The JPI Data Map provides new insights and numbers on the topic of ageing. It is a joint effort of the members of the Joint Programming Innitiative (JPI) “More Years, Better Lives – The Challenges and Opportunities of Demographic Change”. The interactive Data Map is accesible online for free.
Population Europe: What is the main contribution of the new Data Map?
Diana López-Falcón: It provides a unique collection of national and European sources for the study of demographic change due to ageing. The Data map covers surveys, registers and official figures from statistical offices and research programs such as the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), or the Generations and Gender Programme.
How does the Data Map work?
The information of more than 300 sources across Europe is available online in a very user-friendly way. The data can be accessed by selecting the country or topic of interest such as health, work and productivity, education, or wellbeing. That way, users can easily retrieve valuable information on where to find appropiate data for national and cross-national analysis of population dynamics.
Which information can I find that I would not find somewhere else?
One of the main advantages of the JPI Data Map is that users can retrieve a lot of information on ageing in Europe through just one website. In addition to the descriptions and main characteristics of the sources, it contains an overview of the coverage and applicability of each dataset for the topics mentioned above. This allows users to have access not only to a catalogue of links, but to a comprehensive overview of sources available to match their interests.
Moreover, the country and European reports provide a summary of the demographic profile, the gaps and challenges in the data and the policy agenda. They also sum up the main findings of the project for the respective countries.
Who is this interesting for?
For everyone interested in data on demographic change: It is a valuable source for researchers, policy makers, analysts and students interested in the study of ageing. For data providers, it could also provide user-feedback on standard data offers.
Dr. Diana López-Falcón, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research / Population Europe: lopez [at] demogr.mpg.de