Elena Sommer

Dr. Elena Sommer is a Researcher at DIW Berlin, affiliated with the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study. She serves as a survey manager in the SUARE project (Longitudinal Study of Ukrainian Refugees in Germany), focusing on migration and refugee integration.

• Education: Geography (University of Cologne, University of Birmingham); PhD in Social Sciences (BIGSSS, University of Bremen)

Her research spans:

• Survey methodology and data science
• Migration dynamics and refugee studies
• Social capital formation in migrant communities
• Intergenerational solidarity and family transfers
• Questionnaire development for large-scale surveys

Recent work examines attrition in refugee panels, mode selection in multicultural surveys, and antisemitic/antimuslim attitudes. She contributes to cross-national public opinion research, particularly in gender and sexuality studies.

Active in survey operations for prominent projects including:

• European Social Survey (ESS)
• Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)
• German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)
• Longitudinal Study on Refugees from Ukraine (SUARE)