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The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97 (NLSY97) is a new survey undertaken by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Begun in the mid-sixties, the "NLS Program" has followed men and women as they enter, develop and retire from their jobs and careers over the past three decades. The five previous cohorts of NLS data have been among the most widely used omnibus, large-scale household surveys in the US, used by social scientists for basic and applied research and having substantial influence on social policy by contributing to our nation's understanding of the labor market, the role of human capital in earnings, the importance of race, gender and age in occupation and wage determination, and many other areas. These data sets have influenced numerous labor and welfare policies and informed a wide range of private and public choices, including the importance of innate ability in determining earnings, the complexities and dynamics of decisions about marriage, family and work.

The NLSY97 is a new cohort of approximately 9,000 men and women age 12-16 on December 31, 1996 (i.e., individuals born in 1980-1984). This new data set became available to the public for research purposes in January 1999. The data set contains over 2,000 variables about these 9,000 youths, collected in face-to-face interviews of about 72 minutes with the youth, plus about 60 minutes with the youth's parent, and an additional 30 minutes with a family member describing the youth's family circumstances and history. Since the data were all collected by computer, there is considerable complexity as well as richness of detail in these data files. See the attached l isting for a more detailed listing of the content of the first round instruments.