| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB | 2003 (59.0) | Do you agree with the following statements? It is more natural for mothers than for fathers to take care of children | (01) = Yes (02) = No |
| ISSP | 2022 | People have different opinions about how well mothers and fathers are suited to look after their children. Which of the following statements comes closest to your opinion? | (01) = Mothers are much better suited (02) = Mothers are somewhat better suited (03) = Mothers and fathers are equally suited (04) = Fathers are somewhat better suited (05) = Fathers are much better suited |
The I4NG Harmonised Data: Make it Equal! - Documentation
This document contains all relevant information on the items constituting the Make it Equal! harmonised data.
The data includes items under the concepts Childcare and Parenting, Employment, Job Security and Unions, Group Tensions, Inequality and Fairness, Parenthood, Children and Marriage, Perceived Factors of Success, Traditional vs Modern Gender Roles, Welfare and Redistribution.
Under each concept, there might be one or more harmonised items. For each harmonised item, there is a table of information that includes its respective survey programme, year(s) of publication, question text, and response categories of the source data.
Specific decisions were made for each harmonised item. These decisions are explained in a box beneath the table of information. They should be taken into account when utilizing or interpreting the harmonised item.
For a description of the missing values, country, mode, and weight variables, please refer to this document’s Further Notes section.
Please note that CRONOS items will be integrated into the harmonised items in the second version of the data, and data from the Generations & Gender Survey (GGS) could not be included at all due to copyright issues. They are still listed here, to stress that they can be merged individually after downloading them from GGS website.
Childcare and Parenting
Care for Children: Mother or Father - e_cp_care
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_cp_care.
- Harmonised response categories are 1: Yes, 2: No, 3: Mothers and fathers are equally suited.
- ⚠️ e_cp_care is an example of a rather rough harmonisation approach. But for some users the data might be useful anyway: The ISSP variable categories 1 and 2 are recoded to 1, and categories 4 and 5 to 2. EB variable is dichotomous; therefore, in the harmonised data, category 3 is occupied only by ISSP data. They can as well be coded to the “no” category or excluded entirely. ⚠️
- EB 2003 does not have data for Iceland and Norway. Those cases were recoded into -999.
Employment, Job Security and Unions
Trade Unions for Employee Welfare - e_ej_unio
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 3) | To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Workers need strong trade union to protect their interests. | (01) = Agree strongly (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Disagree strongly |
| EB | 2001 (56.1) | Workers need strong trade unions to protect their interests | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Slightly agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Slightly disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| EB | 2002 (58.0) | Now I am going to read you a number of statements. Please tell me whether you tend to agree or tend to disagree with each one? There is no need for strong trade unions to protect working conditions and wages | (01) = Tend to agree (02) = Tend to disagree |
| ESS | 2002 | To what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. Employees need strong trade unions to protect their working conditions and wages | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| ISSP | 2015 1989 |
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Workers need strong trade unions to protect their interests | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_ej_unio.
- Harmonised response categories range from 1: Strongly agree to 5: Strongly disagree.
- EB 2002 question is a negatively worded question. Therefore, response categories were reversed. ⚠️ Please note that the source item is dichotomous while all other scales are 5-point scales. To preserve the information, they were coded to 2 and 4. ⚠️
Group Tensions
Tension Between Poor and Rich - e_gt_rich
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 1) | In your opinion, in [COUNTRY] how much tension is there between poor people and rich people? | (01) = No tension at all (02) = Not much tension (03) = Some tension (04) = A lot of tension |
| EB | 2010 (74.1) 2009 (72.1) |
In all countries there sometimes exists tension between social groups. In your opinion, how much tension is there between each of the following groups in (OUR COUNTRY)? Poor and rich people | (01) = A lot of tension (02) = Some tension (03) = No tension |
| EQLS | 2016 2012 2007 2003 |
In all countries there sometimes exists tension between social groups. In your opinion, how much tension is there between each of the following groups in [this country]? Poor and rich people | (01) = A lot of tension (02) = Some tension (03) = No tension |
| ISSP | 2019 2009 1999 1992 1987 |
In all countries there are differences or even conflicts between different social groups. In your opinion, in (R's country) how much conflict is there between poor people and rich people? | (01) = Very strong conflicts (02) = Strong conflicts (03) = Not very strong conflicts (04) = There are no conflicts |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_gt_rich.
