Newest Errata
TWO JOBS MISSING FROM WORK HISTORY ARRAYS FOR SINGLE CASE [posted 11/5/2020]
Respondent #6768 (public identification number) has been found to be missing data for two jobs in survey year 2004 (round 21) in some data tables that produce the Work History arrays, the Employer History Roster variables and several other variables. A summary of the variables affected is as follows:
- STATUS_WK_NUM[####] (weeks #1278-1391)
- HRS_WORKED_WK_NUM[####] (weeks #1278-1391)
- JOB_WK_NUM####_DUALJOB_NUM1 (weeks #1342-1391)
- EMPLOYERS_ALL_... (variety of Employer History Roster variables relating to 2004 survey year)
- CAL_YEAR_JOB#_2004
- JOBSNUM (survey years 2004-2008, 2016)
Jan 2021 Update: The missing data have been included in the most recent public data release.
HOURLY RATE OF PAY Variable Corrections for NLSY79 1996 [posted 11/5/2020]
A subset of HRP# (Hourly Rate of Pay) values for survey year 1996 (round 17) were calculated incorrectly. The 1996 HRP# variables for respondents reporting "weekly," "bi-weekly," "monthly" and "annual" time units for rate of pay were calculated without incorporating additional hours worked at home where reported. Those reporting "daily" and "other" time units for rate of pay should have been calculated using the weekly formula. Those reporting "bi-monthly" time units for rate of pay should have been calculated using the monthly formula. The affected variables are:
- R51652.00 HRP1 HOURLY RATE OF PAY JOB #01
- R51653.00 HRP2 HOURLY RATE OF PAY JOB #02
- R51654.00 HRP3 HOURLY RATE OF PAY JOB #03
- R51655.00 HRP4 HOURLY RATE OF PAY JOB #04
- R51656.00 HRP5 HOURLY RATE OF PAY JOB #05
In addition, a smaller set of values are incorrect for the HRP#_WHRLY2 variables. If respondents do not initially report their earnings at as an hourly rate of pay, they are subsequently asked if they are able to report their earnings in an hourly time unit. If a respondent does report an hour rate of pay in this secondary question, that rate of pay is incorporated in the HRP#_WHRLY2. The affected variables are:
- R51652.10 HRP1_WHRLY2 HOURLY RATE OF PAY - INCLUDING HOURLY RATE FOR RS FIRST REPORTING NON-HOURLY TIME UNIT JOB #01
- R51653.10 HRP2_WHRLY2 HOURLY RATE OF PAY - INCLUDING HOURLY RATE FOR RS FIRST REPORTING NON-HOURLY TIME UNIT JOB #02
- R51654.10 HRP3_WHRLY2 HOURLY RATE OF PAY - INCLUDING HOURLY RATE FOR RS FIRST REPORTING NON-HOURLY TIME UNIT JOB #03
- R51655.10 HRP4_WHRLY2 HOURLY RATE OF PAY - INCLUDING HOURLY RATE FOR RS FIRST REPORTING NON-HOURLY TIME UNIT JOB #04
- R51656.10 HRP5_WHRLY2 HOURLY RATE OF PAY - INCLUDING HOURLY RATE FOR RS FIRST REPORTING NON-HOURLY TIME UNIT JOB #05
Jan 2021 Update: Corrected values have been included in the most recent public data release.
Other Errata
Two Issues in Created Wage Variables Calculation [posted 10/9/2020]
A review of the created wage variables [HRP and HRP_WHRLY_2] revealed two issues in the calculation that affected values; the affected years are from 1994 to 2016.
1. Self-employed wage calculation (affected years 2002-2016): The R27 calculation of the NLSY79 created hourly wage variables (HRPx and HRPx_WHRLY2) for self-employed workers divides the income from the business (SES-71A) by the amount of time worked calculated using the number of weeks actively worked at the business (SES-52E), multiplied by the number of usual hours per week (SES-52D). A time inconsistency occurs when the income from the prior calendar year is divided by the number of weeks the respondent actively worked in year that the job ended (or the current year if it is ongoing). The time inconsistency may cause errors in the created wage variables for jobs that continue into the current calendar year. This calculation was first implemented in R27 for all self-employed wages going back to 2002. The updated values will return to using 52 weeks as a universal number of weeks working for all self-employed jobs, as was our practice prior to R27.
