events.
  • The GML also offers tools (documented spss/stata syntax) to help with data management or to transform data from official statistics into variables more proper for social research, e.g. ESeG and ESeC. For EU-LFS, EU-SILC and EHIS we offer tools to transform in Eurostat’s cvs-data into SPSS and Stata (including variable and value labels).
  • Getting Access: While the GML offers services for European Microdata, it does not provide the data. For detailed information concerning data access, costs and how to submit an access request please contact Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/microdata