A Factorial Survey on the Justice of Earnings within the SOEP-Pretest 2008

In the 2008 Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) Pretest, the factorial survey method was tested for the first time for use in the SOEP longitudinal study. In this paper, we describe the construction and application of the vignette module, which has its origins in the field of justice research and is used in particular in the measurement of income justice. We show that the factorial survey method is applicable in large-scale survey research when taking certain constraints into account,and that respondents of varying ages and educational groups are able to deal sufficiently well with answering the questions. The results obtained suggest that older respondents tend to take fewer dimensions into consideration in forming their opinions. Further studies will be needed to determine whether this is evidence that the evaluation tasks were too complex for these respondents and should thus be interpreted as a method effect, or whether it represents a valid substantive result. The results of the study demonstrate convincingly that alongside occupation, education, and performance-factors relating directly to employment-familial aspects such as civil status, the partner's employment status, and number of children constitute important criteria for determining what constitutes a "fair" income. The factor survey in the 2008 SOEP Pretest offers diverse analytical potential, both from a methodological point of view and in terms of the empirical results obtained. The positive experience with the 2008 SOEP Pretest suggests that the SOEP vignette module can be used effectively in a future wave of the main SOEP survey.income, justice theory, fairness, factorial survey method, SOEP

The German Socio-Economic Panel as Reference Data Set

This paper discusses how household panels in general?and the German Socio- Economic Panel (SOEP) in particular?can serve as reference data for researchers collecting datasets that do not represent the full universe of the population of interest (e.g., through clinical trials, intervention studies, laboratory and behavioural experiments, and cohort studies). We first discuss potential benefits of using questions similar to those in the SOEP for studies where researchers are interested in using the SOEP as reference data. We present a comprehensive list of SOEP core questions that we recommend researchers to consider when collecting their own data. We focus on seven topics: (1) demographic and parental characteristics; (2) labour market; (3) health; (4) personality, preferences, and subjective orientations; (5) subjective wellbeing; (6) political involvement and participation, and finally, a set of core questions for young children before they enter school. Of course the selection of a minimum set of questions depends on the research question. In this paper, we offer general advice for the selection of variables to researchers interested in comparing their own data with the SOEP.clinical trials, intervention studies, behavioural experiments, cohort studies, household panels, SOEP, reference data

Comparing the Predictive Power of Subjective and Objective Health Indicators: Changes in Hand Grip Strength and Overall Satisfaction with Life as Predictors of Mortality

Self-reported measures of health are generally treated as weak measures of respondents' objective health status. On the other hand, most surveys use self-reported health to measure health status and to determine the effects of a range of other socio-economic characteristics of the local environment on individual health. It is therefore of interest to the public health research community to verify the validity of self-reported health data. We do this by analyzing data from a longitudinal household panel survey: the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP). In 2006, and again in 2008, hand grip strength was measured as part of the SOEP. The hand grip data can be compared with other indicators of health and well-being from the SOEP survey. In a first step, we examine short-term mortality outcomes predicted by changes in hand grip strength. Then we compare the predictive power of the results with those of a subjective indicator of well-being: overall life satisfaction. We find that both measures are related to mortality risk. However, the effects are quite independent. Thus we argue that changes in hand grip strength and overall life satisfaction capture two different aspects of health status and its changes. We therefore test this hypothesis by correlating the indicators with other survey-based health measures that were also taken in the SOEP in 2006 and 2008.grip strength, subjective health status measures, mortality, subjective well-being, SOEP

25 Waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP): An Asset to Inter-disciplinary Research

The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) has been providing representative data records on the population in Germany in annual surveys since 1984, i.e., for almost 25 years. With the 2008's fieldwork, 25 waves have been completed. The SOEP expanded to include a sample from East Germany in 1990 as well as to include special samples on immigration and high-income households. Looking back over 25 years of scientific activity is, for an institution, which is what SOEP has become, also an opportunity to examine its original purpose and resources, the development steps and results that followed, and its current aims.

