FORS and the Swiss National Data and Service Center for the Humanities DaSCH have launched a new series of free online data management webinars for researchers in the humanities and social sciences. The third online webinar will be on “Authority data, standards and metadata”.
The SHP & TREE (Transitions from Education to Employment) host this conference to be held at the University of Lausanne on June 4-5, 2025.
Meret Hildebrandt, Data service expert at FORS will talk about the FORS Replication Service
Do you have questions about managing and sharing your social science research data? We’ve got answers. Every second Thursday of the month from 13:00 to 14:00 online.
With a wide selection of courses covering diverse methodologies, participants can refresh, deepen, and expand their analytical toolkit. Five experts from FORS will be teaching three courses at this year’s Summer School.
Past events

The CNES Seminar Series casts a spotlight on different National Election Studies that share their experiences in designing and conducting election studies. Free online event.
The next FORS Lunch Seminar will be held on Tuesday, April 8, from 12:45 to 13:45 in Room 5621 – Geopolis building.
Elie Michel PhD, Senior Researcher (FORS and UNIL) and Lukas Lauener (FORS, UNIL) will present the following research:
Title: Neutral to the shock? The relevance of the war in Ukraine during the 2023 Swiss Federal elections
Abstract: The outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, along with its economic and energy-related repercussions, shaped the political debate in Switzerland ahead of the 2023 National Elections. Yet, the electoral consequences of this multifaceted crisis remain understudied. This study examines how international crises, or “external shocks,” influence electoral behavior, a topic of ongoing debate with uncertain and sometimes contradictory findings. Crises can affect voter support for incumbents in two opposing ways. They may trigger a “rally-around-the-flag” effect, boosting support for the government due to heightened uncertainty and fear. However, this effect is often short-lived. Alternatively, retrospective voting theory suggests that voters assess government performance during crises and may punish incumbents for perceived mismanagement. The Swiss case presents a unique puzzle: all four major parties are represented in government, meaning they collectively hold power during crises. While voters can evaluate their overall performance, political responsibility is diffused, making it difficult to attribute success or failure to any single party. This article assesses whether the war in Ukraine and its economic and energy consequences influenced voter support in the 2023 Swiss elections. Did these crises decisively impact voter preferences? Did specific parties benefit from them? To address these questions, this study draws on data from the 2019–2023 Selects Panel Survey, which tracks a large, representative sample of citizens across multiple waves. Crucially, the panel surveys respondents both before and after the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, allowing for a causal analysis of their effects on electoral behavior. By mitigating reverse causality and endogeneity risks, this study offers new insights into how external shocks shape electoral choices, contributing to broader debates on crisis politics and electoral accountability in modern democracies.
There will be coffee and tea as well as a little dessert. Please bring your cup and join us a few minutes before the start of the seminar to get your drink!
Upcoming FORS lunch seminar
May 13, 2025 with Christina Bornatici, Max Felder, Lavinia Gianettoni, Roxane Mordasini, Stephanie Steinmetz. The present the following research: Gender indicators in population surveys: Measuring assigned sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and gender expression.
June 10, 2025 Meret Hildebrandt, Data service expert at FORS, will present the FORS Replication services.
To stay up to date concerning the FORS Lunch Seminars, check our website: https://forscenter.ch/events-training/fors-lunch-seminars/
FORS is contributing to this year’s Love Data Week with three free online presentations, focusing on open science, data sharing, and practical guidance for using SWISSUbase.
We welcome Joshua Yang from ETH Zurich.The title of his presentation is “LLM Voting: Human Choices and AI Collective Decision-Making”. The seminar will take place at Géopolis, room 5799, University of Lausanne from 12:15 to 13:30.
Elevate your research in today’s data-driven world by gaining critical skills in Research Data Management (RDM) and Open Science.
The Swiss Household Panel (SHP) workshop will take place in Lausanne from the 4th to the 7th of June 2024.
In 15 Ateliers können sich Interessierte über den aktuellen Stand verschiedener Methoden informieren und Fragen sowie ihre eigenen Projekte mit Expertinnen und Experten diskutieren. Anmeldefrist: 26.05.24
We are delighted to inform you about a series of dedicated sessions scheduled for the Love Data Week Switzerland. Join them online for free.
Professor Florian Keusch from the University of Mannheim will give a presentation on the Quality of Digital Behavioral Data.
Are you involved in the provision of data management support to social science researchers in Swiss research institutions? Then register for this free online workshop.
The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) is delighted to announce its second ISSP User Conference, scheduled for December 4, 2023 around the topic of Environment. Submit your abstract till October 20, 2023.
This edition includes sessions covering topics, such as health and well-being, education and labour market, families, gender, ethnic minorities and migration, politics and attitudes, survey methodology, and longitudinal methods.
10 years of advance directives in Switzerland: an interdisciplinary public health perspective on advance care planning
Presentations of the projects of the winners, notably Rita Schmutz (LIVES, University of Lausanne) and Mengling Cheng (LIVES, University of Lausanne)