German Ageing Survey (DEAS): User Manual SUF DEAS 2008, Version 3.2 (March 2021)

Abstract

The German Ageing Survey (DEAS) is a nationwide representative cross-sectional and longitudinal survey of the German population aged over 40. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). The German Centre of Gerontology in Berlin (DZA) is responsible for the conduct and ongoing development of the study. Sampling and fieldwork for all waves (1996-2020) has been carried out by the Bonn-based Institute for Applied Social Sciences (infas). The primary goal of the DEAS survey program is to provide a representative national database containing information describing the living conditions of the country’s middle-aged and older population and to study diversity within the older section of the population, the process of ageing as it affects individuals and processes of social change as they relate to old age and ageing. The DEAS covers a wide range of topics. The data obtained provide information on socioeconomic and demographic attributes as well as household composition, housing, family structure, social networks, psychological resources, attitudes as well as and physical and mental health. The comprehensive examination of people in mid- and older adulthood provides microdata for use both in social and behavioural scientific research and in reporting on social developments. The data thus provides a source of information for decision-makers, the general public and for scientific research. The DEAS applies a cohort-sequential design, which allows the users to analyze societal trends and individual trajectories (embedded inside societal trends) and to disentangle age effects from cohort effects. The first DEAS survey wave took place in 1996, further waves followed in 2002, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2020. The third wave of the survey in 2008 considered a panel sample of study participants, who had entered the DEAS earlier as well as a new sample of adults, aged 40 to 85 years. Microdata of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) are available free of charge to scientific researchers for non-profitable purposes. The Research Data Centre (FDZ-DZA) provides access and support to scholars interested in using DEAS data for their research. Data and documentations from completed DEAS waves are available by the FDZ-DZA. However, for reasons of data protection, signing a data distribution contract is required before data can be obtained.