Created variables
Public release variable(s)
- NDI_DECEASED_FLAG. Respondent deceased status, indicating NDI verification or lack thereof
Restricted-use variables
- NDI_UNDERLYING_CAUSE-113_CODE. NDI: Underlying cause of death from NDI death certificate
- NDI_YEAR_OF_DEATH. Year of death from NDI death certificate
- NDI_REGION_OF_DEATH. Region of death, computed using state of death from NDI death certificate
The round 20 (2021) data release contains information regarding cause, dates and location of death for deceased respondents for whom a matching death certificate was returned from an NDI search. The NDI_DECEASED_FLAG created variable is included on the public release data. Variables depicting the cause, year and region of death are restricted to the Geocode data release. Variables containing the month and state, territory or country of death are further restricted to the Zipcode data release. These confidential files are available for use only at the BLS National Office in Washington, DC, and at Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDCs) on statistical research projects approved by BLS. Access to data is subject to the availability of space and resources. Information about applying to use the zip code and Census tract data is available on the BLS Restricted Data Access page.
In this special effort, data for a subset of NLSY97 respondents were submitted for the NDI search. The subset included respondents identified as deceased during survey field periods and respondents who have proven difficult to locate or have not been interviewed for a period of time with no confirmation of their status. In order to maximize the possibility of an NDI death certificate match, multiple submissions were made for individual respondents whenever possible. These multiple submissions could include elements such as maiden names, different married names, nicknames and various multiple ethnicities reported by the respondent, any of which might appear in various combinations on a death certificate. Individual respondent records, interviewer notes and administrative data were examined in conjunction with NDI search results to determine those for which valid matches could be established.
Important information: Reason for Non‑Interview (RNI) deceased codes
Two RNI codes are used to classify respondents who are deceased, and they differ based on when the death was confirmed relative to the interview round.
- Code 80 – Prior deceased blocked (OOS/Deceased)
This code applies to respondents who were confirmed as deceased before the start of data collection for a given round. Because their death was known in advance, these cases were not fielded and are considered otherwise out of scope for that round. In rounds 2-6, this was labeled as 80 – OOS/Deceased. - Code 98 – Deceased (NIR/Deceased)
This code applies to respondents who were part of the fielded sample but were reported as deceased during the interview round. Since the death was discovered during fieldwork, these cases are classified as non‑interviews rather than out‑of‑scope. In rounds 2-6, this was labeled as 98 – NIR/Deceased.
| Comparison to Other NLS Surveys | NLSY79 round 29 (2020) contains the variable NDI_DECEASED_FLAG in the public release data and similar NDI data (e.g. cause, year, and region of death) in the restricted-use Geocode data. |
|---|---|
| Area of Interest | NDI Verification |