IW-Kurzbericht Nr. 85/2025

The Student Survey in Germany (2021) 

Survey Period: May 4, 2021 - Sep 19, 2021 Survey Data Type: Quantitative Data

"The Student Survey in Germany" (2021) is a newly designed study that integrates three previously separate student surveys (Beuße et al., 2022): the Social Survey (Middendorff et al., 2017; Middendorff & Wallis, 2023), the Student Survey (Multrus et al... more., 2017; Multrus, 2021) and the survey "best - Studying with impairments" (Poskowsky et al., 2018; Unger et al., 2012). The study is designed as a cross-sectional survey with a long-term character. The new, integrated student survey thus continues the long tradition of the Social Survey and the Student Survey as important cross-sectional long-term observation studies for describing and analysing higher education and the student population in Germany, as well as the significantly shorter tradition of the previous "best studies". The survey covered a variety of topics relating to the study situation and the different life situations of students in Germany. The content of the programme is very diverse, as the thematic focuses of the previously separate surveys were integrated. In the tradition of the Social Survey, the economic and social situation of students is analysed (Middendorff, 2022). This focus is supplemented by topics from the student survey (Multrus et al., 2017). In addition, for the first time the new study design enables comparisons between students with and without health impairments that make studying difficult (Steinkühler et al., 2023). By combining survey content in this way, cross-connections between different subject areas can be established. This data package contains the survey data from the summer semester 2021. less