The integrated data file POLPAN 1988–2018 if available at the Harvard Dataverse.

Structure of the integrated dataset: Brief Overview

Block 1: Variables constructed by Data providers

In POLPAN 1988–2018, the first block of variables, starting with LICENSE (row 1), and ending with EDUC2018 (row 107) is created by data providers. Within this block, variables in rows 1–59 facilitate data management and selection of appropriate waves and subsets of respondents, including weighting.* Variables in rows 60–107 provide common values for the measures of respondents’ occupational careers and education across POLPAN’s seven waves. These harmonized indicators are available in addition to the original, wave-specific, measures of respondents’ occupation and education that informed their construction.

Block 2: Variables of individual POLPAN waves

The second block of variables in the integrated POLPAN 1988–2018 file provides the information collected in a given POLPAN wave.
The data are stacked in chronological order, starting with wave 1988. The variables START1988, START1993, START1998, START2003, START2008, START2013, and START2018 mark the beginning of within-wave variables.

Within each wave, all variables start with the same letter, as follows:
Z for 1988 variables
Y for 1993 variables
X for 1998 variables
W for 2003 variables
V for 2008 variables
U for 2013 variables
T for 2018 variables

* The weight variables WGT2008, WGT2013 and WGT2018, respectively, facilitate cross-sectional analyses on the 2008, 2013 or 2018 POLPAN data that intend to reproduce the actual structure of the population of people aged 21 years or older.

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Wave-specific POLPAN datasets are available for download at ZACAT-GESIS (waves 1988 through 2003) and the Polish Social Data Archive (Archiwum Danych Społecznych, ADS) (waves 1988 through 2008). POLPAN waves 2013 and 2018 have also been deposited with PADS.