2. Bi-monthly (affected years 1994-2016): A programming error affected respondents who reported a bimonthly (twice a month) rate of pay in QES-71G. Respondents reporting a bimonthly income were asked to report their 'monthly' income. However, the constructed rate-of-pay variables were calculated as if the respondent were asked to report a bimonthly amount. The values for these created variables were recalculated to reflect that the actual amount recorded was for monthly income rather than bimonthly. This issue is also detailed in the 'Corrected Values for Rate-of-Pay Variables' errata posted on 9/28/2020.
Jan 2021 Update: Corrected values have been included in the most recent public data release.
HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.## Variables for NLSY79 2000-2002 [posted 10/6/2020]
It has come to CHRR’s attention that a subset of HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.## values were calculated without incorporating additional hours worked at home where reported. The variables affected are listed in the table below.
|
Reference Number
|
Survey Year
|
Correct Qname |
Variable Title
|
Number of Cases
|
| R70804.00 | 2000 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.01 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #01 |
889 |
| R70805.00 | 2000 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.02 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #02 |
239 |
| R70806.00 | 2000 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.03 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #03 |
65 |
| R70807.00 | 2000 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.04 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #04 |
23
|
| R70808.00 | 2000 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.05 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #05 |
4 |
| R77690.00 | 2002 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.01 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #01 |
516 |
| R77691.00 | 2002 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.02 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #02 |
101 |
| R77692.00 | 2002 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.03 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #03 |
24 |
| R77693.00 | 2002 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.04 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #04 |
13 |
| R77694.00 | 2002 | HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.05 | COMBINED HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, INCLUDING HOURS AT HOME JOB #05 |
1 |
Jan 2021 Update: Corrected values have been included in the most recent public data release.
Corrected Values for Rate-of-Pay Variables [Posted 9/28/2020]
A review of the created rate-of-pay variables (HRP#, HRP#_WHRLY2, and PAYRATE-ALL-EMP) revealed a programming error that affected respondents who reported a bi-monthly (twice a month) rate of pay in QES-71G. The affected survey years are from 1994 through 2016.
Respondents reporting a bi-monthly income were asked to report their 'monthly' income. However, the constructed rate-of-pay variables were calculated as if the respondent were asked to report a bi-monthly amount. The values for these created variables were recalculated to reflect the respondent’s answer of 'monthly.'
The affected variables by survey year are in the following table:
| HRP# | HRP#_WHRLY2 | PAYRATE | |
|
1994 |
46 |
37 |
46 |
|
1996 |
69 |
61 |
69 |
|
1998 |
64 |
51 |
64 |
|
2000 |
93 |
78 |
93 |
|
2002 |
73 |
60 |
73 |
|
2004 |
52 |
37 |
52 |
|
2006 |
50 |
40 |
50 |
|
2008 |
48 |
36 |
48 |
|
2010 |
22 |
16 |
22 |
|
2012 |
30 |
15 |
30 |
|
2014 |
15 |
10 |
15 |
|
2016 |
24 |
12 |
24 |
See also errata titled 'Two Issues in Created Wage Variables Calculation'.
Jan 2021 Update: Corrected values have been included in the most recent public data release.
REGRESSIONS IN NLSY79 HIGHEST GRADE COMPLETED REVISED [posted 9/24/2020]
Some regressing or decreasing values have been revised for some Highest Grade Completed Revised variables. The majority of cases occur in the early 2000s. The affected variables and number of cases are reflected in the table below.
