Research Group: Education and Human Potential

From a population research perspective, the education of the population and the human potential of society and the economy are central aspects - because it is not only about the size of the population, but also about its abilities, qualifications and educational trajectories. This finding is of great importance for advising policymakers and society.

A research group newly established at the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) in 2021 is investigating the importance of education for population development in Germany, focusing in particular on the effects of education on fertility, migration, mobility, aging processes and mortality. In addition, the impact of demographic events over the life course on education will be investigated.

Another focus of the research group is on early childhood education and care. This aspect is of particular importance for the development of society's human potential. Investments in this area are also particularly effective and efficient from a life course perspective.
The well-being of the population is of great importance for educational processes and human potential as a whole - as well as for other areas. The research group will work on this in cooperation with the other research areas. Well-being will be assessed in its various dimensions, considering not only general life satisfaction but also domain-specific satisfaction, in order to obtain a differentiated assessment both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

In a first project, the effects of the Corona pandemic on educational potentials in Germany, a central aspect for population development, will be investigated.

Current Research Projects