Young people's leisure activities are significantly different today than they were ten years ago. The obvious use of communication and entertainment electronics, such as cell phones, computers, and game consoles is only one aspect - there are also less visible changes: informal activities, e.g....

Today, Germany's citizens are happier on average than at any other point in time since reunification. Even though more than 20 years have passed, the average level of happiness in eastern Germany is still significantly lower than that in western Germany. This is demonstrated by the most recent...

Eine Folge der Vereinigung Deutschlands war, daß eine wachsende Zahl ostdeutscher Arbeitnehmer zu einem Arbeitsplatz in Westdeutschland pendelte. Als im Jahre 1991 schließlich über 300 000 Personen zu "Westpendlern" geworden waren, wurde dies in Ostdeutschland mit großer Skepsis betrachtet,...

Die Untersuchung von Arbeitszeitpräferenzen hat im Zusammenhang mit der neuerlichen Diskussion um Arbeitszeitverkürzung und -flexibilisierung an Bedeutung gewonnen. Allgemein wird hervorgehoben, daß Arbeitszeitverkürzungen auf dem Prinzip der Freiwilligkeit beruhen sollen und flexibel zu...

The article analyzes the question of whether career politicians differ systematically from the general population in terms of their attitudes toward risk. A written survey of members of the 17th German Bundestag in late 2011 identified their risk attitudes, and the survey data was set in...

The SOEP Group currently is preparing in addition to increasing the size of the core SOEP, to establish a new Innovation Sample (SOEP-IS). This will be established for the period 2012 to 2017 (with a cumulative number of presumably N=5,000 households). Now, in the year 2012, a new subsample is...

Unemployment continues to be one of the major challenges in industrialized societies. Aside from its economic dimensions and societal repercussions, questions concerning the individual experience of unemployment have recently attracted increasing attention. Although many studies have documented...

The article analyzes the question of whether career politicians differ systematically from the general population in terms of their attitudes toward risk. A written survey of members of the 17th German Bundestag in late 2011 identified their risk attitudes, and the survey data was set in...

The paper gives an overview of two experiments implemented in the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) considering the effect of monetary incentives on cross-sectional and longitudinal response propensities. We conclude that the overall effects of monetary incentives on response rates are positive...

Despite numerous studies on skill development, we know little about the causal effects of music training on cognitive and non-cognitive skills. This study examines how long-term music training during childhood and youth affects the development of cognitive skills, school grades, personality,...