Sampling Refugees for an Educational Longitudinal Survey

In the years 2015 and 2016, in Germany more than half a million refugees were granted asylum or they were accepted being eligible for subsidiary protection. Thus, they got a residence permit. About 29% of the accepted refugees were younger than 18 years. To study education related integration issues in this group, in 2016 the large-scale survey study “Refugees in the German Educational System (ReGES)” had been established. In this study, refugee children not yet in elementary school and students in lower secondary education are surveyed. This article gives some first insights from the field of the study, details its multistage sampling and study design, reports gross and net sample sizes, and gives response rates. In total, more than 4,000 families were found to have more than 5,000 children of the desired population. About 2,400 refugee children and about the same number of refugee students participated in the first wave in 2017/2018. This is around 50% of the Kindergarten children’s parents and around 44% of the students, whose addresses were sampled, and an interviewer was sent to, could be interviewed. These high response rates point to the effectiveness of the study design. Additionally, they show the strong interest of the considered refugee population in the study

Exploring The Responsibilities Of Single-Inhabitant Smart Homes With Use Cases

DOI: 10.3233/AIS-2010-0076This paper makes a number of contributions to the field of requirements analysis for Smart Homes. It introduces Use Cases as a tool for exploring the responsibilities of Smart Homes and it proposes a modification of the conventional Use Case structure to suit the particular requirements of Smart Homes. It presents a taxonomy of Smart-Home-related Use Cases with seven categories. It draws on those Use Cases as raw material for developing questions and conclusions about the design of Smart Homes for single elderly inhabitants, and it introduces the SHMUC repository, a web-based repository of Use Cases related to Smart Homes that anyone can exploit and to which anyone may contribute

Sampling techniques and weighting procedures for complex survey designs - The school cohorts of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS)

The National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) set up a panel cohort of students starting in grade 5 and grade 9. To realize the corresponding samples of students NEPS applied a complex stratified multi-stage cluster sampling approach. To allow for generalizations from the sample to the universe especially aspects of complex sample designs have to be considered and are reflected by design weights. When applying multi-stage sampling approaches unit nonresponse, that is, units refuse to participate, may occur on each stage where decisions towards participation are made. To correct for potential bias induced by refusals of schools and students the derived design weights need to be adjusted. Since participation decisions differ in many ways, for example by stage (school- or student-level), time (in the forerun of or during the panel) or reasons (school-level: workload or participation in other studies, student-level: not interested in the study, resentment to testing), design weights need to be carefully adjusted to reflect the participation decisions made on each stage properly. Participation decisions on the school level take information from sampling and the school recruitment process into account and are modeled using binary probit models with random intercept considering the federal-state-specific recruitment. Schools participating are subsampled providing access to students in grade 5 and 9. Subsampling within schools provides a sample of two classes if at least three are present, otherwise all classes are selected. In creating design weights this subsampling needs again to be incorporated in the weights. The students decision process on the next stage has to be accounted for in providing unit nonresponse adjusted weights. These decision processes take clustering at the school level as well as information on the initial sample, that is, respondents and nonrespondents, into account. The resulting net sample forms the panel cohorts of students in grade 5 and 9. Based on the panel cohorts each student can again decide whether to participate or not for each successive wave. Providing additional information obtained in a parental interview with one parent this multi-informant perspective makes consideration of an additional participation decision necessary. Since participation decisions of a student and a parent are unlikely independent they should be modeled appropriately using bivariate models. To again account for a cluster structure these models are extended with a random intercept on the school level. All these aspects of complex sample and survey designs as well as the different participation decisions involved need to be considered in weighting adjustments. The results point at typical characteristics influencing participation decisions of schools, students and parents. Besides that the results stress the need to account for sample design and the nature of decision processes involved resulting in the actual participation

Spatial Patterns of Recent Ukrainian Refugees in Germany: Administrative Dispersal and Existing Ethnic Networks

