NLSY79

In the 2006 and 2010 survey years (and in 2012 and 2014 for those not interviewed in 2010), NLSY79 respondents reported the time they spent volunteering for causes or organizations, along with the type of organization. Approximately 22.6% of respondents in 2006 indicated they had done at least some volunteer activity in the previous calendar year, with the percentage rising to 24.6% in 2010.

As can be seen in Table 1, the pick list of causes/organizations changed in wording between 2006 and 2010.

During the 2010 survey year, respondents also answered questions about any volunteer work organized through their regular workplace, including questions about whether any coworkers volunteered with the respondent and if the respondent got time off from work to volunteer. Respondents were also asked if any of these volunteer activities utilized skills acquired or used at work and if any of the activities helped the respondent learn about job openings or job-related opportunities.

In addition, respondents reported whether they made any philanthropic donations to various types of nonprofit organizations, including the following:

• Religious or spiritual organizations
• Organizations that serve a combination of purposes
• Organizations that serve people in need
• Health care organizations
• Educational organizations
• Youth, neighborhood or community organizations
• Organizations for arts and culture
• Environmental organizations
• Organizations for international aid or to promote world peace

Comparison to Other NLS Surveys: In rounds 9, 11, and 15-16, NLSY97 respondents answered questions about participating in unpaid volunteer work, including any activities aimed at changing social conditions. Respondents indicated the main reason for their participation: court ordered, required for a school or religious group, or strictly voluntary. The NLSY79 Young Adult survey gathered information about volunteerism each survey year. Within the Original Cohort surveys, the Young Women and Mature Women cohorts were asked questions about volunteer work during several survey years.

NLSY79 health sections are divided into two periods:

• From 1979 to 1996, most of the questions focus on health concerns that restrict or inhibit the respondent's ability to work.
• From 1998 on, as respondents reached middle age, the Health section was expanded to provide a baseline profile of the respondent's overall health as they turn 40, 50, and 60 years old.

40-and over Health Module

Beginning in 1998, because of the aging of the cohort, an extended health module was administered to respondents at the first interview after turning age 40 and general questions on physical activity and exercise were administered to all respondents. While the pre-1998 health questions provide a picture of the respondent's current health restrictions, they offer little insight into chronic health problems that will affect their labor force activity in the future. For example, a serious ailment that slowly develops over time will not be picked up by the regular health questions until the respondent actually drops out of the labor market. This extended health module was created to provide a baseline health profile of the respondent for examining the interrelationship of health and labor market activity in advance of the retirement years. Variables with CCR (Chronic Conditions Roster) in the title have been labeled with this acronym internally for consistent sorting.

To broaden the usefulness of the NLSY79 health data, this extended module, comprising four major parts, is not restricted to work-related health problems, and all questions are asked irrespective of the respondent's labor force status.

1. The first part of the 40-and-over module asks respondents to answer the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The 1998 and 2000 surveys collected a reduced set of seven items from the original 20 item CES-D scale (the full 20-item scale was last administered in 1992). The number of items was increased to nine beginning in 2002.
2. The second part of the extended health profile asks respondents when they last saw a health care professional. These questions provide researchers with the date of the respondent's last physical exam and last visit to the doctor for any reason. Information on individuals who never visit a doctor is available as well. This subsection also gathers information about the health and life status of the NLSY79 respondents' biological parents. Questions which ask respondents about their parent's health are designed to improve researchers' understanding of hereditary health problems. Respondents are asked whether their biological parents are alive and if not, their parent's age at death and cause of death. Information is also gathered about any major health problems afflicting either parent.
3. The third section reproduces the SF-12 scale, a 12-question health survey designed by John Ware of the New England Medical Center Hospital. The SF-12 is designed to provide a measure of the respondents' mental and physical health irrespective of their proclivity to use formal health services. Detailed information on the SF-12 is available from QualityMetric. QualityMetric also provides researchers with software and algorithms to score the SF-12. For more information see Appendix 19.
4. The last section of the 40-and-over health module asks respondents if they suffer from an extensive list of health conditions. Respondents with certain major conditions, such as cancer, hypertension, or diabetes, are asked the date at which the condition was first diagnosed and other details relevant to the particular condition.

50-and-over Health Module

This module was included beginning in 2008. The module is administered to progressive two-year birth year cohorts in the survey year during which they would turn at least age 50. NLSY79 respondents were born in 1957-1964. In 2008, the module was administered to respondents born in 1957-1958. In 2010, the module was administered to those born in 1959-1960, and anyone who skipped the 2008 interview, and so on. The 50-and-over Health module contains many of the same questions as the 40-and-over Health module. Some questions provide a second decennial point of reference for general health information. Many others provide updates on previously reported conditions. Questions about diagnosis of skin cancer and other types of cancer, various heart disease-related conditions, and stroke are also asked.

50-and-over respondents are again administered the CES-D items and the SF-12 question series, as well as questions about the life and health status of their parents if they were reported living in the 40-and-over module. In addition, 50-and-over respondents are asked to update information on previously reported conditions such as hypertension/high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes/high blood sugar, asthma and non-asthma breathing problems, depression, and other emotional/psychiatric problems.

The 50-and-over Health module also contains questions on diagnosis of osteoporosis and the use of special equipment needed to accomplish usual activities, as well as a scale of functionality and the respondent's sleep habits. Finally, respondents are asked for other information about their health that they would like to report.

