RDC-RISC Paper
RDC-RISC Paper 2
Survey Weights for the German Social Cohesion Panel 2021-2023 – Wave 1-3
This report describes the construction of survey weights for the Scientific Use File (SUF) of the third wave of the German Social Cohesion Panel (SCP). It covers the recruitment wave – Wave 1 Part 1 (W1P1) – and the first three follow-up waves: Wave 1 Part 2 (W1P2), Wave 2 (W2), and Wave 3 (W3). The weighting procedure includes the construction of design weights, the estimation of cross-sectional nonresponse weights for the recruitment wave, and the estimation of longitudinal inverse staying probabilities and cross-sectional weights for the first three follow-up waves at both person and household level. These weights are included in the phrf and hhrf datasets of the SCP 2021–23 W1–3 SUF. The report first describes the adjustment of design weights, followed by the construction of nonresponse weights for each wave. It then explains how the nonresponse models were estimated and summarizes their empirical results. A further chapter examines how the distribution of cross-sectional weights evolves across the stages of the weighting process in each wave and compares respondents with high nonresponse weights to the full realized sample. The report closes with a discussion of practical implications and limitations.
Authors: Julian B. Axenfeld & Hans Walter Steinhauer
Title: Survey Weights for the German Social Cohesion Panel 2021-2023 – Wave 1-3
Publication Date: 2026-10-28
DOI: 10.60532/rdc-risc_paper_2
Keywords: unit nonresponse, nonresponse weights, design weights, inverse probability weighting, raking, panel survey, longitudinal survey
Recommended Citation: Axenfeld, J. B., & Steinhauer, H. W. (2026). Survey Weights for the German Social Cohesion Panel 2021-2023 - Wave 1-3. RDCRISC Paper 2. Bremen: RDC-RISC/SOCIUM. doi:10.60532/rdc-risc_paper_2