|
Reference # |
Question Name |
# Cases Affected |
|
R0406401 |
HGCREV80 |
3 |
|
R0618901 |
HGCREV81 |
2 |
|
R0898201 |
HGCREV82 |
2 |
|
R1145001 |
HGCREV83 |
2 |
|
R1520201 |
HGCREV84 |
2 |
|
R1890901 |
HGCREV85 |
2 |
|
R2258001 |
HGCREV86 |
1 |
|
R2871101 |
HGCREV88 |
1 |
|
R3074801 |
HGCREV89 |
1 |
|
R3401501 |
HGCREV90 |
1 |
|
R3656901 |
HGCREV91 |
2 |
|
R4007401 |
HGCREV92 |
4 |
|
R4418501 |
HGCREV93 |
4 |
|
R5103900 |
HGCREV94 |
15 |
|
R5166901 |
HGCREV96 |
12 |
|
R6479600 |
HGCREV98 |
12 |
|
R7007300 |
HGCREV00 |
27 |
|
R7704600 |
HGCREV02 |
24 |
|
R8497000 |
HGCREV04 |
93 |
|
T0988800 |
HGCREV06 |
5 |
|
T2210700 |
HGCREV08 |
2 |
|
T3108600 |
HGCREV10 |
1 |
|
T4113100 |
HGCREV12 |
2 |
|
T5023500 |
HGCREV14 |
2 |
|
T5771400 |
HGCREV16 |
2 |
Jan 2021 Update: Corrected values have been included in the most recent public data release.
NLSY79 Undocumented Occupation Codes for CPS Job -- Various Survey Years [posted 3/24/2020]
Some undocumented occupation codes for the CPS or current/most recent job in various survey years have been brought to CHRR’s attention.
Jan 2021 Update: Corrected values have been included in the most recent public data release.
Missing NLSY79 1989 Variables [posted 3/13/2020]
A previously released set of constructed variables for 1989 from the NLSY79 FERTILITY AND RELATIONSHIP HISTORY/CREATED area of interest was inadvertently omitted from the current data release. The affected variables are:
R30768.01 C1DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 1ST CHILD
R30768.03 C1DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 1ST CHILD
R30768.04 C1SEX89 SEX OF 1ST CHILD
R30768.05 C1RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 1ST CHILD
R30768.06 C2DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 2ND CHILD
R30768.08 C2DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 2ND CHILD
R30768.09 C2SEX89 SEX OF 2ND CHILD
R30768.10 C2RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 2ND CHILD
R30768.11 C3DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 3RD CHILD
R30768.13 C3DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 3RD CHILD
R30768.14 C3SEX89 SEX OF 3RD CHILD
R30768.15 C3RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 3RD CHILD
R30768.16 C4DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 4TH CHILD
R30768.18 C4DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 4TH CHILD
R30768.19 C4SEX89 SEX OF 4TH CHILD
R30768.20 C4RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 4TH CHILD
R30768.21 C5DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 5TH CHILD
R30768.23 C5DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 5TH CHILD
R30768.24 C5SEX89 SEX OF 5TH CHILD
R30768.25 C5RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 5TH CHILD
R30768.26 C6DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 6TH CHILD
R30768.28 C6DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 6TH CHILD
R30768.29 C6SEX89 SEX OF 6TH CHILD
R30768.30 C6RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 6TH CHILD
R30768.31 C7DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 7TH CHILD
R30768.33 C7DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 7TH CHILD
R30768.34 C7SEX89 SEX OF 7TH CHILD
R30768.35 C7RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 7TH CHILD
R30768.36 C8DOB89_M MONTH OF BIRTH OF 8TH CHILD
R30768.38 C8DOB89_Y YEAR OF BIRTH OF 8TH CHILD
R30768.39 C8SEX89 SEX OF 8TH CHILD
R30768.40 C8RES89 USUAL RESIDENCE 8TH CHILD
R30768.41 NUMKID89 NUMBER OF CHILDREN EVER BORN
R30768.42 NUMCH89 NUMBER OF BIO/STEP/ADPT CHILDREN IN HOUSEHOLD
R30768.44 AGE1B89 AGE OF R AT 1ST BIRTH
R30768.45 AGE2B89 AGE OF R AT 2ND BIRTH
R30768.46 AGE3B89 AGE OF R AT 3RD BIRTH
R30768.47 MO1B2B89 MONTHS BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND BIRTHS
R30768.48 MO2B3B89 MONTHS BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD BIRTHS
R30768.49 AGE1M89 AGE BEGAN 1ST MARRIAGE
R30768.50 MOBG1M89 MONTH BEGAN 1ST MARRIAGE
R30768.51 YRBG1M89 YEAR BEGAN 1ST MARRIAGE
R30768.52 MOEN1M89 MONTH ENDED 1ST MARRIAGE
R30768.53 YREN1M89 YEAR ENDED 1ST MARRIAGE
R30768.54 MOBG2M89 MONTH BEGAN 2ND MARRIAGE