- Harmonised response categories range from 1: Very strong conflicts/a lot of tension to 4: There are no conflicts/no tension.
- EB and EQLS items were converted to the 4-point scale.
Tension Between Young and Old People - e_gt_yold
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 1) | In your opinion, in [COUNTRY] how much tension is there between young people and older people? | (01) = No tension at all (02) = Not much tension (03) = Some tension (04) = A lot of tension |
| EB | 2010 (74.1) 2009 (72.1) |
In all countries there sometimes exists tension between social groups. In your opinion, how much tension is there between each of the following groups in (OUR COUNTRY)? Old people and young people | (01) = A lot of tension (02) = Some tension (03) = No tension |
| EQLS | 2016 2012 2007 2003 |
In all countries there sometimes exists tension between social groups. In your opinion, how much tension is there between each of the following groups in [this country]? Old people and young people | (01) = A lot of tension (02) = Some tension (03) = No tension |
| ISSP | 2019 1999 1992 1987 |
In all countries there are differences or even conflicts between different social groups. In your opinion, in (R's country) how much conflict is there between young people and older people? | (01) = Very strong conflicts (02) = Strong conflicts (03) = Not very strong conflicts (04) = There are no conflicts |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_gt_yold.
- Response categories range from 1: Very strong conflicts/a lot of tension to 4: There are no conflicts/no tension.
- EB and EQLS items were converted to the 4-point scale.
Inequality and Fairness
Perceptions of Income Inequality in Country - e_if_incm
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 1) | To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Differences in income in [COUNTRY] are too large. | (01) = Agree strongly (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Disagree strongly |
| EB | 2001 (56.1) | Differences in income in (OUR COUNTRY) are too large | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Slightly agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Slightly disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| EB | 2014 (81.5) 2010 (74.1) 2009 (72.1) |
For each of the following statements, please tell me whether you… Nowadays in (OUR COUNTRY) income differences between people are far too large | (01) = Totally agree (02) = Tend to agree (03) = Tend to disagree (04) = Totally disagree |
| EB | 2022 (97.4) 2017 (88.4) |
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Nowadays in (OUR COUNTRY) differences in people's incomes are too great | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| ISSP | 2019 2017 2009 1999 1992 1987 |
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Differences in income in [COUNTRY] are too large. | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_if_incm.
- Harmonised response categories range from 1: Strongly agree to 5: Strongly disagree.
- EB 2010 and 2014 items were converted to the 5-point scale.
Parenthood, Children and Marriage
Support for Homosexuals Adoption Rights - e_pc_adop
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 3) | Some countries have implemented policies that allow couples to adopt children, regardless of whether these couples are straight or not. Regardless of whether your country has adopted such a policy or not, are you in favour or against allowing gay or lesbian couples to have the same rights to adopt children as straight couples? | (01) = Strongly in favour (02) = In favour (03) = Neither in favour nor against (04) = Against (05) = Strongly against |
| ESS | 2023 2020 2018 2016 |
Gay male and lesbian couples should have the same rights to adopt children as straight couples. | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly Disagree |
| EVS | 2008 | How would you feel about the following statements? Do you agree or disagree with them? Homosexual couples should be able to adopt children | (01) = Agree strongly (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Disagree strongly |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_pc_adop.
- Response categories range from 1: Strongly agree to 5: Strongly disagree.
- Response categories are the same across source data. No transformation was needed.
