FReDA Data Release • 07.06.2024Data set of the second survey wave of FReDA published

Researchers can now request the data from the W2A and W2B surveys from 2022 and 2023 - including the data from the partner surveys - from GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. The data is available to researchers for scientific and non-commercial purposes, and access to the data is free of charge. Students also have the opportunity to work and research with FReDA data as part of their final thesis. They can apply for data access via their lecturer.

With the release of the second wave, the developments and changes in the respondents' family environment can be observed and analysed. This includes developments in partnerships (e.g. moving in together, marriage, separation), starting a family (e.g. number of children) or career changes. FReDA's extensive data allows for many differentiation options and promises exciting analyses.

Detailed information on the data release of the second wave of FReDA can be found in the FReDA Field Report from GESIS.

New question modules added

The FReDA dataset allows representative analyses of the situation and changes in family life, including family forms, family dynamics, fertility, parenthood, socialisation as well as separation and divorce, for example in the context of the labour market, mobility and health. With the publication of the second wave, several new question modules have also been added. These include, among others:

• Questions on personality (e.g. items on self-esteem and BIG 5)
• Items on coparenting with partner or ex-partner (e.g. differences of opinion or teamwork when raising children)
• If applicable, information on a separation (e.g. who initiated the separation, what were the reasons, how are the respondents doing)
• A module on life as a single person (e.g. satisfaction as a single person, desire for a partnership, active partner search)

Open modules also surveyed

The second wave also includes data from the open modules that were submitted by researchers to FReDA for the first time and surveyed in autumn 2022. These are questions on four topics:

• Affective touch behaviour
• Sexual orientation
• Transnational families
• Knowledge about fertility

Pairfam sample part of the surveys for the first time

In addition, the pairfam sample was integrated into the FReDA survey in the second wave. Since 2022, pairfam has now been a part of FReDA and this integration means that researchers continue to have access to the usual pairfam panel data. The content-related focus of pairfam on partnership and family-related issues remains in FReDA and the multi-actor design enables the dyadic survey of partners.

Participation in FReDA remains very high

The FReDA surveys are pleased with the lively participation of the panelists; the number of fully completed and returned interviews remains very high.

Partial wave W2A from 4 May to 7 May 2022

• Invitation of 30,114 anchor persons
• 23,548 fully completed interviews returned
• 86.9 per cent of interviews answered online (CAWI form)
• 13.1 per cent of interviews answered with paper questionnaires (PAPI form)
• A further 8,017 interviews from the partners of the anchor persons (7,970 partners plus 47 ex-partners)
• Duration of web-based participation: around 18.5 minutes

Partial wave W2B from 12 October 2022 to 31 January 2023

• Invitation of 27,270 anchor persons
• 22,424 fully completed interviews returned
• 20,230 interviews answered online (CAWI form)
• 2,194 interviews answered with paper questionnaires (PAPI form)
• A further 7,302 interviews from the partners of the anchor persons (7,272 partners plus 30 ex-partners)
• Duration of web-based participation: 20.3 minutes on average

FReDA Data Portal invites you to research

With the release of the second wave, FReDA is making a very attractive data set available to the scientific community, as the FReDA Data Portal shows. The bilingual data portal is freely accessible and invites researchers to explore the panel study in more detail. For example, each web-based FReDA questionnaire can be searched individually and comprehensive information on valid/invalid cases or frequency distributions is available for all variables in the FReDA Scientific Use Files. In addition, it is possible to recognise linkages that show how different questions and variables of the FReDA sub-waves are related to each other.