Transitions and Old Age Potential - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wave (TOP)

Transitions and Old Age Potential: Übergänge Und Alternspotenziale (TOP)

With the third wave of the Transitions and Old Age Potential (TOP) study, the longitudinal study of initially 5,002 individuals was completed in 2019. Initial findings were published in 2020 through a brochure, policy brief, and methodological report, and presented publicly. The third wave produced two datasets: a panel of 1,561 individuals surveyed across all three waves (2013, 2015/16, 2019) and a couple datasets with 576 complete interviews. Additional data sources such as DEAS, FWS, and SHARE complement the analyses. In 2021, efforts centered on preparing scientific articles for peer-reviewed journals and archiving the third wave at GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, concluding the study that ran from 2011 to 2021.

For further information, see: https://search.gesis.org/research_data/ZA6597 and https://doi.org/10.4232/1.13845

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Elderly; Healthy Adults; Retirement

Detailed Description

Content and Objectives In 2019, the third wave of the study Transitions and Old Age Potential (TOP) was completed. In addition to the repeated interviews of some of those who had already participated in the study in previous waves, partners were also interviewed. The aim of this supplementary survey was to gain insights into retirement transition in a couple of contexts, focusing on the phenomenon of joint retirement. The initial results were published in June 2020 in the form of a brochure and a policy brief and presented at a press conference. Another publication was the methodological report on the third wave in German and English. In 2021, the focus was on the final editing and submission of the scientific articles from TOP in peer-reviewed journals. The archiving of the third wave of TOP as a scientific use file at GESIS was planned for October 2021. This step concluded the TOP study.

Data and Methods

Within the framework of the third wave of the TOP study, 1,561 persons could be interviewed for the second time. Regarding the partners of these persons, a gross sample of 832 persons resulted, after completion of the last address and panel maintenance of the year 2017/2018. After completion of the field phase of the third wave, 576 complete interviews were available at the couple level. The TOP study thus comprised of two data sets after the completion of the third wave:

the panel data set comprised the persons who had participated in the study on all three survey dates (2013, 2015/2016 and 2019) (1,561 persons) as well as the couple sample with the information provided by the anchors (with current partner from the third survey wave) and the partners from 2019 (576 couple interviews).

In addition to the data from TOP, other studies are also used for the scientific articles, such as the German Ageing Survey (DEAS), the German Volunteer Survey (FWS) and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Duration 01/2011-12/2021

Selected Publications see https://search.gesis.org/research_data/ZA6597

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 5002

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The survey is based on a representative sample of 5,002 individuals from the German-speaking residential population, aged between 55 and 70 years (birth cohorts 1942 to 1958). The study focuses on the life plans and potentials of older adults in the labor market, civil society, and family, as well as their transitions into retirement. In spring 2013, a 40-minute telephone interview was conducted using a standardized survey instrument. It included measures in the following areas: sociodemographics, employment and retirement transitions, informal work in civil society and family, perceptions of aging, health and well-being, and personality. In 2015/2016, participants from the first wave who were willing to be re-interviewed were surveyed again. In total, 2,501 interviews were completed at T2

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged 55-70
• telephone
• german language

Exclusion Criteria:

• illiterate
• no consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Loneliness	Loneliness was assessed at T3 using three items from the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-Loneliness Scale) in its short form, based on four-point Likert scales. The loneliness index was calculated as the mean value of the three items with higher means indicating greater loneliness/worse outcome: (0 =never-3=often)	year 2019
Retirement	Retirement was assessed at T1 by asking participants whether they received a pension or not, with responses transformed into a binary pension/retirement variable (1=yes, 2=no).	years 2013, 2015/2016 and 2019
Physical Activity (PA)	PA was determined by asking participants how often (<1, 1-2, 3-4, 5+ times per week) they were physically active for more than 30 minutes at T1, T2, and T3.	years 2013, 2015/2016 and 2019

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH
• Collaborators: Federal Institute for Population Research (BIB); German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sonia Lippke, 04212004730

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• https://doi.org/10.4232/1.13845

Helpful Links

• study description and further links
• study description and further references

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 16, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): December 15, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 18, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 23, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 24, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 24, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 23, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: cohort study; longitudinal
• Other Study ID Numbers: ZA6597V4

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: this was not foreseen and consented by data security plan

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No