Job Opportunity

The Berlin Social Science Centre (WZB) is seeking a student assistant to work on the research project Public Attitudes towards the Liberal Script survey (PALS) at the Centre for Civil Society Research and in collaboration with other research units at the WZB, starting on 1 March 2026 for an initial period of one year (with the possibility of extension) with a weekly working time of 10 - 15 hours.

The WZB Berlin Social Science Center is a publicly financed research institution that conducts leading edge theory-based and problem-oriented social science research (http://www.wzb.eu/en). WZB researchers come from across the globe and work across social science disciplines including sociology, political science, economics, law, and psychology. As member of the Leibniz Association, WZB’s research is directed at the science community, policy makers, the media and the general public.

The project is part of the Excellence Cluster “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS),” funded by the German Research Foundation since 2019, hosted at Freie Universität Berlin, and involving seven other Berlin research institutions and 20 international partners. SCRIPTS examines the growing, increasingly polarized and radicalized contestations of the liberal script at both domestic and international levels. In a global, comparative and historical perspective it analyzes the nature, causes and potential consequences of these developments.

The first wave of the Public Attitudes towards the Liberal Script survey (PALS) provided the most comprehensive mapping to date of global support for and opposition to the liberal script. Conducted across 30 countries with around 60,000 respondents, PALS identified systematic differences in how citizens relate to core liberal principles and revealed both cross-national and structural patterns in their foundations. The team is currently preparing the second wave of PALS.

Your tasks: 

  • Support the preparation of the PALS 2.0 survey, including questionnaire development, documentation, and quality assurance
  • Assist with data preparation and preliminary analyses based on PALS 1.0 and other comparative datasets
  • Conduct literature and background research on survey items, measurement concepts, and thematic modules
  • Help organize internal and international workshops, including preparing materials and taking minutes
  • Additional general student assistant tasks

Requirements:

  • Enrollment in a social science degree program (preferably political science, sociology, data science, or a related discipline); at least in the third semester of a BA program or enrolled in an MA
  • Very good skills in handling quantitative data and extensive experience with at least one statistical software package (preferably R or Stata)
  • Ability to conduct literature searches and prepare concise summaries of scientific work
  • Strong interest in survey research, political sociology, comparative politics, and/or public opinion research
  • Excellent written and spoken English
  • A careful, well-organized, and reliable working style, with the ability to work independently but also in a team

Desirable qualifications: 

  • Knowledge in questionnaire design
  • Experience in (cross-national) survey analysis

Our offer:

  • Remuneration according to the TdL guidelines (currently €13.98 per hour without a Bachelor's degree and €14.59 per hour with a Bachelor's degree)
  • A well-equipped workplace in the center of Berlin
  • International, cooperative, and diversified working environment
  • In-depth integration into the scientific community in the form of colloquiums and conferences
  • Thorough instruction and guidance
  • Flexible working hours and the possibility of mobile working (at least 20% of the weekly working hours agreed in the contract)
  • We promote a good work-life balance
  • Cafeteria with modern recreation rooms
  • Discounted leisure and recreation opportunities with a membership in Sozialwerk.Bund
  • Counselling and support services for WZB employees in difficult life situations

We value diversity and welcome all applications, irrespective of gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The WZB expressly encourages women and people with migration backgrounds to apply. 

Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference.

If you have any questions regarding the job opening, please contact the assistant's office (+49 30 25491 303).

Further information on the Centre for Civil Society Research is available at
https://www.wzb.eu/en/research/dynamics-of-political-systems/center-for-civil-society-research

Further information about the WZB is available at www.wzb.eu.

Have we caught your interest? Then we look forward to receiving your online application (cover letter, CV, certificates/transcripts, references if applicable) by 7th of December 2025. Job interviews are expected to take place in the week of 12 January 2026.

Apply now