60-and-over Health Module

This module was included beginning in 2018. Similar to the 50-and-over Health Module, the 60-and-over Health Module is administered to progressive two-year birth year cohorts in the survey year during which they turn at least age 60. NLSY79 respondents were born in 1957-1964. In 2018, the module was administered to respondents born in 1957-1958. In 2020, the module was administered to those born in 1959-1960, and anyone who skipped the 2018 interview. The 60-and-over Health module contains many questions similar to the 40-and-over and 50-and-over modules, providing a third decennial point of reference for general health information for many respondents. Updates on some previously reported conditions are also collected. Questions about diagnosis of skin cancer and other types of cancer, various heart disease-related conditions, and stroke are also asked. Questions about Alzheimer's and other dementia-related conditions are included in the module, as well.

60-and-over respondents are again administered the CES-D items and the SF-12 question series, as well as questions about the life and health status of their parents if they were reported living in the most recent health module administered to the respondent. In addition, 60-and-over respondents are asked to update information on previously reported conditions such as hypertension/high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes/high blood sugar, asthma and non-asthma breathing problems, depression, and other emotional/psychiatric problems. The 60-and-over module also contains several other attitudinal scales, including the Satisfaction With Life Scale/SWLS (Deiner, et. al.) and General Anxiety Disorder/GAD scale (Spitzer, et. al.). In 2018, 4 items on the Brief Resilience Scale/BRS (Smith, et. al.) were administered. In 2020, the intention was to ask BRS questions again, but the questions were dropped partway through the round due to time constraints.

The 60-and-over Health module also contains questions on the diagnosis of osteoporosis and the use of special equipment needed to accomplish usual activities, as well as a scale of functionality and the respondent's sleep habits. Finally, respondents are asked for other information about their health that they would like to report.

General health

Questions about general health practices and visits to health care professionals have been asked of respondents since the 2002 interview. Respondents are asked about levels and frequency of activity, whether they have had routine tests, whether they have discussed general health issues with their doctors, if they take certain kinds of medications, and usual eating habits.

Cognition module

Beginning in 2006, the survey included a battery of exercises designed to capture cognitive capabilities. Similar to the 50-and-over Health module, the Cognition module was administered to two birth-year cohorts in the survey year during which they would turn at least age 48. In 2006, the module was administered to respondents born in 1957-1958; in 2008, the module was administered to those born in 1959-1960 and age-eligible respondents who skipped the 2006 interview, and so on.

Respondents were first asked for their own assessment of the current quality of their memory. They were then given a word recall exercise using four randomly assigned sets of 10 words. The numbers of correctly and incorrectly recalled words were recorded. Respondents were next asked to count backwards from 20, then from 86. Following this, they were given the starting point of 100 and asked to subtract 7; the process was continued five times (e.g., until the final subtraction answer should have been 65). Finally, respondents were asked to recall the same list of 10 words that they were given at the beginning of the cognition battery.

The vast majority of respondents completed the Cognition module by the 2012 interview. A relatively small but not insignificant number of respondents, who missed the interview at their first eligible year for the Cognition module and missed multiple interviews after that, took the battery in the 2014 or 2016 interview.

The 48+ cognition data from round 22 through round 27 (2006-2016) has been compiled into a single set of variables. Variable names for this set of items begin with "COGNITION" and are contained in the COGNITION area of interest. These items are assigned to the XRND survey year and do not identify non-interviewed cases for specific survey years. The variable COGNITION_SOURCEYR (Reference #X00311.00) contains the survey year in which each respondent's data was collected.

The 2018 interview included several independent cognition questions. To test verbal fluency, respondents were asked to name as many animals as they could in 60 seconds. Additionally all respondents were asked to evaluate their own memory.

Users should note that a questionnaire malfunction in survey year 2008 caused all respondents to be skipped around the second set of Word Recall questions. Respondents who were inadvertently not administered those questions can be identified by using the COGNITION_SOURCEYR variable in the COGNITION area of interest.

Depression Scale (CES-D)

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) measures symptoms of depression, discriminates between clinically depressed individuals and others, and is highly correlated with other depression rating scales (see Radloff 1977; Ross and Mirowsky 1989). First administered to NLYS79 respondents in 1992 (R38949.- R38968), the CES-D is a 20-item instrument. Sixteen of the items ask about negative symptoms (e.g., feeling sad, depressed, poor appetite, etc.). Four items (R38952., R38956., R38960., & R38964.) ask about positive symptoms (e.g., feeling happy). Symptom severity is measured by asking the frequency of occurrence of each item over the preceding week. Responses range from 0 (rarely or none of the time/1 day) to 3 (most or all of the time/5-7 days). The four positive symptom items are reverse- scored, and responses to all items are then summed, resulting in a maximum score of 60. Most studies have used a cutoff of 16 as an indicator of depression.

Based on research by Ross and Mirowsky (1989) and others, the number of CES-D items included in the 1994 NLSY79 was reduced to seven (R49783. - R49789.). However, only 5 items of the 7-item Mirowsky and Ross scale were used and the item response choices in the NLSY79 were kept consistent with the 1992 NLSY79 (and original Radloff) responses to the full CES-D: 0 (rarely or none of the time/1 day) to 3 (most or all of the time/5-7 days). (Mirowsky and Ross used the following response set in their 7-item administration: # days in the past week, 0-7.)  The CES-D scale was NOT administered in the 1996 NLSY79 survey round. Beginning in 1998 the CES-D was moved to the HEALTH section and is asked only of respondents once when they turn age 40 and again when they turn age 50.

