Although the notion of social indicators became a topic of scientific discussion in the Federal Republic of Germany only in 1971, there are today already quite a number of publications as well as research projects centering on this new concept. Research workers and authors, respectively, of these have joined together in the ‘Social Indicators’ Section of the German Sociological Association. The present report underlines the necessity for scientists, administrators, and politicians, to co-operate on the task of developing this new measuring tool; it also discusses some of the difficulties connected with this venture.