German Ageing Survey

Microdata of the third survey year in 2008 comprise 8.196 participants of the following samples:

• Panel Sample 1996(-2002)-2008: participants originating from B-1996 who have been re-surveyed in 2008, birth cohorts 1911-1956 (n=991)
• Panel Sample 2002-2008: participants originating from B-2002 who have been re-surveyed in 2008, birth cohorts 1917-1962 (n=1.000)
• A new Base Sample 2008 (B-2008); a register sample of the German population living in private households, birth cohorts 1923-1968, disproportionably stratified according to age (40-54, 55-69, 70-85 years old), sex and geographical location (East/West) (n=6.205, among these 6.025 of German nationality)

For reasons of comparability, many questions from the first survey in 1996 were retained unchanged in the second (2002) and the third wave (2008). In some areas, however, the instruments were modified and expanded, particularly in the fields employment and transition to retirement, marital status and partners, intergenerational relationships, health and long-term care, need for care, and personal networks. Overall the respondents were asked for information on the following topics:

• employment and retirement
• generations, family and social networks
• leisure activities and volunteer work
• housing situation and mobility
• economic situation and economic behaviour
• subjective wellbeing and quality of life
• health and health behaviour
• need of assistance and need of care
• attitudes, norms, values and images of age and ageing

You can find more information about DEAS 2008 in thedocumentation 2008 and on the webpages of the DEAS project.

DEAS microdata is available free of charge to scientific researchers for non-profitable purposes. For reasons of data protection, signing a data distribution contract is required prior to obtaining the data.

The application form for usage of the DEAS data is here Application Form.