Variable types and their names

Abstract

"For naming the variables of the dataset we considered two main alternatives from which we had to choose one. The first option is naming the variables in accordance with their respective order in the questionnaire, as is done in the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), for example. The advantage of this type of naming convention is that the items corresponding to the variables are easy to find in the questionnaire, which significantly enhances the value of the questionnaire as a documentation instrument. The central disadvantage of this approach is that identical items are given different names due to changes in the order of questions in the questionnaire, resulting in considerable preparation being required for compiling and, if necessary, renaming the required variables even for simple trend analyses, as more and more panel waves become available. The second main alternative is allocating independent variable names, which are kept constant across waves (apart from a wave indicator if necessary). The advantages and disadvantages of this strategy are opposite to those of the first alternative: identifying the variables corresponding to an item across waves is unproblematic, whereas using the questionnaire as a documentation instrument becomes more difficult, as it is no longer possible to derive the position of an item in the questionnaire from the variable name. In our opinion, the advantages of fixed variable names clearly outweigh the disadvantages in a long-term panel study. Moreover, the decision in favour of organising the data in long format as described above requires the use of uniform variable names." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Bethmann, A. (2011): Variable types and their names. In: A. Bethmann & D. Gebhardt (Hrsg.) (2011): User Guide "Panel Study Labour Market and Social Security" (PASS) : Wave 3 (FDZ-Datenreport, 04/2011 (en)), p. 42-45.