Demographic Differences in Life Course Dynamics in Eastern and Western Germany (DemoDiff)

<b>This survey is now fully integrated in <a href=https://search.gesis.org/research_data/ZA5678?lang=en>pairfam </a>. </b>

Complementary Study to the German Family Panel (pairfam)

Financed by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research,
DemoDiff is a longitudinal study that provides prospective and
retrospective information for the analysis of family dynamics in
eastern Germany. It mainly follows the concept and design of the
nationwide German Family Panel study pairfam. Anchor respondents of the
birth cohorts 1971-73 and 1981-83 from eastern Germany (excluding West
Berlin and including East Berlin) and their partners are interviewed on
an annual basis. Data from DemoDiff are distributed together with the
scientific use file of the German Family Panel. Data access is
supervised by the pairfam data research center.

The survey program of DemoDiff is broadly in compliance with the
pairfam program. This multi-subject study focuses on aspects of
partnership and family dynamics.

1.) Partnership formation and development
2.) Transition to first and consecutive births
3.) Intergenerational relationships
4.) Parenting and child development

Numerous issues from other life domains and demography are also
gathered by the survey. Most of the instruments are utilized either
annually in each survey wave (core modules) or are rotated every two or
every three years (extended modules). In the main survey, the anchor
persons report - among other things - retrospectively on changes
related to their partnerships, children, residences, and educational
and occupational career since the last wave (Event History Calendar).
The questionnaires for partners are similar to the main survey in terms
of topics but differ in length and content.

Topics:

1.) Partnership formation and development: Partnership biography since
age 14 (sex and age of partners, partnership, cohabitation and marriage
episodes by month); Getting to know each other (current partner);
Institutionalization of partnership (plans, ambivalence, stages);
Sexuality (sexual orientation, frequency of sexual intercourse,
satisfaction with sex life); Cohabitation (dwelling, distance between
places of residence); Division of household chores (several activities,
fairness); Finances in partnership (bank accounts, living expenses);
Quality of partnership (dyadic coping, NRI, conflict styles and
behavior, satisfaction with relationship, subjective instability of
partnership); Module for singles (satisfaction with situation as
single, interest in partnership, desire for partnership,
characteristics of the partner market, subjective chances, broad and
in-depth exploration); Separation module (course of separation,
problems in partnership, effects on children, emotional distress after
separation, exposure with separation, custody and alimony
arrangements).

2.) Transition to first and consecutive births: Expectations
concerning life with children (value of children); Pregnancy (existence
of pregnancy, tried to sire a child/get pregnant, infertility,
procreation/measures inducing pregnancy, abortion/miscarriage,
hypothetical social support in case of pregnancy); Contraception (use,
methods, consistency of use); Social influences on family planning (by
friends and parents); Fertility plans (ideal and realistic number of
children, intention to become parent, timing of parenthood, agreement
with partner, willingness to cut back for children, effects of being
parent, parenthood decision making, reasons against children);
Preconditions for parenthood (assessment of actual and target state).

3.) Intergenerational relationships: Expectations concerning the
relationship to parents (value of parents); Familial norms; Family and
partnership related values; Quality of parent-child-relationship (NRI);
Dimensions of intergenerational relationships (frequency of contact,
emotional closeness, travel-time distance); Given and received support
(emotional, material, instrumental); Nursing (need for care parents,
care provider); Leaving parents’ home (age).

4.) Parenting and child development: Child rearing goals; Parenting
role (parental self-efficacy); Co-parenting (problems, problem
solving); Child care (responsible persons, satisfaction with child care
situation); Health of children (in general); Newborn module (delivery,
checkups, temperament, unspecific strain).

Other life domains: Personality; Well-being (loneliness, self-worth,
depressiveness, etc.); Health (general status, handicap, sleep at
night); Importance of life domains (occupation, family, etc.);
Satisfaction (with life, school/job, leisure activities, friends,
family, financial situation); Network integration (number of friends,
network generator); Religiosity (religious denomination, frequency of
church visits).

Demography: Sex; Age; Marital status; Country of birth and
nationality; Number of siblings and relatives; Education (education
career, educational attainment); Employment biography (employment
episodes, occupation, occupational status); Employment situation (work
schedule arrangement, temporary employment contract, multiple jobs,
conditions at workplace, commuting, maternity/paternity leave,
military/civilian service); Income and benefits (current gross and net
income per month, net household income, drawing of social benefits,
alimony payment, income on investments, economic deprivation);
Residential biography since age 18 (first move out of parents‘ home,
places of residence in federal state and country, first and second
place of residence, moves, type of current household, ownership of
dwelling, total living space, number of rooms, frequency of overnight
stays); Household grid (number of further persons in the household and
their sex, age, kind of relationship); Information about current
partner (date of birth, country of birth and nationality, education,
occupation, job position, children from earlier relationships, place of
residence); Information about children (number, sex, date of birth,
status, cohabitation, contact, second parent, health status, child
care); Information about biological parents and stepparents (date of
birth, whether still alive and - if applicable - date of death, country
of birth and nationality, highest level of education and vocational
training, marital status, relationship status, cohabitation, old and
new partnership).

As a supplement to the German Family Panel, DemoDiff gathers
additional information on the respondent’s partnership status when
giving birth. The data also contain information on the place of birth
of the respondent; i.e. whether he/she is born in eastern or western
Germany.

Additionally coded: Duration of interview; date of interview;
identification of interviewer; size of city; weighting factor.