Additional information on NLSY79 CES-D variables can be found in Appendix 25 and Appendix 27.

Respondent characteristics

Height and weight

A respondent's height and weight are natural indicators of health. Height questions were asked in 1981, 1982, 1983 (only to females who were ever pregnant), 1985, and 2006-2016. Exercise caution because the height questions have been collected in a variety of formats. The 1981 question combines feet and inches into a single number. Hence, respondents range from 400 (four feet and zero inches) to 611 (six feet and eleven inches). The 1982 and 1985 questions convert all answers into just inches. The 1983 height questions are found under two different reference numbers: female height in feet is provided in R09989., while height in inches is provided in R09990. 

Since weight fluctuates more than height, questions on weight are asked more frequently. Weight questions appear in the 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988-90, and 1992-2016 surveys. Weight in all years is recorded in pounds. The weight data are normally distributed from 50 to 400 pounds in all years except 1989. In 1989, there are 11 individuals marked as weighing 996 pounds. This number is not a true weight but rather an out-of-range code. Users are advised to examine height and weight distributions prior to analysis in order to make informed decisions as to how to handle outliers.

Hair and eye color

Respondent hair and eye colors were collected during the 1985 interview and information on whether they were left or right handed was collected in the 1993 interview.

Asthma

In 2004 a series of questions about asthma were added to the survey. These included the onset and diagnosis of asthma, whether the respondent missed work, when they had an attack and methods of prescribed treatment. Also included were questions regarding onset in the children of female respondents. A reduced set of asthma questions were included beginning with the 2006 survey.

Heart medication

Beginning in 2008 respondents were asked if they were taking any statin drugs or heart medications.

Childhood health

In 2012, all respondents were asked a series of new questions on childhood health including overall health, major hospitalizations, or long periods of home recovery. Adversity questions included family mental health, alcohol abuse, physical abuse, and amount of parental affection. Researchers believe that questions such as these are predictive of adult obesity and other health-related outcomes. This question series was asked in 2014 or 2016 for those who were not interviewed in 2012.

Head injury

Also introduced in 2012 was a module on traumatic head injury. All respondents were asked if they have experienced a serious head injury or loss of smell. Because traumatic head injury and loss of smell have been found in numerous studies to be linked to subsequent dementia, these questions were added to augment ongoing efforts to track respondents' cognitive function as they advance into middle age and beyond. This module was repeated in 2014 or 2016 for those not interviewed in 2012.

Health insurance

The NLSY79 provides researchers with a variety of insurance information. Almost every survey asked working respondents if their current or most recent job provided health insurance benefits. Table 2 is taken from the employee benefits series and shows that, over time, an increasing number of NLSY79 respondents work in jobs that are covered by health insurance benefits. While only 39.3 percent were working in covered jobs in 1979, by 2020 81.6 percent had employee health insurance available.

There are a number of problems with using the employee benefits question series in the CPS and ES section to understand and track health insurance coverage. First, respondents who are not working are excluded from these questions. Second, not all health insurance is employer provided. Some individuals pay directly for health insurance, while others are covered by their spouse's or partner's plans. Lastly, while an employer may offer this benefit, workers might not participate in the plan and therefore may not be aware of its availability. To overcome these limitations, the "Health" section of the NLSY79 was expanded beginning in 1989 to directly ask about sources of health insurance coverage.

The "Health" section of the questionnaire in 1989, 1990, and 1992-2018 asks respondents if they are covered by a health plan. If the respondent answers "yes," the interviewer asks who pays for the plan. Responses include current employer, previous employer, spouse's employer, purchased directly, and Medicaid or welfare source. If the respondent is married, the same set of questions on medical coverage are asked about the wife or husband (and beginning in 1994, about the nonmarital, opposite-sex partner, (the term opposite-sex was excluded in 2002) if any). Additionally, if the respondent has any children, the same questions are asked about the children's health insurance coverage.

National Death Index (NDI) data

The round 29 (2020) release includes data from the National Death Index for deceased respondents for whom a death certificate could be matched. Respondent records were reviewed individually to establish matches between NLSY79 respondents and death certificate data returned from an NDI search. The created variables above are included on the public and progressively restricted geocode and zipcode releases. See NLSY79 Attachment 8: Health Codes for more information related to NDI data.

Pension Benefits and Plans

Information on whether income was received by the respondent or spouse from other (unspecified) sources such as Social Security, pensions, or annuities was collected during the administration of each survey's "Income and Assets" section. Follow-up questions asked whether:

• An opposite-sex adult/partner (1979-84, 1990-2016) had received Social Security/Railroad Retirement or pension income in the past calendar year
• Household income was received by those respondents living in their parental home or by any other household member related to these respondents from:
  • Governmental or private pensions or annuities
  • Social Security/Railroad Retirement benefits was collected during the 1979-86 household interviews.

Disability Payments: Fielded during the 1980-2016 surveys was a set of questions that asked whether the respondent or his or her spouse (and since 1994, "or partner," if applicable) had received any income during the past year from veteran's benefits, Worker's Compensation, or other disability. If such income was received, an amount was recorded.

