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Integrated Survey and Data Infrastructure

The interdepartmental “Integrated Survey and Data Infrastructure” (IEDI) provides a reliable and long-term perspective for successful conducting large social science surveys since 2017. The IEDI will develop new services for social scientists to effectively collect and analyze digital behavioral data from 2022 onwards.

The Integrated Survey and Data Infrastructure provides relevant, high-quality research data for the social sciences which allow answering pressing societal questions. The data collected by the studies allow for short- and long-term analyses of attitudes, values, behaviors, and of the German social structure in a comparative perspective. IEDI projects also collect digital behavioural data and promote the linking of digital behavioral data and survey data in order to exploit the potential of research on digitalisation and digital behaviour.

The Integrated Survey and Data Infrastructure includes several studies. These studies will be further developed by realizing substantive and methodological synergies as part of the infrastructure:

  • ALLBUS - German General Social Survey
  • CCS - Comparative Candidates Survey
  • CSES - Comparative Study of Electoral Systems
  • ESS - European Social Surveys
  • EVS - European Values Study
  • GESIS Panel
  • GLES - German Longitudinal Election Study
  • ISSP - International Social Survey Programme

In addition to these core studies, further large-scale population studies are associated with the Integrated Survey and Data Structure:

  • FReDA - Family Research and Demographic Analysis
  • PIAAC - Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies

Services in the following areas are currently under development for the collection and processing of digital behavioral data (DBD) :

The Leibniz Association provides funding for the IEDI via a “Sondertatbestand”. The German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat) welcomes this infrastructure, as it "has the potential to have a considerable impact on the structure of international empirical social research". Moreover, "the scientific communities can exert influence on the implementation of the survey programmes - as has been practised for a long time in the ALLBUS, for example." To systematically ensure the integration of the scientific communities into the development of the IEDI, five coordination groups (see below) have been established. A Standing Committee further provides advice to GESIS on the implementation of the integrative goals of the infrastructure.

In 2022, the Leibniz Association approved funding for another “Sondertatbestand” on digital behavioral data (DBD) which aims at making digital behavioural data accessible by providing methods and tools for data collection, processing and analysis. The German Science and Humanities Council attests the project to have a "unique selling point in Europe". In the course of the establishment of the Sondertatsbestand DBD, DBD services will be integrated into IEDI to enable innovative social research with new data and methods. A DBD coordination group will accompany and advise GESIS in this process.

The representation of the scientific communities, support in integrating the different studies and the collaboration with both GESIS' Advisory Boards is detailed in an Agreement of Procedures (177 kB). The five Study Coordination Groups (CG) meet at least twice a year and advice GESIS on methodological aspects and content of the respective studies. The integration of studies is supported by a Standing Committee. The Standing Committee exchanges annually with the GESIS User Advisory Board on the development of the studies and integrational efforts.

KG ALLBUS KG GESIS Panel

Prof. Dr. Andreas Hadjar (Speaker)

Prof. Dr. Katrin Auspurg

Prof. Dr. Christoph Bühler

Prof. Dr. Steffen Hillmert

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wagner

Prof. Bella Struminskaya, Ph.D. (Speaker)

Prof. Mick Couper, Ph.D.

Prof. Marcel Das, Ph.D.

Prof. Tom Emery, Ph.D.

Prof. Joe Sakshaug, Ph.D.

Prof. Vera Toepoel, Ph.D.

KG GLES KG International Surveys

Prof. Dr. Sigrid Roßteutscher (Speaker)

Prof. Dr. Marc Debus

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Faas

Prof. Dr. Harald Schoen

Prof. Lena Hipp, Ph.D. (Speaker)

Dr. Heiko Giebler

Prof. Dr. Axel Franzen

Prof. Dr. Sylvia Kritzinger

PD Dr. Daniel Seddig

Dr. Karin Schuller

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Weßels

Prof. Dr. Christian Welzel

KG Digital Behavioral Datan (DBD)

Prof. Dr. Michaela Maier (Chair)

Prof. Dr. Silke Adam

Prof. Dr. Matthias Schonlau

Prof. Dr. Anita Gohdes

Prof. Dr. Nils Weidmann

Prof. Dr. Florian Keusch (Vice Chair)

Prof. Dr. David Garcia

Prof. Dr. Yannis Theocharis

Prof. Dr. Preslav Nakov

Prof. Dr. Robert Jäschke

Prof. Dr. Benno Stein