Plan a GGS in your country

Why join GGP?

Participating in the GGP offers countries a unique opportunity to address urgent population challenges with robust, internationally comparable data. The GGS supports policymaking and national strategies on family, fertility, gender equality, and demographic resilience.

The GGP offers:

• High-quality, policy-relevant data to inform national and international responses to low fertility, aging, youth transitions, gender inequality, and family diversity.
• Global infrastructure with local flexibility, using a common questionnaire that can be tailored with country-specific modules and administrative data linkages.
• Scientifically and policy rigorous design, with large samples, longitudinal follow-up, multi-mode collection, and GDPR compliance.
• Efficient, fully supported implementation with centralized tools for translation, programming, and monitoring, ensuring cost-effectiveness and cross-country comparability.
• Alignment with global goals, contributing to monitoring UN Sustainable Development Goals such as reproductive health (3.7.1) and gender autonomy (5.6.1).

Interested in joining the GGP? Contact our Central Coordination Team at ggp@nidi.nl.

Four phases of getting GGS in your country

The GGS is carried out in partnership between national research teams and the GGP Central Coordination Team. We support countries throughout the process by providing the survey questionnaire, technical infrastructure, methodological guidance, and data harmonisation.

Implementing a GGS typically takes place over several stages, from the initial planning of the survey to the release of the final dataset. While timelines can vary depending on national circumstances, the process generally follows four main phases.

Phase 1: Fundrasing and planning

Setting up organisational, legal, and financial framework for GGS

Durarion: up to 6 months

To do:

• Establish contact with the GGP central coordination team (CCT);
• Aquire funding;
• Identify the sampling frame and incentive strategy (in collaboration with GGP CCT);
• Submit signed Service Agreement;
• Submit signed Data Agreement;
• Obtain ethics approval (if applicable);
• Plan the contact strategy and sample managment.

Phase 2: Preparatory phase

Getting ready to collect the data

Durarion: up to 6 months

To do:

• Translate the survey;
• Submit Sampling and Fieldwork Design Form;
• Draw the sample;
• Conduct interviewer training (if applicable);
• Conduct pre-testing;
• Prepare the landing page text, invitation letters, reminder letters, and respondent contact plan.

Phase 3: Fieldwork and monitoring phase

Collecting the data and ensuring its quality

Durarion: up to 10 months

To do:

• Monitor data collection progress (based on information provided by GGP CCT);
• Manage and send invitation letters, reminders, incentives (if applicable);
• Send regular respondent contact attempt report to GGP CCT (if applicable).

Phase 4: Post-fieldwork phase

Final steps and launch of the data

Durarion: up to 5 months

To do:

• Submit Panel Maintenance strategy;
• Submit metadata form;
• Submit information for weighting;
• Organise an event(s) to disseminate and engage potential GGS data users (optional).

FAQ

1. What is the required sample size for the GGS?
   For countries covering the population aged 18-59, the minimum net sample size is 5,000. For those covering the population aged 18-79, the minimum net sample size is 10,000.
2. Can we field the survey online?
   Yes, we have extensive experience collecting data both in person and online.
3. Can we add extra questions and modules?
   Yes, extra questions and modules can be added in consultation with GGP CCT.
4. How much does fieldwork cost?
   Fieldwork costs vary significantly from country to country. The GGP has several measures in place to try and control costs and this is central to its design. For fieldwork cost estimates for your country, please contact GGP CCT at ggp@nidi.nl. There is a fixed cost for fieldwork support from the GGP of €20,000 per country per wave. This cost covers the development and deployment of the questionnaire and all licensing costs.
5. How many waves do we have to commit to?
   The GGS is designed to be conducted over at least 3 waves, 3 years apart. Fieldwork can begin with commitments for only one wave, but we encourage national teams to include costs for panel maintenance within the first wave budgets.
6. Who owns the data once it is collected?
   The national team retain ownership of the data in perpetuity. The GGP CCT facilitates archiving, harmonisation and dissemination to the research community.