1994 Changes: Beginning in 1994, the Employer Supplements section on benefits was expanded to include a large amount of pension information. The pension questions are asked for each job that a respondent works at 20 hours a week or more. The pension section elicits information from the respondent on the following 11 subjects:

1. If eligible for a plan
2. How many participating in
3. How many plans eligible for with each employer
4. Knowledge of each plan
5. Number of years enrolled in a plan
6. Type of plan
7. Employer contributions
8. Employee contributions
9. Whether choice in investment strategy
10. How much the plan is worth
11. Investment strategy

In addition, in 1994-2004 and 2008-2016, a series of four questions added to the "Asset" section of the questionnaire began to track retirement savings. Prior to 1994 this information was asked for as part of the answers to other asset questions, while in 1994 pension questions were separated out. The first question asks if the respondent/spouse has any IRA accounts. If the answer is yes, respondents are queried about how much money is held in their IRA. Then the respondent is asked if they or their spouse or partner hold any 401k or 403b accounts. If the answer is yes, they are questioned how much money is held in these accounts.

In 2004, questions were added for younger workers about hypothetical changes to the Social Security program and the introduction of personal retirement accounts.

In 2010 a series of questions concerning stock options were added. In 2012 and in 2014 these questions were asked only of respondents who weren't asked them in 2010.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: Questions on NLSY97 retirement benefits, including very limited information on savings in pension/retirement plans, are only asked of respondents who report an employee job lasting at least 13 weeks that ended after the date of their 16^th birthday, or who are age 16 and over and report an on-going employee job at which they have worked at least 13 weeks. Independent youth provide information about participation in government programs. For each government assistance program, the surveys ask whether the respondent or his or her spouse had participated in the program since the last interview (for respondents who had answered these questions in a previous interview) or had ever participated (for respondents going through this section for the first time). Also, the survey collects information on the duration of each spell of receipt (e.g., stop and start dates) and the amount of aid the respondent or his or her spouse/partner received for each spell. For certain programs (e.g., AFDC or ADC, WIC, food stamps), the survey asks the respondent to state the members of the household covered by the program.

For the Mature Women, information on income from governmental and private pension plans was collected during all surveys except the 1968 mail survey; for the Young Women, the 1991, 1995, and 1997 interviews included the collection of extensive information on employer pension plans for which the respondent and her spouse were eligible; for the Older men, in general, most surveys asked about income from a government pension and income from other sources, such as a private employer pension. No information on eligibility for or income from pensions and Social Security was collected from the Young Men. For more precise details about the content of each survey, consult the appropriate cohort's User's Guide using the tabs above for more information.

Researchers interested in the income of a respondent's spouse or partner are cautioned that, until 1994, the survey contained separate sets of questions for spouses and partners. This means that researchers who are trying to compute the couple's income need to check answers to both spouse wages and partner wages. After 1994, the CAPI questionnaire combined these sets of questions into one. Hence, users not wanting partner's income data should examine the wording of income source questions carefully. Partner income and earnings are not included in the constructed "Net Family Income" variable.

The NLSY79 cohort is a unique source of income information. Because the original NLSY79 panel contained a supplemental sample of 5,295 economically disadvantaged, nonblack/non-Hispanic youths, researchers are able to precisely measure income of low-income and minority households. Moreover, because in-depth income questions have been asked since 1979, detailed age/income profiles can be traced over time.

Most NLSY79 income questions refer to the previous calendar year. For example, if the survey is being fielded in 1992, most questions ask the respondent to report how much they earned during the 1991 calendar year. A summary of the questions asked in the early surveys is shown in Tables 1 and 2. During each of the first four surveys (1979-82) NLSY79 respondents were examined to see if they met one of following five criteria:

1. 18 years old or greater
2. Had a child
3. Enrolled in college
4. Married
5. Living outside their parents' home

If they did not meet any of these five criteria, respondents were asked the simple income section outlined in Table 1. However, if respondents fell into one of these five categories, the interviewer asked a more detailed set of questions outlined in Table 2.

In the 2018 survey year, the income section went through some re-designing. Question-level changes were made; however, the primary goal of these changes was not to collect new information but to be more efficient in collecting detailed information for the same categories asked about in previous rounds.

Beginning in 1983, the NLSY79 questionnaire used the same set of income questions for all respondents, since all respondents would have been at least 18 years old and thus sent through the long series of questions. In this set of questions, all respondents are asked about income from a variety of sources, as shown in Table 3. First, they report how much money they received from working; questions are asked about their military income, wages, salaries, tips, farm income, and business income. Then, respondents provide information about transfers from the government through programs such as unemployment compensation, AFDC (before 1996) and TANF payments, Food Stamps, SSI, and other welfare payments. Respondents are then queried about transfers from nongovernment sources such as child support, alimony, and parental payments. Finally, respondents report income from other sources such as scholarships, V.A. benefits, interest, dividends, and rent.

Nonresponse

One major concern when asking individuals about their income holdings is nonresponse bias. While it is outside the scope of this section to fully investigate nonresponse bias in the NLSY79, this section briefly describes nonresponse in 1992 as an example. Researchers interested in a fuller discussion of nonresponse should consult the Item Nonresponse section of this guide. There are two primary types of questions on income: general questions asking whether the respondent received income from a particular source and specific questions on the amount of income. Factors that are likely to contribute to nonresponse are suspicion, uncertainty, shared responsibility for family finances, and complex financial arrangements.

