Jürgen H.P. Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik – författare

The book consists of five parts and a concluding chapter. Part 1 covers general problems and presents solutions for the harmonisation of data from different national and/or cultural contexts. In the second part EUROSTAT and ESOMAR present their established standard instruments. Tested instruments each covering one variable (i.e. occupation, education) are presented in the third part. The fourth part again includes suggested tools for the harmonisation of single variables for which standardised instruments are not yet available (i.e. age, religion, ethnicity, household, family, income). The last part presents selected empirical analyses demonstrating the use and fruitfulness of instruments presented before.

This book is mainly written for two groups. First, researchers and practitioners involved in comparative research in Europe. Second, researchers working with data of the statistical offices of European countries and data from institutions of the European Union.

Above all, this book focuses on the application of sociodemographic survey questions. Based on theoretical foundations, it addresses the operationalization of variables and presents socio-demographic questionnaire modules for within- and across-country comparative survey research. The book pursues three main objectives: to provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of the survey instruments currently available for the measurement of sociodemographic variables in cross-national comparative research; to offer the reader a set of harmonized international demographic standards; and to show how these standards can be implemented by the various parties involved in international comparative surveys – from the central project coordinators, to the researchers on the national survey teams, to the fieldwork agencies and their interviewers, to respondents, and eventually, to the data processing experts preparing the datasets for comparative analysis. The book offers a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners and students actively involved in producing and analyzing sociodemographic survey data. The typical readers will be social science researchers, qualified consultants and professionals interested in the field of (comparative) survey research. The book can also serve as a useful supplement to introductory textbooks on survey methodology and is suitable for Bachelor and Master students of the social sciences. 

Die Länder vergleichende Umfrageforschung benötigt Befragungsinstrumente, die in jedem an einem Projekt beteiligten Land das Gleiche messen. Für das Übersetzen von Fragen zu Einstellungen und Verhalten gibt es akzeptierte Prozeduren. Für die Übertragung von soziodemographischen Variablen ist ein Übersetzen nicht möglich – Surveyfragen zu soziodemographischen Merkmalen müssen harmonisiert werden. Die Statistikabteilungen von UN und Eurostat arbeiten zwar mit vergleichenden Messinstrumenten, diese sind aber nicht immer sinnvoll für die sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung einzusetzen.

Die Autoren zeigen einerseits auf, welche Messinstrumente auf dem Markt existieren. Andererseits entwickeln sie zu den zentralen soziodemographischen Variablen eigene Messinstrumente für den internationalen sozialwissenschaftlichen Vergleich, die vorgestellt und diskutiert werden.