R30768.55 YRBG2M89 YEAR BEGAN 2ND MARRIAGE
R30768.56 MOEN2M89 MONTH ENDED 2ND MARRIAGE
R30768.57 YREN2M89 YEAR ENDED 2ND MARRIAGE
R30768.58 MOBG3M89 MONTH BEGAN 3RD MARRIAGE
R30768.59 YRBG3M89 YEAR BEGAN 3RD MARRIAGE
R30768.61 C1DOD89_M MONTH OF DEATH OF 1ST CHILD
R30768.62 C1DOD89_Y YEAR OF DEATH OF 1ST CHILD
R30768.63 C2DOD89_M MONTH OF DEATH OF 2ND CHILD
R30768.64 C2DOD89_Y YEAR OF DEATH OF 2ND CHILD
R30768.65 C3DOD89_M MONTH OF DEATH OF 3RD CHILD
R30768.66 C3DOD89_Y YEAR OF DEATH OF 3RD CHILD
R30768.67 C4DOD89_M MONTH OF DEATH OF 4TH CHILD
R30768.68 C4DOD89_Y YEAR OF DEATH OF 4TH CHILD
R30768.69 C5DOD89_M MONTH OF DEATH OF 5TH CHILD
R30768.70 C5DOD89_Y YEAR OF DEATH OF 5TH CHILD
R30768.71 MO1M1B189 ABSOLUTE VALUE OF MONTHS BETWEEN 1ST MARRIAGE & 1ST BIRTH
R30768.72 FL1M1B89 FLAG TO INDICATE WHETHER 1ST MARRIAGE OCCURRED BEFORE 1ST BIRTH
Jan 2021 Update: These variables have been included in the most recent public data release.
Set of "On Jobs" Variables Added [posted 1/31/2020]
A set of variables from the "On Jobs" section has been added to help match up job information in the On Jobs section with the data in the Employer Supplement. For the next public release, we will be preparing special crosswalk variables that will allow users to link information from the On Jobs section to information found in the Employer Supplement.
Jan 2021 Update: These variables have been included in the most recent public data release.
TRAINING Question Corrections for 1988 & 1993 [posted 12/31/2019]
A number of variables in the TRAINING area of interest with incorrect qnames have come to CHRR’s attention. The variables affected are listed in the table below:
| Reference Number | Survey Year | Qname in Current Data Release | Correct Qname | Variable Title |
| R09749.00 | 1983 | Q8-5_1 | Q8-20.01 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 1ST VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R09751.00 | 1983 | Q8-5_2 | Q8-20.02 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 2ND VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R09753.00 | 1983 | Q8-5_3 | Q8-20.03 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 3RD VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R16722.00 | 1985 | Q8-5_1 | Q8-20.01 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 1ST VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R16724.00 | 1985 | Q8-5_2 | Q8-20.02 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 2ND VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R16726.00 | 1985 | Q8-5_3 | Q8-20.03 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 3RD VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R19659.00 | 1986 | Q8-5_1 | Q8-20.01 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 1ST VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R19661.00 | 1986 | Q8-5_2 | Q8-20.02 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 2ND VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R19663.00 | 1986 | Q8-5_3 | Q8-20.03 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 3RD VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R25398.00 | 1988 | Q8-5_1 | Q8-20.01 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 1ST VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE 86/PRIOR INT |
| R29443.00 | 1989 | Q8-33_2_000005 | Q8-34.02 | OTHER TRAINING AFTER 2ND VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM ENROLLED IN SINCE LAST INT |
| R29444.00 | 1989 | Q8-33_2_000006 | Q8-20.03 | TYPE OF SCHOOL OF 3RD VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM SINCE LAST INT |
| R29445.00 | 1989 | Q8-34_2 | Q8-21.03~000001 | 3RD VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM ENROLLED IN SINCE LAST INT PAID BY - SELF |
| R29446.00 | 1989 | Q8-20_3 | Q8-21.03~000002 | 3rd VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PGM ENROLLED IN SINCE LAST INT PAID BY - EMPLOYER |
In addition, a TRAINING variable in survey year 1993 is missing from the current NLSY79 public release data. The variable in question is:
R42534.02 1993 Q8-33B_CPS_69SB.03 3rd TRAINING USEFUL IN DOING SAME WORK FOR EMPLOYER OTHER THAN CPS EMPLOYER?
