Jens Abbing

Jens Abbing serves as a Research Associate in the Department of Sociology within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research focuses on socioeconomic disparities in long-term care systems and their implications for older adults' wellbeing, with particular attention to policy contexts across different time periods in the Netherlands.

His primary research interests include Socioeconomic Inequality in care access, Older Adults Wellbeing measurement, Long-Term Care Systems analysis, and the role of Social Networks in aging populations. His work frequently applies theoretical frameworks like Self-Determination Theory to understand psychological outcomes in elder care contexts.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent focus on care policy evolution (1998-2025), socioeconomic status effects on care utilization, and psychological wellbeing outcomes. His research employs comparative methodologies across multiple time periods to track how policy changes impact care inequalities.

Scientific Recognition:

• First prize Master Thesis Award, Behavioural Science Institute (2016)

Abbing actively contributes to major research projects including FAMCARE (2023-2025) examining family roles in care networks, and the completed IN-CARE project (2019-2023) investigating care system variations and wellbeing inequalities. His methodological expertise spans quantitative analysis of longitudinal care data and policy impact assessment.

He contributes to academic instruction through courses including Big Data and Computational Thinking, Research Methods in Communication Science, and intervention effects research, demonstrating engagement with both substantive aging research and methodological training.