Institute of Sociology

Dr. Volker Lang

Researcher and Lecturer ("Akademischer Rat") at the Chair of Macrosociology

Contact information:
Institute of Sociology
Wilhelmstraße 36
1. floor, room 126
72074 Tübingen
 +49 (0)7071 29 72947
v.langspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Teaching:
more information

Quan IT Advisor of the Institute of Sociology:
Applied Quantitative Methods Counseling upon appointment by e-mail

Research interests:

  • Social cohesion
  • Social recognition and political attitudes
  • Survey experiments (especially factorial surveys)
  • Social stratification of genetic influences

Current Research

  • Sociological comment on the right-wing extremist protests against Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Albstadt on September 6th, 2024 in ARD Tagesschau and Tagesthemen more information (in German)

  • Claims to individual autonomy and populist mobilization potentials. Research project funded by the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal and State Governments more information

  • Interview on the results of our SOEP-CoV cooperation project "From the Corona crisis to a crisis of trust?" more information (in German)

Research Projects

Publications

Babst, A., Groß, M., and Lang, V. 2024. Rise of populism: Identity threats as an explanation in relation with deprivation and cultural fear. Political Research Quarterly, online first. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129241246213

Peer-reviewed Publications

2023

Babst, A., Groß, M., and Lang, V. 2023. Occupational recognition and its effects on the compliance with infection control measures during the Covid pandemic. Zeitschrift für Sozialreform (Journal of Social Policy Research) 69(4):329-357. https://doi.org/10.1515/zsr-2022-0112

Mönkediek, B., Diewald, M., and Lang, V. 2023. Does social origin modify the heritability of cognitive ability? A close look at the relevance of different parental resources. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 86.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2023.100824

2022

Baier, T., Lang, V., Grätz, M., Barclay, K. J., Conley, D., et al. 2022. Genetic influences on educational achievement in cross-national perspective. European Sociological Review 38(6):959-974.   https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcac014

Grätz, M., Lang, V., and Diewald, M. 2022. The effects of parenting on early adolescents' noncognitive skills: Evidence from a sample of twins in Germany. Acta Sociologica 65(4):398-419.   https://doi.org/10.1177/00016993211051958

2021

Lang, V. 2021. Scaling sensitive factorial survey analysis. Sociological Methods and Research 50(2):649-682 (online first 2018).   https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0049124118799382

2020

Lang, V. and Groß, M. 2020. The just gender pay gap in Germany revisited: The male breadwinner model and regional differences in gender-specific role ascriptions. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2020.100473

Lang, V. and Groß, M. 2020. Analyzing rating distributions with heaps and censoring points using the generalized Craggit model. MethodsX 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2020.100868

Lang, V. and Kottwitz, A. 2020. The socio-demographic structure of the first wave of the TwinLife panel study: A comparison with the Microcensus. Methods, Data, Analyses 14(1):127-153. https://doi.org/10.12758/mda.2020.02 (A preliminary version is published as Lang and Kottwitz. 2017. TwinLife Technical Report Nr. 3.)

* Lang, V., Weigel, L., Mönkediek, B., Baum, M.A., Eichhorn, H., et al. 2020. An introduction to the German Twin Family Panel (TwinLife). Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik) 240(6):837-847. https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2019-0066

2019

Baier, T. and Lang, V. 2019. The social stratification of environmental and genetic influences on education: New evidence using a register-based twin sample. Sociological Science 6:143-171. https://doi.org/10.15195/v6.a6

* Mönkediek, B., Lang, V., Weigel, L., Baum, M.A., Eifler, E.F., et al. 2019. The German Twin Family Panel (TwinLife). Twin Research and Human Genetics 22(6):540-547. https://doi.org/10.1017/thg.2019.63

2018

Groß, M. and Lang, V. 2018. Warum Bürger gegen die Erhebung von Erbschaftssteuern sind - auch wenn sie keine zahlen müssen: Ergebnisse einer Vignettenstudie. (Why citizens oppose inheritance taxes - even if they do not have to pay them: Results of a factorial survey.) Zeitschrift für Soziologie (Journal of Sociology) 47(3):200-217. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2018-1014 (A preliminary version is published as Groß and Lang. 2017. In: Stephan Lessenich (Ed.). Verhandlungen des 38. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie.)

2017

Han, M., Elsäßer, S., Lang, V., and Ditton, H. 2017. Geschlechtsspezifische Benotung? Der Einfluss der von Lehrkräften eingeschätzten Verhaltensmerkmale auf die Notengebung. (Gender-specific grading? The influence of behavioral features as evaluated by teachers on grading.) Zeitschrift für Soziologie der Erziehung und Sozialisation (Journal for Sociology of Education and Socialization) 37(2):174-194. http://hdl.handle.net/10900/81201

2016

Lang, V. and Hillmert, S. 2016. Differential trends in households' connection to the Internet: An actor-centered explanation. Rationality and Society 28(2):141-171. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043463116633148

* Hahn, E., Gottschling, J., Bleidorn, W., Kandler, C., Spengler, M., et al. 2016. What drives the development of social inequality over the life course? The German TwinLife study. Twin Research and Human Genetics 19(6):659-672. https://doi.org/10.1017/thg.2016.76

* Overview publications of the German Twin Family Panel (TwinLife)

Dissertation

My cumulative dissertation concerns the topic "Response Behavior in Factorial Survey Experiments: Challenges and Innovative Solutions".