Jan 2021 Update: Corrected values have been included in the most recent public data release.
Missing NLSY79 1989 Variable (posted 12/18/2019]
A previously released constructed variable, the number of biological, step and adopted children living in the respondent’s household, from the NLSY79 1989 FERTILITY AND RELATIONSHIP HISTORY/CREATED area of interest, was inadvertently omitted from the current data release. The affected variable is:
R30768.42 NUMCH89 NUMBER OF BIO/STEP/ADPT CHILDREN IN HOUSEHOLD 1989
Jan 2021 Update: This variable has been included in the most recent public data release.
NLSY79 Multiple CPS Jobs in 1987, 1989-1992 [posted 11/18/2019]
Corrections have been determined for 37 cases with multiple CPS (current/most recent) jobs coded for survey years 1987 and 1989-1992. The CPSJOB variables on the EMPLOYERS_ALL roster have also been corrected where possible.
These corrections will be included in the next NLSY79 public release update. Update (12/6/2019): These corrections have now been made on the NLSY79 public release.
Variables that Help Match Job Info in On Jobs Section with Employer Supplement Data [posted 11/18/2019]
A set of NLSY79 variables from the On Jobs section will be available in an updated release of the NLSY79 data scheduled to come out in a couple of weeks. These variables can be used to help match up the job information in the On Jobs section with data in the Employer Supplement. Update (12/6/2019): These corrections have now been made on the public release.
Review of Imputations of NLSY79 Asset Variables 1985-2012 [posted 5/31/2019]
An internal review of the imputed versions of the NLSY79 asset variables from 1985-2012 is currently underway. While computing the new series of Total Net Family Wealth (TNFW_TRUNC) variables, some anomalies were discovered in a subset of imputations.
On review, it appears that the OLS method used for the current imputations can result in unexpected or smaller- or larger-than-expected variances between imputed values and their bounding values. In addition, some imputations were found to have been generated for unbounded survey years (1985 – the first year in which detailed asset information was collected which lacks a previous bounding year, and; 2012 – which was the latest year of collection before the current release and lacked a subsequent year).
While the review is being undertaken, the imputed assets variables have been removed from the current public data release. In addition, the existing NET_WORTH_[YR] variables, which incorporated imputed values in the calculation of a families total worth have also been removed. A new set of variables named TNFW_TRUNC (Total Net Family Wealth) replaces the former NET_WORTH_[YR] variables. TNFW_TRUNC calculations do not incorporate imputed values. Users can still compute imputations using existing data methods of their choosing in accordance with their own research requirements.
Updates about these variables will be posted on the Errata page. More information on assets and debt variables as well as computations of the Total Net Family Wealth variables can be found in Appendix 23: Revised Asset and Debt and Computed Total Net Wealth Variables. References to the imputed and NET_WORTH_[YR] variables have been removed to accurate reflect the content of the current public release data.
NLSY79 Political Attitude Questions Containing “0” Codes In 2008 [posted 5/22/2019]
Malfunctioning dynamic response categories very early in the NLSY79 2008 (round 23) field period resulted in data for several political attitude questions containing improper “0” codes. Upon review, CHRR staff were able to determine correct codes for roughly 50 cases across these variables. All other “0” codes in these questions that are not documented in the list of response categories should be coded to “-3.” Corrections will be reflected in the next NLSY79 public data release. Update (12/6/2019): These corrections have now been made to the public release.
Case Data Deletion [posted 5/7/2019]
After the release of the 2016 data, the case data for respondent id 7645 were determined to be invalid for survey years 2012, 2014, and 2016. The survey data for this respondent for those survey years will be removed from the data at the time of the next data release. In the meantime, users should avoid using data for this respondent for survey years 2012, 2014, and 2016.
