Author: Philipp Lersch

Homeownership is far less prevalent in Germany than in most other European countries. This Weekly Report examines the extent to which homeownership in Germany depends on the ownership status of parents and how the association has changed over time. Homeownership rates are significantly lower among younger birth cohorts than among older cohorts. At the same time, intergenerational mobility toward renting is increasing: adult children of parents who own their own homes are more likely to move into rentals. Children whose parents rent are less likely to buy a home. The relative association between parental homeownership and children owning homes is declining significantly over time. However, unequal opportunities for homeownership based on family background remains an ongoing issue in Germany. In a European comparison, the homeownership status of children in Germany still depends relatively strongly on that of their parents.

Sergi Vidal has launched a call for papers for a special issue in Comparative Population Studies (CPoS) on Migration Trajectories Across the Life Course.

This special issue, launched by the IUSSP’s Lifetime Migration panel, seeks to advance research on the diversity of migration trajectories—whether internal, international or interconnected—and their impact on both individual and societal outcomes.

See for more details here.

On January 30-31, 2025, the DECIPHE project held its inaugural in-person workshop at DIW Berlin, bringing together all project team members and members of the advisory board for two days of presentations, discussions, and networking.

The workshop opened with an introduction and project overview, followed by brief presentations from all PIs and research teams. These sessions highlighted ongoing research and potential areas for collaboration, sparking lively discussions. A key focus of the first day was a deep dive into the survey design for the primary data collection within DECIPHE.

The second day featured insights from advisory board members Clara Mulder and Frans Willekens, followed by an in-depth discussion on the development of a contextual database to be developed in the project.

This workshop marked an important step in shaping the project’s direction, fostering new ideas, and strengthening collaboration across teams. Stay tuned for future updates!

We’re excited to announce that the DECIPHE project is officially underway! On July 19, 2024, all Principal Investigators met virtually to kick off the project, which officially began on July 1, 2024, thanks to funding from the Volkswagen Foundation.

The kick-off meeting was a great start, with the PIs discussing the work ahead and getting ready for what’s to come. There was a lot of enthusiasm about the project and what it could achieve.

We’re also happy to welcome two new team members: Enrico Benassi from the University of Oxford and Byambasuren Dorjnyambuu from Tarki, Budapest. Their addition to the team is a big plus as we get started.

More updates will follow as the project progresses!