Jonas Fey

Jonas Fey serves as a Researcher and doctoral student within the System and Politics research area at the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) in Bonn, Germany. Since joining DIE in 2022, he has focused on socioeconomic inequalities in health and quality of life among Germany's very old population (80+ years), building on prior research roles at the University of Cologne's ceres institute and Institute of Sociology. His work bridges academic research with policy-relevant insights on aging societies.

His academic foundation includes a Master of Arts in "Societies, Globalization and Development" from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University (2021) and a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from the University of Cologne (2017), enhanced by a semester abroad at Warsaw University (2016/17). These qualifications underpin his interdisciplinary approach to gerontological research.

Fey's research program centers on social determinants of health in extreme old age, examining how socioeconomic status affects functional health, income security, and social networks. His methodological expertise addresses critical challenges in surveying institutionalized and cognitively impaired elders, particularly through the NRW80+ population-based study in North Rhine-Westphalia. Current investigations explore successful aging trajectories and health disparity dynamics using longitudinal analysis frameworks.

Analysis of his 2022-2025 publications reveals consistent thematic focus on health inequalities among the "oldest old," with increasing methodological sophistication in handling complex sampling scenarios. His work demonstrates persistent socioeconomic disparities in functional health even at advanced ages while exploring policy implications for aging societies through collaborations with institutions like Springer and Elgar.

Jonas Fey actively contributes to the FaBiS project and NRW80+ study, co-authoring publications in outlets including Applied Research in Quality of Life and Survey Research Methods. His collaborative work with researchers like R. Kaspar and M. Wagner spans data collection, analysis, and dissemination of findings on quality of life in very old age.

Within DIE's research infrastructure, Fey operates as part of the System and Politics unit, which examines societal frameworks affecting adult education and aging populations. His work connects DIE's mission to adult education through projects addressing social inequality in later life, contributing to both academic knowledge and practical policy insights for Germany's aging demographic.