Table 4 provides information on response rates to income questions in 1992. The table is divided into three sections. The first section shows the response rates for questions asked about the respondent. The second and third sections show the response rates for the spouse and partner, respectively. The average response rates (99.9 percent) in the receipt column show that almost every NLSY79 respondent will tell the interviewer if they received income from a particular source. Additionally, the amount column, which is calculated based only on individuals who received a particular type of income, also shows high response rates. Except for alimony payments (54 percent), more than 90 percent of all NLSY79 respondents knew and were willing to divulge how much they earned from various sources.

Examining the sections labeled "Spouse's Income" and "Partner's Income" shows a very different picture. Spouse's income is known with less certainty and partner's income with much less certainty than the respondent's income. For example, 91.9 percent of the respondents reported how much they earned from their own business or farm. However, these same individuals were able to report only 85.6 percent of the earnings of spouses and only 59.7 percent of their partner's income from the same source.

Financial questions

Financial questions often elicit from respondents either a "refusal" or a "don't know" response. From 1979 to 2000 the NLSY79 interviewers faced with a "refusal" or a "don't know" simply went on to the next question. Starting in 2002 the NLSY79 began handling these cases of item non-response three different ways. Some respondents were asked: 

for a range of values

• The range of values questions gives respondents a method of providing a lower and upper bound answer. Examining the data suggest that some respondents give quite precise bounds. When a respondent gives a range, researchers should note that the upper and lower bound variables are not always in the correct order. The survey always asks for the upper bound first and the lower bound second. However, if a respondent gives the smaller number first, that number will be typed into the upper bound variable and the range values will be reversed.

if they could provide an answer within $10,000

• Within $10,000 is designed to tell the respondent that a rough figure is an acceptable answer. Extreme precision is not needed for these answers.

simple above or below questions which bracketed the true value

• Bracketing lets respondents answer if the amount is above or below a particular value. These initial values are called the variable's entry point. The list of all entry points used by the NLSY79 survey in 2002 and 2004 is found in table 5 and for 2006-2016 in table 6. For example, the entry point for the person's vehicle is $20,000. If the answer to the entry point question is neither a refusal nor a don't know then the respondent is asked one more "is the value above or below question." This results in a series of four brackets that provide researchers with a rough idea the range the item's value falls into. One caution for researchers is that the entry point value is quite low for certain categories. For example, homeowners who do not know the value of their primary residence were asked if it was above or below $20,000. This low entry point value resulted in large number of cases all falling into the same unfolding bracket. An additional caution is that while three of the brackets have a defined range, the top range is open-ended.

Example: An example of how item non-response to financial questions is handled is seen in the questions that ask about income from the military in the 2002 survey. Question Q13-16_TRUNC asks respondents "About how much total income did {spouse name}receive during 2001 from the military before taxes and other deductions?" If the respondent is unable to provide a specific amount the survey in 2002 decides which of the three alternative methods will be used in question Q13-16_EXP.

In question Q13-16_E~000001 some interviewers probe for the answer by asking if they could provide "an approximate range for that amount?" If the respondent can provide a range both the upper and lower number is captured. In question Q13-16_D some interviewers asked "To the nearest $10,000, can you tell me about how much your spouse or partner received during 2001, from the military before taxes and other deductions?"

In question Q13-16_A some interviewers asked "Would it amount to [entry pt military inc] or more?" Looking at Table 5 shows that "entry pt military inc" has the value of either $15,000 or $30,000. This results in the interviewer asking if the income was more or less than these amounts. If the respondent states less than $15,000 or $30,000 they are asked one last question "would it amount to $5,000 or more." If the respondent states more than $15,000 or $30,000 they are asked "would it amount to $40,000 or more."

These questions result in the researcher being able to classify respondents who do not know the military pay received by their spouse into four groups; $0 to $5,000, $5,000 to $15,000/$30,000, $15,000/$30,000 to $40,000 and over $40,000. The specific entry points and symbol names for all income and asset questions used in the bracketing questions are found in Tables 5 and 6.

Entry amount selection

Respondents were randomly assigned to get one of the three methods (unfolding bracket, nearest $10k, range) discussed above when they stated don't know or refused in an income question. Additionally, among respondents who were given unfolding brackets, some respondents are given relatively high starting points (called in some of the codebook pages "the 60 Percent group") or relatively low starting points (called "the 40 percent group"). In 2002, researchers interested in knowing which type of question a respondent was selected to receive should look at question HH_INC_3_EXP, which has the title "Type of question R assigned for household interview income recall experiment."

In later years, like 2008, there is no specific question available that marks if the respondent gets a low or high entry point. Researchers can determine if a respondent is in the low or high group by looking at one of the entry symbols. For example, the public assistance and welfare entry question has the Qname "symbol_entry_asst." Respondents who have a $5,000 value for symbol_entry_asst are part of the low entry amount group, while respondents who have a $7,000 value for this item are part of the high entry amount group (see Table 6).

Topcoding

Because the NLSY79 is a public use data set distributed widely throughout the research and public policy communities, the survey takes extensive measures to protect the confidentiality of respondents. One method of ensuring confidentiality is to "top code" unusually high income values. The NLSY79 top code values were originally designed to prevent identification of the top two percent of respondents.

The NLSY79 has used four top coding algorithms for income:

1. From 1979 to 1984, every NLSY79 income question that elicited a response above $75,000 was truncated to $75,001.
2. From 1985 to 1988, the values were increased to $100,000 and $100,001 respectively. Unfortunately, this algorithm results in a sharp downward bias in the mean value of NLSY79 income holdings since the entire right hand tail is truncated. 
3. To fix this problem, a new algorithm was introduced beginning in 1989. The new top code algorithm replaced all values above the cutoff with the average of all outlying values.
4. Beginning in 1996, another new algorithm was used. This algorithm takes the top two percent of respondents with valid values and averages them. That averaged value replaces the values for all cases in the top range. 