Perceived Factors of Success
Important is Knowing the Right People - e_fs_peop
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 1) | How important is knowing the right people for getting ahead in life? | (01) = Essential (02) = Very important (03) = Fairly important (04) = Not very important (05) = Not important at all |
| EB | 2017 (88.4) | How important do you think each of the following are for getting ahead in life? Knowing the right people | (01) = Essential (02) = Very important (03) = Fairly important (04) = Not very important (05) = Not important at all |
| ISSP | 2019 2009 1999 1992 1987 |
Some questions about opportunities for getting ahead. Please tick one box for each of these to show how important you think it is for getting ahead in life. How important is knowing the right people? | (01) = Essential (02) = Very important (03) = Fairly important (04) = Not very important (05) = Not important at all |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_fs_peop.
- Response categories range from 1: Essential to 5: Not important at all.
- Response categories are the same across source data. No transformation was needed.
Perceived Role of Education in Success - e_fs_edus
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 1) | How important is having a good education for getting ahead in life? | (01) = Essential (02) = Very important (03) = Fairly important (04) = Not very important (05) = Not important at all |
| EB | 2022 (97.4) 2017 (88.4) |
How important do you think each of the following are for getting ahead in life? Having a good education | (01) = Essential (02) = Very important (03) = Fairly important (04) = Not very important (05) = Not important at all |
| ISSP | 2019 2009 1992 1987 |
Some questions about opportunities for getting ahead. Please tick one box for each of these to show how important you think it is for getting ahead in life. How important is having a good education yourself? | (01) = Essential (02) = Very important (03) = Fairly important (04) = Not very important (05) = Not important at all |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_fs_edus.
- Response categories range from 1: Essential to 5: Not important at all.
- Response categories are the same across source data. No transformation was needed.
Traditional vs Modern Gender Roles
Gender Roles in Employment During Economic Scarcity - e_tm_role
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS | 2016 2010 2008 2004 |
I am now going to read out some statements about men and women and their place in the family. Using this card, please tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women. | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| EVS | 2008 1999 1990 |
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? When jobs are scarce, men have more right to a job than women | (01) = Agree (02) = Disagree (03) = Neither |
| EVS | 2017 | Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? When jobs are scarce, men have more right to a job than women | (01) = Agree strongly (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) =Disagree Strongly |
| GGS | 2010 2007 2004 |
To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? When jobs are scarce, men should have more rights to a job than women. | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| EVS | 2017 | How much do you agree or disagree with each of this statement? When jobs are scarce, men have more right to a job than women | (01) = Agree strongly (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Disagree strongly |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_tm_role.
- Harmonised response categories range from 1: Strongly agree to 5: Strongly disagree.
- Response categories of EVS items, 1990, 1999, and 2008, were recoded according to the following rule: 1 to 1, 2 to 5, and 3 to 3. EVS 2017 item remained in the original form since it has the same response category scheme as the ESS items.
Welfare and Redistribution
Government Responsibility in Income Redistribution - e_wr_govn
| Survey Programme | Year | Question Text | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRONOS-3 | 2025 (Wave 1) | How much responsibility do you think governments should have in reducing the differences in income between people with high incomes and those with low incomes? | (00) = 0 – Should not be the government’s responsibility at all (01) = 1 (02) = 2 (03) = 3 (04) = 4 (05) = 5 (06) = 6 (07) = 7 (08) = 8 (09) = 9 (10) = 10 – Should be entirely the government’s responsibility |
| EB | 2001 (56.1) | It is the responsibility of the government to reduce the differences between those with high and low incomes | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Slightly agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Slightly disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| EB | 2022 (97.4) 2017 (88.4) |
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? The (NATIONALITY) government should take measures to reduce differences in income levels | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| ESS | 2023 2020 2018 2016 2014 2012 2010 2008 2006 2004 2002 |
To what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. The government should take measures to reduce differences in income levels | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| ISSP | 2020 2019 2017 2010 2009 2006 2000 1999 1993 1992 1990 1987 1985 |
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is the responsibility of the government to reduce the differences in income between people with high incomes and those with low incomes. | (01) = Strongly agree (02) = Agree (03) = Neither agree nor disagree (04) = Disagree (05) = Strongly disagree |
| ISSP | 1998 1996 1991 |
On the whole, do you think it should or should not be the government's responsibility to reduce income differences between the rich and poor? | (01) = Definitely should be (02) = Probably should be (03) = Probably should not be (04) = Definitely should not be |
Variable name in the harmonised dataset: e_wr_govn.
