German General Social Survey
Encyclopedia
The German General Social Survey (ALLBUS/GGSS - Die Allgemeine Bevölkerungsumfrage der Sozialwissenschaften) is a national data
generation program in Germany
, which is similar to the American General Social Survey
(GSS). Its mission is to collect and disseminate high quality statistical survey
s on attitudes, behavior, and social structure in Germany.
(formerly: Centre for Survey Research and Methodology (ZUMA - Zentrum für Umfragen, Methoden und Analysen)) and GESIS at Cologne
(formerly: Central Archive for Empirical Social Research (ZA - Zentralarchiv für Empirische Sozialforschung)).
Until 1990, the individual surveys were conducted using a random sample of ca. 3000 German citizens from the old Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin who were residing in private households and were at least 18 years old at the time of the interview. As of 1991, the universe sampled has been extended to cover the former East Germany, and the foreign residents have been included into the samples.
Since 1986, the German part of the International Social Survey Programme
(ISSP) is regularly conducted as part of the ALLBUS/GGSS survey. As in GSS both national surveys can be analysed in a common data set.
data from all of the 16 currently available ALLBUS/GGSS surveys, with a total of 47,947 respondents. It comprises all items that have been surveyed at least two times within the regular ALLBUS/GGSS program (replications).
(cf. Terwey and Baumann 2008: 9 - 11).
Besides, there is another major German data generation program for the collection of panel data
called the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). This is similar to the American Panel Study of Income Dynamics
(PSID).
James Allen Davis, Peter Ph. Mohler, and Tom W. Smith: Nationwide General Social Surveys. In: Ingwer Borg and Peter Ph. Mohler (eds.): Trends and Perspectives in Empirical Social Research. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin and New York 1994: 17-25. ISBN 3-11-014311-9
Tom W. Smith, Jibum Kim, Achim Koch and Alison Park: Social-Science Research and the General Social Surveys. In: ZUMA-Nachrichten. Nr. 56, 2005: 68-77. ISSN 0941-1670
Michael Terwey: ALLBUS: A German General Social Survey. In: Schmollers Jahrbuch. Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften. Journal of Applied Social Science Studies. Nr. 120, 2000: 151-158.
Michael Terwey and Horst Baumann: German General Social Survey. ALLBUS / GGSS Cumulation 1980 - 2006 (ZA-Study-No 4243), Electronic Codebook, integrated Data File, and Survey Description, Cologne and Mannheim: GESIS 2008. ISSN 1865-3596
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
generation program in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, which is similar to the American General Social Survey
General Social Survey
The General Social Survey is a sociological survey used to collect data on demographic characteristics and attitudes of residents of the United States. The survey is conducted face-to-face with an in-person interview by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, of a...
(GSS). Its mission is to collect and disseminate high quality statistical survey
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
s on attitudes, behavior, and social structure in Germany.
Funding and Organizational Background
With the foundation of GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (formerly: "German Social Sciences Infrastructure Services" (Gesellschaft sozialwissenschaftlicher Infrastruktureinrichtungen)) in 1986, ALLBUS/GGSS has been included into the state-federal funding of this grouping. It is institutionalized as a joint-venture of GESIS at MannheimMannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
(formerly: Centre for Survey Research and Methodology (ZUMA - Zentrum für Umfragen, Methoden und Analysen)) and GESIS at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
(formerly: Central Archive for Empirical Social Research (ZA - Zentralarchiv für Empirische Sozialforschung)).
The Surveys
Standardly, the representative cross-sectional studies are conducted biennially since 1980. A large part of the items included consists of replications, while others are specifically varied according to particular topics.Until 1990, the individual surveys were conducted using a random sample of ca. 3000 German citizens from the old Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin who were residing in private households and were at least 18 years old at the time of the interview. As of 1991, the universe sampled has been extended to cover the former East Germany, and the foreign residents have been included into the samples.
Since 1986, the German part of the International Social Survey Programme
International Social Survey Programme
The International Social Survey Programme is a collaboration between different nations conducting surveys covering topics which are useful for social science research. The ISSP researchers develop questions which are meaningful and relevant to all countries which can be expressed in an equal...
(ISSP) is regularly conducted as part of the ALLBUS/GGSS survey. As in GSS both national surveys can be analysed in a common data set.
Cumulative Data File
The cumulative ALLBUS/GGSS 1980-2006 (German and English version available) comprises opinion pollOpinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
data from all of the 16 currently available ALLBUS/GGSS surveys, with a total of 47,947 respondents. It comprises all items that have been surveyed at least two times within the regular ALLBUS/GGSS program (replications).
Topical Modules in the ALLBUS/GGSS program
- Assessments of economic situations
- Political attitudes and political participation
- Attitudes relating to the process of German unification
- Attitudes towards social inequality and the welfare state
- Confidence in public institutions and organizations
- Pride in being a German
- Attitudes towards migrants and minorities
- Attachment to various political regions
- Family and child raising
- Attitudes towards abortion
- Questions on health
- Importance of life aspects and job characteristics
- Free time activities
- Use of media
- Religiousness, cosmology and church attachment
- Environmental concerns and pollution
- Attitudes towards administration
- Anomia and fear of crime
- Deviant behavior and sanctioning
- ALLBUS-DemographyDemographyDemography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
(demographicsDemographicsDemographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
) - Details about the interview and the interviewer
- Weights and indices.[1]
(cf. Terwey and Baumann 2008: 9 - 11).
External links
- GESIS
- ALLBUS (documentation and data download for free)
- General Social Survey (GSS)
- British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA)
- Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSA)
- Polish General Social Survey (PGSS)
- Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSS)
- The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AuSSA)
- International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Bergen
- International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Mannheim
Besides, there is another major German data generation program for the collection of panel data
Panel data
In statistics and econometrics, the term panel data refers to multi-dimensional data. Panel data contains observations on multiple phenomena observed over multiple time periods for the same firms or individuals....
called the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). This is similar to the American Panel Study of Income Dynamics
Panel Study of Income Dynamics
The Panel Study of Income Dynamics is the world’s longest running household panel survey. The PSID is a longitudinal panel survey of United States families that measures economic, social, and health factors over the life course and across generations...
(PSID).
Literature
Richard Alba, Peter Schmidt, and Martina Wasmer (eds.): Germans or Foreigners? Attitudes Towards Ethnic Minorities in Post-Reunification Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, New York and Houndmills 2003. ISBN 1-4039-6378-9James Allen Davis, Peter Ph. Mohler, and Tom W. Smith: Nationwide General Social Surveys. In: Ingwer Borg and Peter Ph. Mohler (eds.): Trends and Perspectives in Empirical Social Research. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin and New York 1994: 17-25. ISBN 3-11-014311-9
Tom W. Smith, Jibum Kim, Achim Koch and Alison Park: Social-Science Research and the General Social Surveys. In: ZUMA-Nachrichten. Nr. 56, 2005: 68-77. ISSN 0941-1670
Michael Terwey: ALLBUS: A German General Social Survey. In: Schmollers Jahrbuch. Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften. Journal of Applied Social Science Studies. Nr. 120, 2000: 151-158.
Michael Terwey and Horst Baumann: German General Social Survey. ALLBUS / GGSS Cumulation 1980 - 2006 (ZA-Study-No 4243), Electronic Codebook, integrated Data File, and Survey Description, Cologne and Mannheim: GESIS 2008. ISSN 1865-3596