Top coding primarily affects seven of the NLSY79 income variables:

1. the income from respondent's wages
2. respondent's business
3. spouse's wages
4. spouse's business
5. partner's wages
6. rest of the family
7. and other sources such as rents, interest, and dividends

Respondents living abroad

Living outside the U.S. does not preclude a respondent from being interviewed. For example, in 1992, 125 respondents lived abroad. Between 1989 and 1992, for people who hold assets denominated in foreign currency, little effort was made to transform these assets into dollar figures. Instead, such values are classified as "invalid skips" in the data. Beginning in 1993, an effort was made to convert these currencies whenever the unit in which the response was made could be determined. While researchers are warned that this occurs, relatively few individuals live outside the U.S.

Risk preference

In 2010, a set of questions on risk preference was administered that included three questions from 1993, 2002, and 2006 and several new questions adopted from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study. In 2012 and in 2014 the questions were asked only of respondents who were not interviewed in 2010.

Family poverty status variables are available for NLSY79 respondents. In addition, detailed information is provided on public assistance income sources, and a series of environmental variables describe the extent of family and individual poverty within the respondent's geographical area of residence. Family income information collected during the 1978 screening was used to designate the economically disadvantaged oversample of NLSY79 respondents.

Family poverty status (1978-2020)

Variables have been created for each survey year that indicate whether a respondent's total family income for the past calendar year was above or below the poverty level. Information used to create the 1979-2020 poverty variables is derived from either:

1. the total family income information provided during the household interview by the parent when the respondent was living in the parental home or
2. the sum of component income sources reported by the respondent (when not living in the parental home) during administration of the "Income" section of each questionnaire. 

Income sources for the respondent and all persons related to them by blood, marriage, or adoption are included in the calculation. Availability of data for individual respondents has been affected by nonresponse to the income questions. Poverty status data are not available for those respondents who, during post-1986 survey years, had one or more income components missing. Nor are they available for those respondents who, during the 1980-86 interviews, were "refusals" or "don't knows" to both the household interview dollar amount question and a follow-up question requiring a "yes-no" response to a question on level of family income. The method used to create the 1978 family poverty status variable was unique. Appendix 2 - Total Net Family Income in the NLSY79 Codebook Supplement provides a narrative description; R02179.30 identifies which of three income sources was used to determine each respondent's status.

Two sets of poverty level indicators have been used across survey years:

• The yearly poverty income guidelines (issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and based on Census Bureau poverty guidelines) were used to determine poverty status for the 1978, 1979, and 1987-2020 survey years.
• Projected poverty income levels computed by CHRR were used for the 1980-86 poverty status variables. More complete information on the calculation procedures developed by CHRR to create 'Total Net Family Income' and 'Family Poverty Status' and to project poverty guidelines for the 1980-86 survey years can be found in Appendix 2 - Total Net Family Income in the NLSY79 Codebook Supplement. Copies of the official poverty guidelines and the projected 1980-86 cutoff values are included in the appendix.

Public assistance support sources (1979-2020)

The "Income" and "Health" sections of each year's questionnaire collect information on amounts and time periods during which cash and noncash benefits were received from such sources as public assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Food Stamps, government rent subsidies, public housing, or welfare-provided health/hospitalization coverage. Beginning with the 2018 interview, respondents were asked to differentiate SSI and SSDI if possible. The universes and types of data collected vary across survey years as indicated in Table 1.

Poverty characteristics of respondent's county (1979-2004)/SMSA of residence (1979-82)

Based on data from the 1977, 1983, 1988, 1992, and 1996 County & City Data Books, variables such as percent of families with money income below the poverty level, number of persons below the poverty level, and families with female heads of household below the poverty level are available for each respondent's area of residence on the Geocode CD. The geographical area (county or SMSA) for which these data are available varies across survey years. 

Value of food stamps (SNAP)

The created variable 'Total Net Family Income,' used to determine a respondent's poverty status, includes in its calculation the noncash value of Food Stamps. In 1987, a 'Total Net Family Income in Past Calendar Year (Census)' variable was created by CHRR that excluded food stamp income for the 1986 calendar year only. Census poverty calculations for the U.S. do not include the value of food stamps. Hence, NLSY79 income calculations are similar, but not exactly the same as, other national data sets.

Welfare reform questions in 1996

In 1996, an additional set of questions was included to solicit information on the effects of welfare reform on certain behaviors of respondents related to seeking assistance. Respondents reporting AFDC or SSI/Other Public Assistance were asked whether they had sought work, enrolled in training/school, or performed community service in response to changing requirements. 

Respondents not reporting these types of assistance, but reporting a combined R and spouse/partner income of 125 percent of the poverty level or less, were asked whether they had applied for assistance, why they had not received any, and if and how the welfare reform changes affected them. (The determination of poverty level for the purpose of conducting the survey was based on the number of household members. This may be a relatively crude measure of family size, but should result in more conservative estimates, which should tend to include rather than exclude more respondents from this set of questions.) These items are part of the "Income" area of interest.