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many people have fled the war and left their home country. By the end of January 2023, more than one million Ukrainian refugees had been registered in Germany alone. In contrast to refugees from other countries of origin in Germany, Ukrainian citizens can choose their place of residence if they have either found private accommodation with family members or friends or do not claim state support. However, little information exists on where within Germany Ukrainian refugees have moved and why certain regions are potentially more attractive than others. There exists a substantial literature on the location choices of migrants in general, showing that the existing level of immigrant concentration is an important determinant, while economic factors have a smaller effect - if not in the initial location choice after immigration, then at least in later location decisions. Whereas these studies mainly focus on labour migrants, research on refugees' location choices is still scarce, because refugees are usually assigned to specific places of residence by the authorities in many European countries. In the context of forced migration, spatial patterns may therefore largely be related to administrative decisions. In this paper, we aim to answer the question of the settlement patterns of recently arrived refugees from Ukraine in Germany by using current data from the Central Register of Foreigners. These patterns are modelled on the NUTS-3 level and consider the proportion of previous Ukrainian migrants living within those regions as well as additional economic, demographic, and geographical factors. Spatial regression models show that, on the one hand, Ukrainian refugees indeed settle where the number of Ukrainians is already high. The empirical analyses also indicate a correlation between the spatial patterns of refugees in general and Ukrainian refugees, suggesting that dispersal policies may play a role in explaining settlement patterns. Furthermore, affordable housing and lower rents are important explanatory variables

Regionale Konzentration durch ethnische Netzwerke? Wohnorte Ukrainischer Geflüchteter in Deutschland

Russlands Krieg gegen die Ukraine führte ab Ende Februar 2022 zu einer der größten Fluchtbewegungen innerhalb Europas seit Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Für viele der Geflüchteten waren Berlin und andere Großstädte wie Frankfurt, Hamburg und Hannover die ersten Anlaufstellen in Deutschland. Insbesondere in den ersten Monaten nach Kriegsbeginn wurde bei ukrainischen Geflüchteten - im Gegensatz zu anderen Gruppen von Geflüchteten - auf Maßnahmen der Wohnsitzbeschränkungen und auf staatliche Zuweisungen weitgehend verzichtet. Vor diesem Hintergrund analysiert der Beitrag die regionale Verteilung der Geflüchteten in Deutschland auf Ebene der kreisfreien Städte und Landkreise und liefert Erklärungsansätze der entstandenen räumlichen Muster

Podiumsdiskussion: "Auf dem Weg zu einem Bibliotheksgesetz"

Teilnehmer: - André Blechschmidt MdL, Sprecher für Justiz, Medien und Sport der Landtagsfraktion Die Linke. PDS - Hans-Jürgen Döring MdL, Sprecher für Bildung und Kultur der SPD-Landtagsfraktion - Christian Hasiewicz, Bertelsmann Stiftung - Barbara Schleihagen, Leiterin der Geschäftsstelle des DBV e.V. - Jörg Schwäblein MdL, Sprecher des Arbeitskreises Wissenschaft, Kunst und Medien der CDU-Landtagsfraktion - Eric W. Steinhauer, Universitätsbibliothek Ilmenau/VDB-Regionalvorsitzender Moderation: Dr. Frank Simon-Ritz, Direktor der Universitätsbibliothek der Bauhaus Universität Weima

Nationally representative results on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and testing in Germany at the end of 2020

Pre-vaccine SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence data from Germany are scarce outside hotspots, and socioeconomic disparities remained largely unexplored. The nationwide representative RKI-SOEP study (15,122 participants, 18–99 years, 54% women) investigated seroprevalence and testing in a supplementary wave of the Socio-Economic-Panel conducted predominantly in October–November 2020. Self-collected oral-nasal swabs were PCR-positive in 0.4% and Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2-S1-IgG ELISA from dry-capillary-blood antibody-positive in 1.3% (95% CI 0.9–1.7%, population-weighted, corrected for sensitivity = 0.811, specificity = 0.997). Seroprevalence was 1.7% (95% CI 1.2–2.3%) when additionally correcting for antibody decay. Overall infection prevalence including self-reports was 2.1%. We estimate 45% (95% CI 21–60%) undetected cases and lower detection in socioeconomically deprived districts. Prior SARS-CoV-2 testing was reported by 18% from the lower educational group vs. 25% and 26% from the medium and high educational group (p < 0.001, global test over three categories). Symptom-triggered test frequency was similar across educational groups. Routine testing was more common in low-educated adults, whereas travel-related testing and testing after contact with infected persons was more common in highly educated groups. This countrywide very low pre-vaccine seroprevalence in Germany at the end of 2020 can serve to evaluate the containment strategy. Our findings on social disparities indicate improvement potential in pandemic planning for people in socially disadvantaged circumstances.Peer Reviewe

