The data from the first wave of the “Representative Survey on the Participation of People with Disabilities” (or Participation Survey, for short) were collected by the infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences in cooperation with WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Hochschule Fulda and University of Duisburg-Essen, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS).

The focus of the study is on the life situation and participation opportunities of people with impairments and disabilities. During the first survey wave (November 2018 to March 2020), 22,065 persons in private households and 3,354 persons in residential facilities for people with disabilities, as well as in residential care homes and nursing homes, were surveyed. A comparison group of people without impairments living in private households was also included to allow for the comparison of both groups in terms of their participation in different areas of life. The study systematically included persons who are rarely reached by surveys due to their impairment or living arrangement.

The study encompasses a broad spectrum of topics:

• Type and degree of the impairment and disability
• Living arrangement, self-care, and domestic life
• Mobility and communication
• Participation in leisure and culture
• Social integration and self-determination
• Political participation
• Health and healthcare
• Education
• For persons in employment: characteristics of the employment, the working and employment conditions
• For non-employed persons: reasons for non-employment, employment preferences
• Socio-demographics, including income, wealth, migration status, religious affiliation.

The data are available in the form of a scientific use file, which was created by infas. Data access is available to scientific research projects and can be applied for through the Research Data Centre of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (FDZ-BAuA). On this page, researchers interested in working with the dataset find a methodology report and data documentation with detailed information on the study design and the scientific use file.

For the interested public, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) makes additional information and results reports on the Participation Survey available on its website (in German): BMAS Participation survey

Available scientific use file

• Scientific Use File of the Participation Survey, Wave 1, Version 1
  (doi:10.48697/teilhabe.w1.suf.1)