Selectivity Processes in and Weights for the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)

This series presents research findings based either directly on data from the German SocioEconomic Panel Study (SOEP) or using SOEP data as part of an internationally comparable data set (e.g. CNEF, ECHP, LIS, LWS, CHER/PACO). SOEP is a truly multidisciplinary household panel study covering a wide range of social and The decision to publish a submission in SOEPpapers is made by a board of editors chosen by the DIW Berlin to represent the wide range of disciplines covered by SOEP. There is no external referee process and papers are either accepted or rejected without revision. Papers appear in this series as works in progress and may also appear elsewhere. They often represent preliminary studies and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be requested from the author directly. Any opinions expressed in this series are those of the author(s) and not those of DIW Berlin. Research disseminated by DIW Berlin may include views on public policy issues, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. Summary Like many medical studies, the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE‐II) is based on a non‐random " convenience sample " of self‐recruited participants. To study processes of selectivity in BASE‐II, we used a questionnaire to compare BASE‐II with a large, representative reference study, the German Socio‐ Economic Panel (SOEP), thereby allowing differences in characteristics of participants in BASE‐II and SOEP to be analysed easily. Based on this selectivity analysis, we then generated propensity score weights that adjust for the selectivity in the BASE‐II survey. In addition, we adjusted the weights of the BASE‐II sample to statistical information from the Federal Statistical Office so that the BASE‐II study has the same totals as the official statistics. aufweisen wie die offiziellen Statistiken.