From Static to Dynamic: Opportunities and Constraints of Longitudinal Sociological Research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2026.1.3310Keywords:
panel design, longitudinal study, panel attrition, panel conditioning, seam biasAbstract
This paper examines the benefits and drawbacks of longitudinal (panel) studies. It highlights their enormous potential for researching social transformations, individual life course, causal links, and the efficacy of different social and policy initiatives. The use of panel designs was pioneered by Paul Lazarsfeld and his colleagues during the «People’s Choice» project. Today, numerous similar initiatives exist, including several Russian panels and large-scale efforts to aggregate cross-national data, such as the «Comparative Panel File» (CPF) project. The primary disadvantages of longitudinal studies include logistical complexity, high costs, panel conditioning, and seam effects. However, the most critical issue is sample attrition. This phenomenon is driven by a range of sociodemographic traits and social attitudes. The impact of these parameters and their bias are not universal; they vary across countries, specific panels, and the statistical measures (e.g., means, proportions, or regression coefficients). This article also introduces two sections of the current journal issue which deals with different aspects of longitudinal sociological research and empirical studies using panel design.
Acknowledgements. The author thanks Sofia Yaroshevich, a Research Assistant at the Center for Comparative Research on Social Well-being, for her assistance in collecting data on sample attrition. This article was prepared within the framework of the HSE University Basic Research Program.
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