German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study (GERPS) 2019

Objective:
The German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study (GERPS) is the data base developed within the project “Individuelle Konsequenzen internationaler Migration im Lebensverlauf” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (project number 345626236). GERPS follows an origin-based sampling approach which allows to study individual consequences of international migrations form a life-course perspective. Apart the migration process and the sociodemographic attributes of international mobiles, the objective of GERPS is to conduct longitudinal data across the four following life domains: Employment and Income, Family and Partnership, Health and Well-being, and Social Networks and Participation.

Method:
The study design of GERPS exploits information from German registers within a multistage stratified probability sample of emigrants and remigrants with German citizenship aged between 20 and 70 with a documented international migration between July 2017 and June 2018. Currently GERPS is comprising four waves covering a period of 24 months. The first wave started in November 2018 and ended in February 2019. The second wave started in May 2019, six months after the beginning of wave 1. The third wave started in November 2019 and ended in January 2020, six months after the beginning of wave 2. The fourth wave is scheduled for November 2020. Wave 1 includes information about 4.545 emigrants and 6.465 remigrants.

Analytical potential & Questionnaire:
The research design complements traditional immigrant surveys conducted in major destination countries by surveying emigrants and remigrants from the perspective of the country of origin. The origin-based sampling approach has at least three major advantages compared to traditional approaches where samples are drawn from immigrants in their destination countries: First, it enables comparative studies of emigrants in various destination countries and of remigrants returning from different destination countries. Second, as GERPS is organized as SOEP-related study, the research design enables comparisons of the internationally mobile population with non-migrants staying in the country of origin by drawing on the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP). Third, the research design allows comparative studies on emigrants and remigrants, providing the opportunity to analyse consequences of international migration from at least two perspectives – shortly after emigration and shortly after return.

Each wave of GERPS covers questions on German migrant’s current living situation in the different areas of life, gradually enabling researchers to draw a picture of survey participants’ life course with every further wave. Additionally, each wave has its own focus: The first wave covers migration motives and the situation shortly before migration. This enables the realization of a hypothetical fifth retrospective measurement point, allowing researchers to reflect on causes and consequences of international migration right from the beginning. The second wave concentrates on income, labour market integration, and social background. The third wave covers in particular social and family relationships. The fourth wave will be supplemented by an open module.

The present study comprises the data for the second wave.<br>1. Screening module for recording moves since wave 1: move since the last survey; move within the city/municipality, to another city/municipality, (back) to Germany, (back) to the previous country or to another country; time of move; distance of the new dwelling from the old place of residence (open, distance category); reasons for move (e.g., own occupational reasons or occupational reasons of partner, family reasons, financial reasons, etc.); ease of getting along after move; experiences of disadvantage and preference in the country of residence. e.g., own professional reasons or partner´s professional reasons, family reasons, financial reasons, etc.); ease of getting along after the move; experiences of disadvantage and preference in the country of residence on the basis of origin.

2. Current living and housing situation: marital status, partnership and type of household: Household size; household composition remained the same, changed, or. Respondent has left previous household; household size at time of last interview; update of household composition information; change in household composition (person added, person left household); total number of persons in new household (household size) if respondent left previous household; stable partnership; move to Germany and new living environment; time of move to Germany; reasons and motives for move (back) to Germany; stay abroad planned only for a limited time; ease of getting along after move; driving force for move decision within partnership; partner´s move to Germany before/after respondent or at the same time already lived in Germany; time of move to current country of residence (country W2); contact with people in country before move abroad (close relatives, other relatives, work colleagues or other friends and acquaintances); reasons and motives for move abroad; ease of getting along after move; same partner at time of move abroad (country W2); driving force for move decision within partnership; partner´s move to country of residence before/after interviewee or at same time or already lived there; living situation three months before last emigration: time of move abroad (month and year); lived in Germany before move abroad; main job before move away from Germany.

3. Contacts with friends and relatives: Connection to Germany and planned moves: not in Germany since leaving; number of days in Germany; serious thoughts of moving to another country; reasons for intention to move; planned duration of stay abroad (country W2/ Germany) (one more year at most, a few more years, forever); planned duration of stay abroad in years; contacts with friends and relatives: Number of close friends/girlfriends; number of close friends in Germany, in current/previous country of residence, or in another country; intensity of contact with different groups in Germany (spouse/partner, parents, parents-in-law, siblings, grandchildren, grandparents, other relatives, close friends).

4. Employment biography (focus module wave 2):

Change in employment status since arrival: reasons for leaving self-employment; number of previous employers; start of employment for current employer (month and year); start and end of employment with first employer (month and year);; start of employment with current employer (month and year); currently not employed: previous employment; number of previous employers or previous self-employment; start and end of employment for first/last employer (month and year); previous job commitment prior to moving; source of information for this job; manner of termination of previous job; new job already in prospect at time of leaving; source of information for this new job; manner of termination of this previous job.