The People of "Linden Tree Street" and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)

Lately I have been receiving numerous requests for contributions to commemorative publications, farewell speeches, and anniversary lectures. I cannot respond to all of these requests, especially since not all of them are as inspiring as the one today: the 25th (in words: the twenty-fifth!) wave of the SOEP! This is indeed an anniversary that should be duly celebrated and honored. The German soap opera "Lindenstrasse" (Linden Tree Street) that was first aired in December 1985 is almost as old as the SOEP. Who could have foreseen in 1984 that there would be so many waves of the SOEP and so many episodes of "Lindenstrasse" following that first one? In the following, I will address four different aspects. First, I will describe some of my impressions while participating in the establishment of the SOEP and its first waves. Second, I will draw attention to the SOEP's role in current public debates (such as the one on migration issues). Third, I will describe my experiences as a SOEP user, and finally, I will elaborate on the great significance of the SOEP for the integration of the social sciences and their empirical methodologies.

Statistical Matching of Administrative and Survey Data : An Application to Wealth Inequality Analysis

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.Using population representative survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and administrative pension records from the Statutory Pension Insurance, the authors compare four statistical matching techniques to complement survey information on net worth with social security wealth (SSW) information from the administrative records. The unique properties of the linked data allow for a straight control of the quality of matches under each technique. Based on various evaluation criteria, Mahalanobis distance matching performs best. Exploiting the advantages of the newly assembled data, the authors include SSW in a wealth inequality analysis. Despite its quantitative relevance, SSW is thus far omitted from such analyses because adequate micro data are lacking. The inclusion of SSW doubles the level of net worth and decreases inequality by almost 25 percent. Moreover, the results reveal striking differences along occupational lines.Hans Böckler-Foundation, 2006-835-4, Erstellung und Analyse einer konsistenten Geld- und Realvermögensverteilungsrechnung für Personen und Haushalte 2002 und 2007 unter Berücksichtigung der personellen Einkommensverteilun

The Power of Monthly Data in the GSOEP: How the Chernobyl Catastrophe Affected People's Life Satisfaction and Environmental Concerns

Subjective well-being, happiness, Environmental protection, household panel, SOEP

Stable Topologies of Event Horizon

In our previous work, it was shown that the topology of an event horizon (EH) is determined by the past endpoints of the EH. A torus EH (the collision of two EH) is caused by the two-dimensional (one-dimensional) set of the endpoints. In the present article, we examine the stability of the topology of the EH. We see that a simple case of a single spherical EH is unstable. Furthermore, in general, an EH with handles (a torus, a double torus, ...) is structurally stable in the sense of catastrophe theory.Comment: 21 pages, revtex, five figures containe

Measuring the Selection of Pay Referents: A Methodological Analysis of the Questions on Pay Referents in the 2008 and 2009 SOEP Pretest Modules

Income comparisons are among the key mechanisms used to explain satisfaction and happiness, among other outcomes. Yet progress on the questions of who people use as social referents and whether differential selection patterns exist can only be made based on valid and reliable measures of pay referents included in large-scale population surveys. The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) is pursuing this task through two questions on pay referents introduced in the 2008 and 2009 pretest modules of the SOEP. This paper analyses the quality of the two questions on pay referents in the 2008 module and discusses potential for improvement through modifications of the questions in the 2009 module. The paper concludes that the difficulties in answering questions on pay referents were not completely overcome in the 2009 pretest. To provide more solid evidence on potential biases in response behavior, the paper suggests the inclusion of reliable instruments for measuring personal dispositions.income comparisons, relative income, reference groups, SOEP

Penerapan Edinburgh Post-Partum Depression Scale Sebagai Alat Deteksi Risiko Depresi Nifas Pada Primipara Dan Multipara

Mothers describe postpartum depression as a living nightmare filled with uncontrollable anxiety, consuming guilt, andobsessive thinking. These conditions do not only harm themselves but also their infants. Mothers are enveloped in lonelinessand the quality of their lives is further compromised by a lack of all positive emotions. Up to 50% of all cases of postpartumdepression go undetected. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been the only instrument available thatwas specifically designed to screen for this mood disorder. The aim of this study is to evaluate risk of postpartum depressiondifferences of primiparous and multiparous mother by using EPDS. This study utilized survey with quantitative approach.Fourty patients were chosen with purposive sampling method. The result of the study especially the independent t-test showsthat there was significant differences of postpartum depression risk of primiparous and multiparous women (p= 0.000; α=0.05). It is recommended to apply the scale of Edinburgh as tools detection of postpartum depression in mothers primiparousand multiparous considering that postpartum depression often occurs without any known beforehand