he collection of life course data has developed into an important field of quantitative social research over recent decades. Such retrospectively collected biographical data make it possible to account for the occurrence of events as well as their duration, sequence, and timing, and to examine longer sequences, thereby addressing a wide range of research questions.

In order to advance the development and evaluation of innovative data collection instruments, DSDLC is funded within the DFG Priority Programme “SPP 2431 New Data Spaces.”

This project pursues two main objectives: first, the development of an innovative survey instrument; and second, the investigation of its fields of application, limitations, and effects on data quality, respondent burden, and response rates.

For this purpose, the survey instrument is evaluated through an experiment involving two different samples, each comprising two treatment groups and one control group.

The results and applications arising from the project can make a substantial contribution to survey methodology in the field of life course data and consistently build on the groundwork established in this area of research.