Corona Monitoring Nationwide (RKI-SOEP-2): Seroepidemiological Study on the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Across Germany

SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus, spread across Germany within just a short period of time. Seroepidemiological studies are able to estimate the proportion of the population with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 infection (seroprevalence) as well as the level of undetected infections, which are not captured in official figures. In the seroepidemiological study Corona Monitoring Nationwide (RKI-SOEP-2), biospecimens and interview data were collected in a nationwide population-based subsample of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). By using laboratory-analyzed blood samples to detect antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we were able to identify a history of vaccination or infection in study participants. By combining these results with survey data, we were able to identify groups within the population that are at increased risk of infection. By linking the RKI-SOEP-2 survey data with data from other waves of the SOEP survey, we will be able to examine the medium- to long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including effects of long COVID, in diverse areas of life. Furthermore, the data provide insight into the population’s willingness to be vaccinated as well as related attitudes and conditions. In sum, the RKI-SOEP-2 survey data offer a better understanding of the scope of the epidemic in Germany and can help in identifying target groups for infection control in the present and future pandemics.Peer Reviewe

Seroepidemiological study on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany:

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has spread rapidly across Germany. Infections are likely to be under-recorded in the notification data from local health authorities on laboratory-confirmed cases since SARS-CoV-2 infections can proceed with few symptoms and then often remain undetected. Seroepidemiological studies allow the estimation of the proportion in the population that has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 (seroprevalence) as well as the extent of undetected infections. The ‘CORONA-MONITORING bundesweit’ study (RKI-SOEP study) collects biospecimens and interview data in a nationwide population sample drawn from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Participants are sent materials to self-collect a dry blood sample of capillary blood from their finger and a swab sample from their mouth and nose, as well as a questionnaire. The samples returned are tested for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and SARS-CoV-2 RNA to identify past or present infections. The methods applied enable the identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, including those that previously went undetected. In addition, by linking the data collected with available SOEP data, the study has the potential to investigate social and health-related differences in infection status. Thus, the study contributes to an improved understanding of the extent of the epidemic in Germany, as well as identification of target groups for infection protection

Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland: Ergebnisse der ersten Welle der IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Befragung

Der gemeinsame Forschungsbericht des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), des Bundesinstituts für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB), des Forschungszentrums des Bundesamtes für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF-FZ) und des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) am DIW Berlin stellt vertieft zentrale Befunde aus der gemeinsamen Studie "Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland" vor. Im Fokus der bundesweiten Studie stehen das Ankommen, die aktuellen Lebensumstände sowie Zukunftspläne der ukrainischen Geflüchteten in Deutschland. Die Analysen basieren auf rund 11.700 Interviews mit ukrainischen Männern und Frauen, die im Zeitraum vom 24. Februar bis zum 8. Juni 2022 nach Deutschland gekommen sind. Die Interviews wurden deutschlandweit auf Basis standardisierter Fragebögen online (CAWI) oder per Papierfragebogen (PAPI) im Zeitraum von August bis Oktober 2022 durchgeführt. Im Zuge der Stichprobenziehung wurden zunächst anhand des Ausländerzentralregisters (AZR) 100 Gemeinden mit einem hohen Anteil von ukrainischen Geflüchteten ausgewählt. Die ausgewählten Gemeinden wurden dann gebeten, Adressen dieser Zielpopulation zur Verfügung zu stellen. Durch Verwendung von Gewichten ist die Stichprobe repräsentativ für diese Grundgesamtheit. Die Studie ist als Längsschnittbefragung geplant, im Frühjahr 2023 wird eine zweite Befragungswelle durchgeführt. Erste zentrale Befunde aus der ersten Welle wurden bereits im Dezember 2022 im Rahmen einer Kurzanalyse veröffentlicht