Dual Job Variables with Incorrect Areas of Interest [posted 5/6/2019]
Dual Job variables for dual jobs #2, #3 and #4 that occurred during the period covered by the round 27 (2016) interview were inadvertently assigned to Area of Interest WORK HISTORY – DUAL JOB 1. Question names for the incorrectly assigned variables end in “_NUM2/3/4” and variable titles begin with “JOB NUMBER 2/3/4.” The affected reference numbers and their correct Area of Interest assignments are listed below. The mislabeling will be corrected with the next data release.
W13868.00 – W13950.00 WORK HISTORY – DUAL JOB 2
W13951.00 – W14007.00 WORK HISTORY – DUAL JOB 3
W14008.00 – W14045.00 WORK HISTORY – DUAL JOB 4
Data for Respondent Interviewed under Wrong CASEID in 2006 Removed [posted 4/9/2019]
It was recently discovered that limited data for a respondent interviewed under caseid #4646 in 2006 inadvertently remained in previous public data releases. These data have been removed for survey year 2006 (round 22) and for a small number of created variables. The sampling weights and Reason for Non-interview variables for 2006 have also been adjusted. There should be little to essentially no effect on weights for remaining respondents. The correct number of non-interviews for the 2006 survey has increased by 1 to 5033. In addition, changes have been made where necessary to the Work History arrays (STATUS, HOURS and DUAL JOB arrays), Recipiency month data and Employers_all roster items. The number of interviews for 2006 have decreased by 1 to 7653 (decreasing the number of completed interviews to 7653).
Adjustments made to data for respondent #4646 fall into several categories:
- All data for this respondent has been eliminated for survey year 2006 with the exception of SAMPWEIGHT, C_SAMPWEIGHT and RNI. These values have been corrected to reflect a 2006 non-interview status. In addition, certain variables in the XRND survey year category that pertain to 2006 have been deleted as well.
- Some values have been changed to eliminate the cumulative presence of data erroneously collected for #4646, including some variables in 2016.
- Variables in relevant data arrays/rosters has been adjusted where necessary to eliminate erroneous data and incorporate retrospective data provided by the correct respondent in 2016. These arrays include the Work History arrays, Recipiency month variables and the Employers_all roster.
The corrections discussed above are reflected in the current public data release. Users can contact User Services for further information.
The correct respondent #4646 was located for the 2016 interview and provided some retrospective data.
Missing Values in Question Loops Added to Current Release [posted 4/9/2019]
Some values for assets collected in repetitive question loops were inadvertently omitted in past releases for survey years 1998-2014. These question loops contained values that did not require topcoding. Asset values reported in repetitive question loops can be identified by the following characteristics:
- They are assigned to area of interest ASSETS;
- Question names have a number extension (e.g. .01, .02, etc.);
- For documentation consistency, question names contain the string “TRUNC”, whether or not they are truncated/topcoded.
Variables containing topcoded values include the string “TRUNC” or “TRUNCATED” in the variable title. Un-topcoded values from loops that were added to the current release do not include those strings in the variable title. Asset values from all repetitive question loops are included in the current public release data.
Uncorrectable Data Errors
Legal Form of Business Not Collected for 31 Cases in 2012 (posted 1/23/2015)
Due to an error in the questionnaire, the legal form of a business (SES-BUSOWN-12.#) for 31 NLSY79 respondents was not collected in 2012. This error affects the respondents who reported a business in 2012 that matches a job reported during the last interview and who were last interviewed in 2008 and prior. The legal form of a business for these 31 cases should be coded as -3. Please contact NLS User Services with questions about the 31 respondent IDs that were effected.
Since in 2012 we did not re-ask the legal form of a business that matched a job reported in the last interview, users wishing to determine the legal form of that business should use the employer number from the previous survey year variable in 2012 (EMPLOYER_EMPPREVID.#). For example, if EMPLOYER_EMPPREVID.# is 1, which means that the business is the same as job #1 in 2010, then legal form of that business in 2012 is the value of SES-BUSOWN-12.01 or BUSOWN-12.01 in 2010. If the business in 2012 is job #2 in 2010, then the legal form of that business is the value of SES-BUSOWN-12.02 or BUSOWN-12.02 in 2010.
