Skip to main content
National Longitudinal Survey of Older and Young Men (NLSM)
NLSY97
NLSY79
NLSCYA
NLSW
NLSM
asterisk icon

Asterisk Tables

Choose a sub-cohort to view tables summarizing selected variables from the Older Men and the Young Men surveys. The tables list individual items or groups of related items with asterisks in the year columns indicating the survey years in which the variable(s) are available.

Consult the NLSM Questionnaires in the Other Documentation section for exact question wording in each survey round.

Older Men Variables by Survey Year: Respondents Ages 45 to 59 in 1966

The selected variables for the Older Men asterisk tables are grouped into three main categories:

  1. Labor market experience variables
  2. Human capital and other socioeconomic variables
  3. Environmental variables

User note: Viewing asterisk tables

  • Click a topic below to expand and collapse the corresponding asterisk table.
  • For large tables, scroll right to view additional table columns.

I. Labor market experience variables

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Survey week labor force and employment status * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Hours worked in survey week * *   * *     *     *   * *  
Weeks worked (time frames vary) * * * * * * * * * * * * *    
Usual hours worked during weeks worked * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Weeks unemployed (time frames vary) * * * * * * * * * * * * *    
Spells of unemployment in past year * *   * *                    
Weeks out of labor force (time frames vary) * * * * * * * * * * * * *    

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Occupation, industry, class of worker * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Start date and stop date * *   * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hours per week usually worked   *   * *     * * * * * * * *
Hourly rate of pay * *   * *     * * * * * * *  
Commuting time, costs         *     *              
Covered by collective bargaining       * *     *     *        
Is R union member       * *     *     *        
Job satisfaction                           *  
Years, weeks, or hours widow worked between R's last interview and R's death                           *  
Years, weeks, or hours widow worked since R's death                           *  

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Occupation, industry, class of worker, hours per week, start date, stop date, and reason for leaving both first job and longest job since leaving school *                            

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Occupation, industry, class of worker, hours per week, start date, stop date, and reason for leaving intervening jobs (details vary)   * * * *     *     *   *   *
Interfirm mobility (details vary)   * * * * * * * * * * *      

II. Human capital and other socioeconomic variables

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Nationality *                            
Type of residence at age 15 *                            
Person(s) R lived with at age 15 *                            
Occupation of head of household when R was 15 *                            
Highest grade completed by father *                            
If R lived with mother at age 15, did she work for pay         *                    
Foreign language spoken in home when R was 15         *                    

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Years at current residence *                       *    
Comparison of birthplace to current residence *                            
Geographic mobility (details vary)   *   * *     *       * *   *
Part-year residence                         *    

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Highest grade completed *             *              
High school curriculum *                            
College (year last attended, earned degree, highest degree received)               *              

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Has R taken * *   * *     *     *        
Type of training * *   * *     *     *        
Sponsor of training   *   * *     *     *        
Duration * *   * *     *     *        
Hours per week attended   *   * *     *     *        
Did R complete * *   * *     *     *        
Reason decided to take   *   * *     *     *        
Does R use training on current job * *   * *     *     *        

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Self-rating of health *     *         * * * * *    
Comparison of R's condition with past   *     *     * * * * *      
Attitude toward health condition               * * * * * *    
Does health limit work *     * * * * * * * * * *    
Duration of health limitations *     * *     *     *   *    
Uses glasses, hearing aid, other special equipment                         *    
Problematic activities and working conditions         *     *     *   *    
Types of special health problems in past 12 months                         *    
Medical care (eligibility for insurance benefits)                     *        
Type and cost of health insurance coverage for R and for his wife                         *    
Accidents (on-the-job, how, when)               *              
Are R and his wife able to go outdoors, use public transportation, or do personal care without help         *     *     *   *    
Assistance needed by R and his wife in daily living                         *    
Height, weight           *             *    
Does wife's health limit her work *     * *     *     * * *    
Can wife go outdoors without help                         *    
Duration of wife's limitations *     * *     *     *   *    
Does health of family members limit R's work         *                    
Does health of wife limit R's work         *     *     *   *    
R ever smoked cigarettes, age at first and last use, quantity smoked per day                         *   *
Frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed by R during last 12 months of life and during adult life                         *   *
Use and frequency of use of medical care (hospitalization, nursing home, or doctors' care) during past 12 months (or prior to death)                         *   *
R ill before death and, if so, length of illness                             *
Widow provided nursing care for R, time required, impact on widow's employment status                           *  
Parties responsible for R's medical expenses                             *
Total cost of medical expenses in year before death                             *
Evaluation of health cost burdens in past year                         *    
Main cause of R's death                             *