The following descriptions of Assets, Debts & Expenditures data are divided into the following subsections:

• General information about assets questions
• Topcoding
• Respondents living abroad
• Wills
• Philanthropy
• Financial literacy and practices
• Debt and personal finance
• Foreclosure
• Revisions to resolve asset and debt issues
• Details about computed net wealth variables
• Household expenditures
• Educational expenditures

General information about assets questions

From the first survey year, NLSY79 respondents have been asked about their savings, home, and vehicle ownership. Over the course of the survey, these questions provide information on when saving begins, how savings habits are formed, and how persistent savings habits are.

Each of the first four surveys (1979-1982) contain identical sets of questions asking if the respondent or their spouse had any money set aside for savings, owned a vehicle, or owned their own home. In those early years however, the respondent was not asked how much savings were held, the value or number of vehicles, or the value of, and mortgage on, their home. Additionally, respondents were only asked questions on assets if they met one of following five criteria:

• 18 years old or greater
• Had a child
• Enrolled in college
• Married
• Living outside their parents' home

This selection process eliminated many respondents from these questions. Early NLSY79 data show that few individuals answered the questions until they turned 18 years old. For example, in 1979 only five percent of those interviewed under age 18 answered the asset questions. Except for the question on home ownership, asset questions were dropped during 1983 and 1984. Beginning in 1985, when all respondents had turned 18, NLSY79 respondents were administered a much larger wealth section. As Table 1 shows, respondents were given the opportunity to answer approximately 20 questions about a variety of asset and debt holdings. In most years respondents estimated how much their home, cash savings, stock and bond portfolio, estate, business, and automobile were worth. Additionally, respondents estimated how much mortgage debt, property debt, and other debt they had accumulated. Together these variables provide a rough overview of the net wealth of each respondent. As the cohort has aged, the assets module has grown in length and detail.

Topcoding

Because the NLSY79 is a public use data set that is distributed widely throughout the research and public policy communities, the survey takes extensive measures to protect the confidentiality of respondents. One method of ensuring confidentiality is to "top code" unusually high values.

Over time, the NLSY79 has used three topcoding algorithms for assets. From 1979 to 1988, every NLSY79 asset question that elicited a response above a specified cutoff value, such as $150,000 for some asset variables, was recoded to the truncation value plus one dollar, such as $150,001. Unfortunately this algorithm results in a sharp downward bias in the mean value of NLSY79 asset holdings since the entire right hand tail is truncated. To address this problem, beginning in 1989, a new algorithm was implemented, which replaced all values above the cutoff with the average of all outlying values.

Beginning in 1996, the top two percent of respondents with valid values were identified. Values within that top range were averaged and that averaged value replaced all values in the top range.

The extent of topcoding for NLSY79 asset questions varies greatly. For example, in 1993 there were only two individuals whose money assets exceeded the cut-off value of $500,000, while 581 individuals gave a market value for their residence above the cut-off value of $150,000. While topcoding presents problems in analysis of individual observations and alters some statistical properties, the new algorithm does not affect the estimates of mean and median holdings. Table 2 shows the number of people shielded by top codes in both 1985 and 1993.

Respondents living abroad

A second out-of-range issue with NLSY79 data concerns individuals living outside the United States. Residing outside the United States does not preclude a respondent from being interviewed. For example, in 1992, 125 interviewed respondents lived abroad. Between 1989 and 1992, for people who hold assets denominated in foreign currency, little effort was made to transform these assets into dollar figures. Instead, such values are classified as "invalid skips" in the data. Beginning in 1993, an effort was made to convert these currencies whenever the unit of the response could be determined. While researchers are warned that this occurs, relatively few respondents live outside the United States and only a small number of individuals in this group cannot report their wealth in U.S. dollars.

Wills

As NLSY79 respondents are all into their 50s and beginning to enter their 60s, it is important to augment information on health, asset accumulation and retirement plans with information on NLSY79 respondents' estate planning. Beginning in 2012 a set of questions on wills was administered and continued to be asked through 2018. These questions were drawn from the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study and also have overlap with questions asked in the final rounds of the NLS Women survey. 

The new questions identify whether respondents have a will, a trust, or both, when it was established, when and why it was last modified, whether it provides for children and for grandchildren and, if so, whether it provides for them equally, and whether it provides for charities or nonprofit organizations. Respondents who report no will or trust are asked whether they intend to establish one.

This section ends by asking whether respondents have long-term care (LTC) insurance. While relatively few respondents are expected to have LTC insurance at this stage in the life-cycle, planning for costly health care expenses is intrinsically linked to bequest planning. 

Financial literacy and practices

In 2012 eight new questions on financial literacy and practices were asked of all respondents. These questions ask respondents about their preparedness for financial emergencies, their ability to monitor financial matters, and their knowledge of core financial concepts. These questions were originally asked in the Health and Retirement Study in 2004 and the Financial Capability Study. This short module complements the questions on wills and estates, and is consistent with ongoing plans to learn more about respondents' financial literacy, practices, and preparedness as they begin planning in earnest for retirement in their 50s and 60s. This series of questions was repeated in 2014, 2016, and 2018 for those who did not have the chance to answer them in 2012. They can be found in the ATTITUDES & INFLUENCE area of interest.

