Panel Study of Family Dynamics (PSFD) is built upon a multi-generational longitudinal design. Its multi-generational longitudinal data allow for the observation of how intergenerational relationships and interactions evolve over time, as well as the continuity and change in attitudes, behaviors, and life experiences across generations. As such, the survey provides crucial source material for researching the rapidly transforming landscape of Taiwanese families.
Tracing Intergenerational Changes in Taiwanese Families
The Panel Study of Family Dynamics (PSFD), initiated in 1999, is Taiwan’s longest-running and largest-scale family panel survey. This multi-generational and multi-wave dataset encompasses a wide range of domains, including education, employment, marriage, family composition and relationship, health, and subjective well-being. The PSFD facilitates a diverse range of research, including life course analysis, inter- and intra-generational studies, policy evaluation, and comparative research with longitudinal surveys from other countries.
Data Open
Panel Study of Family Dynamics: RR2024
The 2024 follow-up survey (RR2024) targets the main sample cohorts—born between 1953–1963, 1935–1954, 1964–1976, 1977–1983, and 1984–1991—as well as their children over 25 years of age. The number of complete cases is 5,412.
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Our Features
This family-focused longitudinal survey project launched its first wave of data collection in 1999, establishing itself as Taiwan’s longest-running large-scale panel database. For the longest-participating sample cohort, the project has now accumulated questionnaire data across twenty waves. In addition to the randomly selected main sample, the survey scope includes a child sample (incorporated starting in 2000) and a grandchild sample (added since 2024). These multi-generational longitudinal data allow for the observation of how intergenerational relationships and interactions evolve over time, as well as the continuity and change in attitudes, behaviors, and life experiences across generations. As such, the survey provides crucial source material for researching the rapidly transforming landscape of Taiwanese families.
The survey has long accumulated data on personal health, education and career paths, family composition, living arrangements, economic status, subjective well-being, psychological scales, and information on core relatives (such as spouses, parents, parents-in-law, children, and siblings). These data serve as invaluable assets for analyzing life course dynamics and assessing the impact of major life events, while also functioning as a crucial resource for evidence-based governance. Furthermore, as the birth years of the main, child, and grandchild samples span more than seventy years, these long-term longitudinal data offer rich source material for age-period-cohort research.
As an interdisciplinary project, the survey engages researchers from sociology, economics, and psychology, resulting in questionnaires that reflect a multidisciplinary perspective. In terms of research application, the data extends beyond family-related issues to encompass demography, gender, education, labor, social welfare, aging studies, and regional studies. Furthermore, through cross-national household panel harmonization databases such as the Comparative Panel File and the Cross-National Equivalent File, the survey facilitates comparative research with similar longitudinal datasets from other countries.
How We Conduct Surveys
The five existing cohorts of main respondents were born between 1935 and 1991, while child and grandchild samples are enrolled upon reaching the age of 16. Continuous follow-up is maintained to the greatest extent possible for main respondents who completed the first wave, as well as for eligible children and grandchildren. Surveys were conducted annually prior to 2012; starting in 2012, the schedule shifted to a biennial frequency.
For the initial surveys of the five existing main cohorts, the sampling frame was derived from national household registration records corresponding to specific birth years, utilizing a stratified multi-stage random sampling design. The first three main cohorts, which constitute the baseline sample (born 1953–1963, 1935–1954, and 1964–1976), completed their initial surveys in 1999, 2000, and 2003, respectively. To address sample aging and attrition, younger cohorts (born 1977–1983 and 1984–1991) were added as refreshment samples in 2009 and 2016. The samples of children and grandchildren were drawn based on information provided by the main sample and the child sample, respectively.
Prior to 2012, data collection relied primarily on paper-based face-to-face interviews. In 2012, the survey implemented a Computer-Assisted Interviewing (CAI) system developed by the Center for Survey Research, enabling interviewers to conduct inquiries using tablets. By 2018, in response to cost considerations and technological advancements, a web-based self-administered questionnaire mode was introduced alongside existing face-to-face interviews. For the 2026 survey, the web-based component transitioned to the Qualtrics system, while face-to-face interviews continued to utilize the established CAI system. To maintain rigorous data quality, comprehensive on-site interviewer training is conducted before each wave. During the survey implementation, quality control protocols—including telephone or field verifications, audio recording reviews, and preliminary data checks—are strictly enforced. Following the fieldwork, further data cleaning, cross-wave consistency checks, and the compilation of codebooks and documentation are completed to ensure the integrity of the final dataset.
Research Resources
As Taiwan’s longest-running and largest-scale family panel survey, the Panel Study of Family Dynamics (PSFD) has accumulated valuable multi-wave, multi-generational data covering health, subjective well-being, education, work, marriage, family composition, and living arrangements, along with rich psychological scales and core kinship information. While enabling life course, life event, and intergenerational analyses, the PSFD also facilitates cross-national comparative research through international platforms such as the Comparative Panel File and the Cross-National Equivalent File. In addition to collecting routine data on core modules for longitudinal analysis, the survey has recently incorporated emerging issues—including LGBT topics, declining fertility, an aging population, new work patterns, and AI usage—to reflect social developments, expand research possibilities, and respond to policy needs.
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