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Marital status * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Marital history (details vary)               *     *   * *  
Number of dependents * *   * * * * * * * * * *    
Life status of R's and R's wife's parents * *   * *     *     *        
Number and ages of children in household * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Last household composition (relationship to R and his widow, age, highest grade attended, weeks worked, hours per week worked, occupation)                         * *  
Family members in household (relationship to R, sex, age, enrollment status, employment status) * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Unrelated household members (relationship to R, sex, age, enrollment status, employment status, reason living together)                     * * * *  
Frequency of contact with children                     *   *    
Wife's work experience (longest job, retirement expectations and plans)                     *        

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Total net family assets *     * *     *     *   * *  
Total family income * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Income from farm or business * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Wage or salary income * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Unemployment compensation income * *   * *     *     * * * *  
Income from supplemental unemployment benefits               *     *   * *  
Income from rent, interest, or dividends * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Public assistance income * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Disability income * *   * *     *     *   * *  
SSI income               * * * * * * *  
Total market value of Food Stamps received * *   * *     * * * * * * *  
Social Security income, pension income * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Insurance income                           *  
Amount of financial assistance received from others                 * * * * * *  
Income from other sources * *   * * * * * * * * * * *  
Sources and amounts of widow's death benefits                           *  
Evaluation of overall financial situation                         * *  

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Dates of service               *              

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
How does R feel about job * *   * *     *   * * * * *  
Evaluation of total work career                         *    
What R likes best and least about job * *   * *                    
Would R continue to work if had enough money to live on *                 *          
What is more important: high wages or liking work *                            
Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control score       * *     *     *        
Attitude toward women working   *     *                    
Attitude toward R's marriage                         *    
Attitudes toward selected aspects of life               * * * * * *    
Pfeiffer cognitive functioning scale                         * *  
CES-Depression Scale                         *    
Bradburn Affect Balance Scale                     * * *    
Discrimination (R ever experienced, type, way in which experienced)         *     *   *          
Has R progressed, held own, or moved backward         *     *              
Have job pressures increased, decreased, or remained the same         *     *              

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Leisure activities                 *   *   *    
Expected age of retirement * *   * * * * * * * * * *    
R's plans after retirement * *   * *     * * *   *      
Compulsory retirement plan * *   * *     * * * * *      
Timing of retirement (reason retired, did employer encourage, would R continue to work if allowed)               * * * * * *    
R ever retired and, if so, year retired                         *   *
Attitudes toward retirement         *     * * * * * *    
Wife's attitude toward R's retirement         *                    
Friends' attitude toward R's retirement         *                    
Characteristics of current employer's pension plan         *     *              
Amount of expected retirement income         *     *     *        
Use of various community services in past 12 months                         *    
Type and frequency of contact and geographic proximity of R to children, other relatives, friends                         *    
Automobile usage of R and spouse                         *    
To whom R would turn for financial or other help                         *    
Geographic mobility since retirement                     * *      
Retirement preparation course taken                     *        

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Would R accept * *   * *     * * * * * *    
Hours per week would work         *     * * * * * *    
Rate of pay, kind of work required to accept * *   * *     * * * * * *    

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Has R done any volunteer work                 *       *    
Number of weeks and hours per week performed                 *       *    

III. Environmental variables

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
South or non-South * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Does R live in metropolitan statistical area * * * * * * * * * * * *      
Mover or nonmover status * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Comparison of State, county, metropolitan statistical area * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  

Variable 66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90 90 widow 90 widow report on spouse
Size of local area labor force * * * * * * * * * * * *      
Local area unemployment rate * * * * * * * * * * * *