SHARE SURVEY
Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
(panel database)

SHARE survey is an international and multidisciplinary project, conducted every two years since 2004. In France, IRDES is responsible for the management and coordination of the SHARE project while INSEE (National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies) is in charge of the survey fieldwork. The aim is to create a European panel focused on Health and Socio-Economic issues related to the Ageing process, which is one of the megatrends in our century for European societies. SHARE sample includes households with at least one person aged 50 or over. It comprises more than 40’000 individuals in 16 countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, and Slovenia). People are asked questions about their Health status, medical expenses, socio-economic status, and living conditions.

share@irdes.fr

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

• To build a European panel database of micro data on Health and Retirement by collecting homogenous data among European people aged 50 and over;
• To study the population aged 50 and over and to analyse deeper the Economic and Social consequences of the Ageing process in Europe;
• To improve the scientific methods for international comparisons;
• To inform public policies in Ageing Europ

TOPICS COVERED BY THE STUDY

• Health variables (self-reported health, physical functioning, cognitive functioning, health behaviour);
• Psychological variables (psychological health, well-being, life satisfaction);
• Medical expenses, use of health care facilities;
• Insurance;
• Economic variables (current work activity), job (characteristics, opportunities to work past retirement age, sources and composition of current income, wealth and consumption, housing, education);
• Social support variables (assistance within families, transfers of income and assets, social networks, volunteer activities).

PROJECT HISTORY

1st wave:

SHARE project was launched in 2002. The first wave took place in 11 European countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and France.  In 2005, Israel joined the project.
In total, around 16 000 households have been interviewed in the 11 countries participating to the project. In France, the fieldwork was realised in 2 waves: 2004 and 2005. 1 900 households have been interviewed, 1 100 in 2004 and 800 in 2005.

2nd wave:

Poland, Czech Republic, and Ireland joined SHARE in 2006.

The survey has become a panel (respondents are interviewed every two years)

Fieldwork took place in France from October to December 2006.

3rd wave:

2008-2009: Slovenia joined SHARE.
A retrospective questionnaire listing major life events of respondents was added to the survey (SHARELIFE project).
Fieldwork started at fall 2008 and ended in summer 2009. The first data release will take place in summer 2010 after the data cleaning process is over.

SURVEY DESCRIPTIONS (2006)

Field:

Following SHARE 2004, the second wave (SHARE 2006) interviewed households living in France and including at least one person aged 50 and over, as well as their eventual younger partner.

Geographic Field:

Six French regions participated to the survey in 2004:

Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Aquitaine, Ile-de-France, Pays de la Loire, Rhône-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon

One new region joined in 2006: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

2006 Sample:

In 2006, from 2000 to 2500 people aged 50 and over and their eventual partner, have been interviewed.

This sample is composed of:

• The people interviewed in 2004, so that the sample has partly become a panel.
• A refreshing sample composed of households in which at least one person is 50 or more in 2006.
• The people interviewed in 2004 that came to an institution since then are followed and interviewed again.

METHOD: FACE TO FACE QUESTIONNAIRE (CAPI) AND SELF-COMPLETION QUESTIONNAIRE

The 2006 survey is composed of:

• A main questionnaire under CAPI (Computer assisted personal interviewing) divided into 22 modules.
• Cognitive tests and physical measurements.
• A Self-completion drop-off questionnaire (main)
• A new questionnaire (under CAPI) called « Exit Interview » (End of Life questionnaire).

The use of a ‘Proxy’ is allowed: a relative can answer some parts of the questionnaire if the respondent’s Health status is too poor (in case the respondent is not able to answer himself to the interview).

The 2008-2009 survey is composed, in addition, of:

• A retrospective questionnaire focused on respondents « Life stories ».

PROJECT COORDINATION

International coordination :

The project coordinator for SHARE is Professor Axel Boersch-Supan, Director of the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA, Germany).

Survey coordination in France:

IRDES manages and coordinates the project. The institution manages the financial contracts with the European Commission and follows all administrative procedures, in particular to obtain necessary authorisation to carry out the survey in France from French Data Protection Authority (CNIL). It also coordinates the French SHARE Survey Operating Committee. The SHARE team at IRDES : Nicolas Sirven and Marie-Camille Lenormand.

INSEE is in charge of the survey fieldwork (sample preparing, data collection carried out by INSEE interviewers, data capture for the Self-completion drop off questionnaire).

FUNDING

Survey 2008-09:

In 2008, for the third wave, SHARE remains mainly funded by the European Commission through the 6th framework programme and through the Quality of Life programme.

Survey 2006:

In 2006, for the second wave, SHARE remains mainly funded by the European Commission through the 6th framework programme and through the Quality of Life programme.

Survey 2004 :

In 2004, the SHARE data collection has been mainly funded by the European Commission through the 5th framework programme (project QLK6-CT-2001-00360 in the thematic programme Quality of Life). Additional funding came from the US National Institute on Aging (U01 AG09740-13S2, P01 AG005842, P01 AG08921, P30 AG12185, T1-AG-4553-01 and OGHA 04-064). In France, supplementary funding has been provided by the CNAVTS, COR, DREES, DARES, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and the Commissariat Général du Plan. SHARE is the largest single social science research project the European Commission has ever funded, illustrating the importance of this study for policy makers and researchers alike.

ONLINE

SHARE, the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe goes longitudinal - Data from wave 2 is now available.
Barangé C., Eudier V., Sirven N. 2008/12
Questions d'économie de la santé n° 137

Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
Blanchet D., Debrand T., Dourgnon P., Laferrère A., Economie et Statistique, n°403-404, 2007/12, 3-18
Full text on INSEE site

Working Conditions and Health of European Older Workers
Debrand T., Lengagne P.
Working paper n° 8, 2008/02

Unequal health opportunities: influence of parents' career and health condition
Devaux M., Jusot F. (IRDES), Trannoy A. (EHESS, IDEP), Tubeuf S. (IDEP), 2007/02
Questions d'économie de la santé n° 118

Effects of health on the labour force participation of older persons in Europe
Barnay T., Debrand T., 2006/06
Questions d'économie de la santé n° 109

Retirement intentions, health and satisfaction at work:a European comparison
Blanchet D., Debrand T., 2005/12
Questions d'économie de la santé n° 103

MORE INFORMATION

You can find out more about the study at: http://www.share-project.org
(Data and first results from wave 1 and wave 2, generic and national questionnaires, methodological details and additional sources).

All European projects and international collaborations

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