Personal Codes “reloaded”

Abstract

In panel studies the assignments of questionnaires are often carried out between the waves using personal codes - also in the DFG project “Juvenile delinquency in modern town”. The results with this allocation method, in particular with regard to the problems by the realization, the exhaustion rate and the bias of the resultant panel data, have been published in the article “personal codes with profile studies: A report of experience” (Pöge 2005b) which refers to the study in Münster. Meanwhile the study was expanded to Duisburg and the findings from Münster led to modifications of the procedure. Here the very clear improvements in the exhaustion rate and smaller bias in Duisburg shall be described.