Current employment situation: industry affiliation of the current company resp. at the time of the last interview; change in employer due to move to the country of residence; secondment by the employer; current job corresponds to the profession learned; training required for the job; official authorization or permit to perform the job in the current country of residence (country W2); job can also be performed without official authorization or permit; fixed-term employment relationship; supervisor function; Number of persons for whom authority to issue directives exists; number of employees in the company as a whole; place of work in the country of residence/Germany; place of work in another country; company ties (personal significance, sense of belonging, part of the family in the company); frequency of help received from colleagues; frequency of offers of help to colleagues; frequency of unfair criticism, harassment or exposure by colleagues and superiors; assessment of opportunities on the labor market.

Self-employed and freelancers: sector of the current enterprise or at the time of the last interview; number of employees; place of work in the country of residence/Germany; place of work in another country; weekly working hours; average monthly net income (categorized); current activity corresponds to the learned profession; training required for the activity; official license or permit to pursue the professional activity in the current country of residence (country W2); pursuit of the activity also possible without official license or permit; assessment of opportunities on the labor market.

Non-employed persons: professional position after the last move; industry affiliation of the enterprise of the first paid job after the move; temporary employment relationship; supervisor function; number of persons for whom authority to issue directives existed; number of employees of the total enterprise.

Former self-employed and freelancers: industry; number of employees.

Non-employed persons: intention to (re)take up gainful employment; time of planned (re)taking up gainful employment; desire to pursue a specific occupational activity; training required for the activity; official license or permit to pursue this occupational activity available; pursuit of the activity also possible without official license or permit; assessment of chances on the labor market.

Retirees: receiving pension payments; reasons for receiving pension; current gainful employment as part of a second job; intended gainful employment or no interest in gainful employment; reasons for (intended) gainful employment or reasons against gainful employment during retirement.

Students: same studies as at the time of the last interview; type of student financing.

Change due to moving to country of residence (same employer as before, subsidiary of last employer, or a completely different employer); current stay abroad / stay in Germany is part of an organized mobility program (TEMPUS, ERASMUS (MUNDUS), LINGUA, other mobility program).

Start of first professional activity (month, year); current activity still in the same job and with the same employer; place of work of the first professional activity in Germany; professional position of the first professional activity; activity and industry affiliation of the company at that time; supervisor function; number of persons for whom authority to issue directives existed; change of profession; year of change of profession to the profession currently practiced; in the first job self-employed or freelancer: Occupation held at the time; industry affiliation of the establishment at the time; number of employees; change of occupation; year of change of occupation to the occupation currently held.

5. Attitudes, personality and well-being: Satisfaction with different areas of life; social isolation (lacking company of others, being left out, being socially isolated); self-assessment of health status; limitations due to health problems in everyday life; limitations in climbing stairs; emotional state in the last four weeks (depressed or gloomy, calm and balanced, lots of energy, less work done/work less carefully because of mental or emotional problems, limited social contacts because of mental or emotional problems); Institutional trust (German Bundestag, judicial system in Germany, police in Germany); institutional trust in country of migration (parliament, judiciary and police); concerns regarding various areas (economic development, own economic situation, own old age provision, health, climate change, crime in Germany, future of EU, immigration to Germany, xenophobia in Germany, job security); general life satisfaction.

Demography: sex; migration background; German citizenship; language skills: Mother tongue; language other than German in country of residence; self-assessed knowledge of language of country of residence; knowledge of national language acquired at school; efforts to improve language skills; language spoken predominantly with family members, friends, and at work; financial situation of household.

Sociodemographic and socioeconomic status of respondent´s partner: age (year of birth); born in Germany; German citizenship; high school diploma; completed vocational training; type of training or degree; employment status.

Parental/social background: German citizenship; highest general education degree; vocational training or higher education; occupational status; characteristics of occupation during respondent´s youth; grew up with both parents or situation during first 15 years of respondent´s life.

Additionally coded: Panel ID; respondent is same as person from wave 1; GERPS group wave 2; year and month of interview; lead probability (wave 1 to wave 2); original sample; weighting factor.

Derived variables: Region (current country of residence); partner status W 2; separation from partner between wave 1 and wave 2; new steady partnership between wave 1 and wave 2; change in household composition; household size wave 2; current marital status; current partner in household; current household status (1-job and 2-job); household status W 2; number of children under 17 in household W 2; age of youngest child in household; children in household under 6, from 6 to under 12, and from 12 to under 17; education: ISCED 11 and Casmin classification; highest level of schooling; highest level of vocational education and tertiary education of respondent and partner W 2; current employment status of respondent and partner W 2; current contracted hours of work per week and actual hours of work per week W 2; current contracted hours of work and actual hours of work arrangement W 2; ISEI 08 and Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale (SIOPS88); resident status W 2, born in Germany; International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO08) (one digit); German Classification of Occupations 2010 (KLDB2010 one digit); year of birth (classified); age of partner (classified); household income; monthly net salary and gross salary; flag variables.