- Harmonised response categories range from 1: Strongly agree/should be to 5: Strongly disagree/should not be.
- ISSP 1998, 1996, and 1991 were transformed to the 5-point scale.
- ISSP 2017 and 1990 do not have data for Slovenia and Hungary. Those cases were recoded into -999.
Further Notes
Item Quality and Comparability Controls
Prior to the harmonisation process, we carefully checked for peculiarities in the source data, such as unusually high missing values, skewed distributions or differences in filtering. We excluded any data if the peculiarity was due to an erroneous source; otherwise, we documented it.
Generally, we have taken a rather rough harmonisation approach, keeping as much information as justifiable. Researchers might want to decide for themselves whether to delete certain items or categorise them more broadly, depending on their research question.
Missing Values
Since the nature of the missing values varies greatly across the different source surveys, we have decided to aggregate them quite broadly in the harmonised datasets:
- -9 “NAs from source data sets” covers source codes, such as “No answer”, “Don’t know”, or “Refused”.
- -99 “NAp for this item” is the code for all cases that are not available for this variable because the variable does not exist in the survey/year.
- -999 “Inap. from source data sets” is the code for all inapplicable data in the source data set, e.g., when a single country in a survey did not provide the variable.
Country Variables
The following countries are included in the harmonised data sets as long as their data is available:
• Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, Kosovo.
This country selection extends beyond the scope of EU countries and the European continent. This is because it is based on the list of countries associated with Horizon Europe, as defined by the EU. As I4NG is a Horizon Europe project, we believe this selection is reasonable. Furthermore, data harmonisation involves comparing data across countries. Researchers may find it interesting to compare EU member states with associated countries.
As the source surveys follow different country coding patterns, certain decisions had to be made to ensure that the offered country variables follow a consistent pattern and are representative of their sampled country or region. There are two variables: country_source and country_I4NG.
country_source
country_source, as defined in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2, specifies how the source surveys provide country or regional information in a uniform naming scheme. The following country-specific information should be noted:
- Many surveys offer a distinction between East and West Germany.
- EVS and some EB waves separate between Northern Cyprus and Cyprus.
- ISSP 2009 and 2010 offer a regional sample of Belgium: Flanders. These data were excluded due to the lack of comparability with other Belgian samples.
- ISSP 2004, 2006, and 2008. have regional codes for Israel: IL (A) (Arab sample) and IL (J) (Jewish sample), or IL (J+A). For these cases, country_source variable specifies the regional samples as IL_A and as IL_J. The code IL (J+A) is recoded to the standardized ISO code IL.
In these cases, the country_source variable preserves the original regional samples while ensuring consistent naming across surveys.
country_I4NG
country_I4NG, as defined in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 provides information on the national level. Whenever there exists regional-level data, they were combined into national-level data following the ISO coding scheme. The following country-specific instances should be noted:
- When a distinction between East and West Germany is provided by the source data, they were combined into a single variable representing Germany, with consideration of the respective weighting factors.
- ISSP 2010 only offers the sample of Flanders, instead of the whole of Belgium. This incomplete national sample was excluded from the data.
- If the original data distinguishes between the Turkish and the Greek part of Cyprus, in the national country_I4NG variable, both parts were combined with consideration of the respective weighting factors.
- Three versions of United Kingdom country codes are offered, as there is no consistent way of sampling in the source surveys. i) Great Britain: GB_GBN, ii) Northern Ireland: GB_NIR, iii) United Kingdom: GB_UK. i. EQLS: offers data for the United Kingdom as a whole. ii. ESS: offers data for the United Kingdom as a whole. iii. EVS: separates Northern Ireland and Great Britain (without weighting factor for a correct combination of the data). iv. EB: separates Northern Ireland and Great Britain (without weighting factor for a correct combination of the data). v. ISSP: separates Northern Ireland and Great Britain in some modules. (without weighting factor for a correct combination of the data).
