Sampling 20,000 people in 10,000 households, the study is already the country’s largest repeat survey, and DIW Berlin aims to increase this to 35,000 adults and 5,000 children in 20,000 homes over the next ten years. The study covers opinions, income, employment, housing, education, health and life satisfaction.

There are also plans to set up a 5,000-strong ‘innovation panel’ to trial changes in methodology and to improve data infrastructure to allow for more multidisciplinary analysis.

Gert Wagner, who manages the study at DIW Berlin, said the further development of the survey would provide a basis for innovation in scientific research and a stronger foundation of evidence for policy advice.

TNS Infratest has run the Leben in Deutschland study (known officially as the Sozio-oekonomisches Panel or SOEP)for DIW Berlin since 1984. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and by the science and research office of the regional government in Berlin.