The paper provides information on sample sizes and panel attrition in the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) for the years 1984 – 1999. Furthermore, results of the sequential estimation of non-response probabilities for the different subsamples of the GSOEP are described in detail.

The definition and operationalization of wealth information in population surveys and the corresponding microdata requires a wide range of more or less normative assumptions. However, the decisions made in both the pre- and post-data-collection stage may interfere considerably with the...