- For ISSP 2004, 2006, and 2008, the regional codes for Israel IL (J+A) and IL (A) have been combined for the country_I4NG variable with consideration of the respective weighting factors.
Sampling Universe Regarding Age
Across the survey programmes, the target populations generally differ in their age eligibility criteria. Eurobarometer (EB) and the European Social Survey (ESS) generally target populations aged 15 and over, while the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), European Values Study (EVS), and International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) generally target populations aged 18 and over. These general age criteria are subject to certain deviations across individual waves and survey programmes.
The harmonised data contain differences in the observed age ranges across survey programmes.
Age distributions by survey programme are shown below.
| Survey | N | Mean age | Min. age | Max. age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurobarometer (EB) | 2,713,236 | 48.5 | 15 | 99 |
| European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) | 142,435 | 49.3 | 18 | 95 |
| European Social Survey (ESS) | 488,274 | 48.6 | 13 | 123 |
| European Values Study (EVS) | 216,369 | 46.3 | 15 | 108 |
| International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) | 1,388,062 | 46.9 | 14 | 112 |
Weight Variables
We provided three weight variables: w1_design, w2_poststr, and w3_combined. The main approach to these variables is as follows:
If a survey programme provides a design weight, then it is offered under w1_design. If a survey programme provides a post-stratification weight, then it is offered under w2_poststr. Additionally, we provided a third weight variable called w3_combined. It is the multiplication of the w1_design and w2_poststr. However, our approach is constrained by the weight variables made available by the survey programmes. Therefore, please refer to the following information:
In EQLS, only WCalib, which is a poststratification weight, is consistently available for all waves and all countries. Therefore, w1_design, w2_poststr, and w3_combined all equal WCalib.
ESS provides a design weight (dweight) and a post-stratification weight including design weight (pspwght). Therefore, the I4NG w2_poststr and w3_combined combine the ESS design- and poststratification weight.
Eurobarometer data does not provide a design weight but a post-stratification weight. In the I4NG data, that means that w2_poststr, and w3_combined are all the same (post-stratification) weight. Some of the Eurobarometer waves does not provide the weight variable treating Germany as united. We manually corrected for an unproportional East-West split in the German data by applying the provided weighting factor.
If a survey programme provides only one weight variable, combining design- and poststratification factors, it is assigned to w1_design, w2_poststr and w3_combined. This occurs in the EVS except 2017 and ISSP (except 2021 and 2022). For the harmonised items that include EVS 2017, ISSP 2021 and 2022, we strictly follow our approach described above.
ID Variables
We provide two ID variables: caseID_I4NG and caseID_source.
- caseID_I4NG is a concatenation of the survey, year, country_I4NG variables, row number of the source dataset, and the last part of the DOI number.
- caseID_source is the unique ID variable provided within the source data set. Again, for this variable, we are constrained by the variable made available by the survey programme.
Mode Variable
The harmonised datasets contain a harmonised “mode of data collection” variable, based on DDI Alliance Controlled Vocabulary (https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/ModeOfCollection):
- 10 Face-to-face - not specified
- 11 Face-to-face - PAPI (Paper-assisted personal interview)
- 12 Face-to-face - CAPI (Computer-assisted personal interview)
- 13 Telephone - CATI (Computer-assisted telephone interview
- 20 Self-adm - not specified
- 21 Self-adm - PAPI (Paper-assisted personal interview)
- 22 Self-adm - CAWI (Computer-assisted with Internet, Web questionnaire)
- 23 Self-adm - CASI (Computer-assisted, without Internet)
- -8 Could not be harmonised
- -9 No information available
The information was taken from the source data and the codebooks and harmonised as precisely as possible despite changing interview modes and terminology across surveys and over time. Sometimes, however, the information could not be assigned, e.g., when a codebook entry lists several data collection modes for national survey data without specifying which cases were collected in which mode. They are coded as “Could not be harmonised”.