It was supervised by Prof. Dr. Martin Groß (University of Tübingen) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Liebig (Freie Universität Berlin), graded with summa cum laude and awarded with the 3. prize for the best dissertation 2020 by the European Consortium for Sociological Research (ECSR).

The dissertation consists of the following four peer-reviewed journal articels and a frame paper:

Chapter 1 (frame paper)

Lang, V. 2020. Scaling level of responses, heaping and censoring in factorial surveys: Expectations and evidence in view of a simple cognitive model. Tübingen: University of Tübingen. https://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-50675

Chapter 2

Lang, V. 2021. Scaling sensitive factorial survey analysis. Sociological Methods and Research 50(2):649-682 (online first 2018). https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0049124118799382

Chapter 3

Groß, M. and Lang, V. 2018. Warum Bürger gegen die Erhebung von Erbschaftssteuern sind - auch wenn sie keine zahlen müssen: Ergebnisse einer Vignettenstudie. (Why citizens oppose inheritance taxes - even if they do not have to pay them: Results of a factorial survey.) Zeitschrift für Soziologie (Journal of Sociology) 47(3):200-217. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2018-1014

Chapter 4

Lang, V. and Groß, M. 2020. The just gender pay gap in Germany revisited: The male breadwinner model and regional differences in gender-specific role ascriptions. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2020.100473

Chapter 5

Lang, V. and Groß, M. 2020. Analyzing rating distributions with heaps and censoring points using the generalized Craggit model. MethodsX 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2020.100868

A printed version of my dissertation is available here: https://rds-tue.ibs-bw.de/opac/RDSIndexrecord/1725134705

Software and Data

Babst, A., Groß, M., and Lang, V. 2023. Corona-Krise und berufliche Anerkennung (Corona-crisis and occupational recognition). GESIS, Cologne. Data file Version 1.0.0. https://doi.org/10.7802/2639

Lang, V. 2017. ACELONG: Stata module to fit multilevel mixed-effects ACE, AE and ADE variance decomposition models. Statistical Software Components S458402, Boston College Department of Economics. https://ideas.repec.org/c/boc/bocode/s458402.html

Other Publications

Lang, V., Jütersonke, S., Babst, A., and Groß, M. 2023. Aufwertung durch verschworenes Misstrauen? Analysen zum Einfluss sozialer Identitätsbedrohungen auf gesellschaftliche Kohäsion. In: Paula-Irene Villa (Hg.). Polarisierte Welten. Verhandlungen des 41. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie 2022 in Bielefeld.

Groß, M., Lang, V., and Babst, A. 2022. Die Rolle beruflicher Anerkennung für die Akzeptanz von Corona-Schutzmaßnahmen. Deutsches Institut für Interdisziplinäre Sozialpolitikforschung (DIFIS)-Impuls 2022/3

Babst, A., Groß, M., Lang, V., Burgmer, L., Gehrig, F. 2022. Positionspapier "Corona-Krise auf berufliche Anerkennung". BMAS-FIS-Projekt, Positionspapier

Groß, M., Babst, A., and Lang, V. 2021. Die Auswirkung der Corona-Krise auf berufliche Anerkennung und Compliance mit Anti-Corona-Maßnahmen. SozBlog - Blog der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie (DGS): 2021/12

Lang, V. 2020. Scaling level of responses, heaping and censoring in factorial surveys: Expectations and evidence in view of a simple cognitive model. Tübingen: University of Tübingen. https://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-50675

Krell, K., Nikstat, A., Kottwitz, A., Baum, M.A., Eifler, E.F., et al. 2020. TwinLife ShortGuide. TwinLife Technical Report Nr. 11, Bielefeld, Saarbrücken: Bielefeld University, Saarland University. https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/2946344

Lang, V. and Kottwitz, A. 2017. The sampling design and socio-demographic structure of the first wave of the TwinLife panel study: A comparison with the Microcensus. TwinLife Technical Report Nr. 3, Bielefeld, Saarbrücken: Bielefeld University, Saarland University. https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/2913250 (A peer-reviewed version is available here: https://doi.org/10.12758/mda.2020.02 )

Groß, M. and Lang, V. 2017. Determinanten der Einstellung zur Besteuerung von hohen Erbschaften: Ergebnisse einer Vignettenstudie. In: Stephan Lessenich (ed.). Geschlossene Gesellschaften. Verhandlungen des 38. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in Bamberg 2016. (A peer-reviewed version is available here: https://doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2018-1014 )

Hillmert, S. and Lang, V. 2015. Persönliche Lernnetzwerke im Studium: Aufbau, Zusammensetzung und soziale Differenzierung. In: Stephan Lessenich (ed.). Routinen der Krise - Krise der Routinen. Verhandlungen des 37. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in Trier 2014.

Groß, M. and Lang, V. 2012. Gesellschaftliche Ausschlussmechanismen und Wege zur Inklusion. Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte 62:19-26.