Missing Occupation, Industry and Class of Worker in 1994 data items
The occupation, industry and class of worker information for 353 CPS employers were not collected during the 1994 interview. These CPS employers were either less than 9 weeks in duration since the last interview, or were employers for whom the respondent worked less than 10 hours per week. They were erroneously treated as other non-CPS employers with those characteristics, for which occupation, industry and class of worker information is not collected. For those employers that were also reported in the previous survey year, and for which the respondent confirmed that his/her occupation did not change since the previous survey year, the occupation, industry and class of worker codes from the previous survey year should also apply. Users may also data subsequent survey years in a similar manner to attempt to fill in more of this information.
This error is present on all current NLSY79 data releases.
Missing information on Union Affiliation/Collective Bargaining in 1994 data items
Due to an error in the questionnaire, information on union affiliation and collective bargaining on a number of employers was not collected. Respondents reporting a non-self-employed job should have answered these questions. This error affects employer #1 (generally the CPS employer) for 3,210 respondents of the 7141 respondents who should have been asked, employer #2 for 531 of the 2215 respondents who should have been asked, employer #3 for 128 of the 606 who should have been asked, employer #4 for 34 of 168 who should have been asked and employer #5 for 6 of 48 who should have been asked. This is 45% missing for employer #1, 24% missing for employer #2, 21% missing for employer #3, 20% missing for employer #4 and 13% missing for employer #5.
Conversely, information on union affiliation and collective bargaining was collected on a number of self-employed respondents, for whom these questions should not have been asked. This error affects employer #1 for 166 cases, employer #2 for 45 cases, and employers #3, #4 and #5 for 1 case each. This information for self-employed respondents (those with a code of "4" for class of worker) should be disregarded.
This error is present on all current NLSY79 data releases.
2 missing cases in 1994 data items
Due to probable machine glitches, the data from two (2) apparently completed interviews was rendered inaccessible. 1994 variables for cases #5078 and #10524 are missing. Any 1994 data items remaining for these cases is meaningless and should be discarded for purposes of analysis. The 1996 interview period for these cases spanned from the 1993 to the 1996 interview. Information that would have been collected at the 1994 interview is thus now included in the data for the 1996 survey year.
This data error is present on all current NLSY79 data releases.
NORC 1978 Memo
The 1978 NORC memo regarding race and ethnicity coding can be found here: NORC 1978 memo
A review of the created wage variables [HRP and HRP_WHRLY_2] revealed two issues in the calculation that affected values; the affected years are from 1994 to 2016.
1.
Self-employed wage calculation (affected years 2002-2016): The R27 calculation of the NLSY79 created hourly wage variables (HRPx and HRPx_WHRLY2) for self-employed workers divides the income from the business (SES-71A) by the amount of time worked calculated using the number of weeks actively worked at the business (SES-52E), multiplied by the number of usual hours per week (SES-52D). A time inconsistency occurs when the income from the prior calendar year is divided by the number of weeks the respondent actively worked in year that the job ended (or the current year if it is ongoing). The time inconsistency may cause errors in the created wage variables for jobs that continue into the current calendar year. This calculation was first implemented in R27 for all self-employed wages going back to 2002. The updated values will return to using 52 weeks as a universal number of weeks working for all self-employed jobs, as was our practice prior to R27.
2.
Bi-monthly (affected years 1994-2016): A programming error affected respondents who reported a bimonthly (twice a month) rate of pay in QES-71G. Respondents reporting a bimonthly income were asked to report their 'monthly' income. However, the constructed rate-of-pay variables were calculated as if the respondent were asked to report a bimonthly amount. The values for these created variables were recalculated to reflect that the actual amount recorded was for monthly income rather than bimonthly. This issue is also detailed in the ‘Corrected Values for Rate-of-Pay Variables’ errata posted on 9/28/2020.
The full set of HRPx, HRPx_WHRLY2 variables for 1994 to 2016 is contained in the wage_update_2020.zip file. This file contains both updated and non-updated variables for 1994 to 2016 in SAS, Stata, SPSS, and CSV formats. The codebook, short description file, and tagset are also included. These revised variables will be included in the next public release. Researchers who are interested in more detailed information should contact User Services.