Debt and personal finance

Beginning in 2004, respondents have answered more detailed questions about their debt and personal finance histories. Respondents report total amounts owed on all credit card accounts, in student loans for which they or their spouse or partner are responsible, to other businesses or to other people/institutions/companies over $1000. Respondents are also asked if they have missed bill payments or been at least two months late in the last five years and the number of credit cards on which they owe the maximum amount (if any). Respondents reporting any bankruptcies within a specified reference period are asked how many bankruptcies they have declared. Information is then collected for the most recent bankruptcy, including whether the bankruptcy was related to the failure of a business and the date and type of bankruptcy declaration. Finally, respondents are asked if in the last five years they or their spouse or partner have applied for credit or a loan and been turned down or have chosen not to apply assuming they would be turned down. These variables can be found in the DEBT Area of Interest in survey years 2004-2016.

Revisions to resolve asset and debt issues

A revised set of asset and debt variables is included in the public data release for survey years 1985-2000. These revised variables address a number of anomalies in the NLSY79 data by eliminating some implausible outliers and generating uniform topcodes for all rounds. The following provides details on the revision process.

The original version of each revised variable is still present in the data. For example, in 1987 each respondent who owned a home or apartment was asked the market value of their residential property ("About how much do you think this property would sell for on today's market?"). The data include both the original version of this variable and a revised version:

• R23627.00   Q13-118 MARKET VALUE OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY R/SPOUSE OWN (TRUNC)
• R23627.01   Q13-118_REVISED MARKET VALUE OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY R/SPOUSE OWN (TRUNC) (REVISED)

The variable with the reference number ending in (.00) R23627.00 is the original variable in the dataset and is left so that researchers can reproduce previous results. The reference number ending in (.01) R23627.01 is the variable that uses a revised topcoding algorithm. By revising the variable, researchers are now provided with some extra information that was not available before. Revised assets and debt variables can be found by searching ASSETS area of interest with question names ending in "REVISED" for survey years 1985-2000.

A more detailed explanation is available in NLSY79 Appendix 23: Revised Asset and Debt Variables and Computed TOTAL Net Wealth Variables. 

Details about computed net wealth variables

In calculating total net family wealth (TNFW_TRUNC), an intermediate set of variables is created representing specific categories of assets and debt. These intermediate variables are useful for researchers who want to probe a particular aspect of a respondent’s financial life, such as their debts or ownership of vehicles. Appendix 23 includes additional information about these categorical components of total net family wealth.

Household expenditures

In 2006, respondents answered a series of questions about regular (monthly or weekly) household expenses, including grocery/non-grocery purchases, telephone, internet, electricity, and other utility bills. These variables can be found by searching for the CONSUMPTION area of interest in NLS Investigator.

Educational expenditures

Respondents who were parents answered a series of questions in 2014 regarding the costs of their children’s education for high school (for children attending private school grades 9-12) and post-secondary institutions (two-year or four-year colleges). They were first asked the total expense incurred (amount borrowed or paid) by respondent, student, family, and friends. Respondents then reported the percentage of the total they and their spouse/partner, another parent, grandparents, the child him/herself, and/or other relatives/friends had each paid. In addition, respondents answered the following speculative questions about their children and college where applicable:

• Do you believe [name of child] would have attended a more expensive college or attended college for a longer time if you and other family members had been able to contribute more...?
• Do you believe [name of child]'s decision not to attend college was influenced by concerns about the cost of college?
• If [name of child] had attended college, do you believe you and other family members would have contributed [to the expenses]?
• Given that [name of child] did not attend college, did you give him/her money that might otherwise have been used for college-related expenses?

Every round of the NLSY79 has included a section on fertility. The first three rounds of the NLSY79 (1979, 1980, and 1981) have very short fertility sections.

Fertility history

Researchers can create fertility event histories in a number of ways. One method is to extract the variables from each year's survey data which record when each child was born. However, NLSY79 data show that this is not an accurate method for creating an event history. In each survey, respondents are asked to correct information in the fertility roster. (Prior to 1993, this was the Children's Record Form or CRF. Beginning in 1993, this is the BIO/NBIO Child Roster). Each year, numerous changes are made. For example, in the 1994 survey, parents changed some portion of the birth record for 548 children. While this number appears high, the vast majority of changes are to the spelling of children's names.

Because the raw recorded data on dates of birth, sex, and status (adopted, deceased) entered on the Children's Record Form (CRF) are subject to interviewer as well as respondent error, NLSY79 staff created a fertility event history beginning in 1982. This was done to aid users and, at the same time, evaluate the quality of the NLSY79 fertility data. This series, found in the "Fertility and Relationship History/Created" area of interest, lists a number of variables including the birth month, and year of every child born to NLSY79 respondents; numbers and outcomes of pregnancies; ages of respondents at the birth of selected children; dates of death for children who have died; and usual residence of children.

Age at first birth

Beginning in 1982, every NLSY79 data release has included a created variable that tracks the age of respondents when they first give birth. Readers can also find created variables in the "Fertility and Relationship History" area of interest that track how old the respondent was when the second and third births occurred.

Fertility expectations and desires

The fertility section provides researchers with an opportunity to examine whether expectations about the future compare accurately with what actually happens in respondents' lives. In 1979 and 1982, respondents were asked how many children they desired. 

In 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, and 1994-2012, respondents also reported on the number of children they actually expected to have. After 2012, the question was no longer asked.

Fertility and relationship history

The 2000 release of the NLSY79 data introduced a new series of constructed variables for each survey year that provide information about the respondent's relationship status. All surveys were examined to match names of spouses or partners for the entire administration of the NLSY79. The first variable provides information about the respondent's total number of spouses or partners since 1979 and can range from 0 to 9. The percentage of respondents who have never reported having a spouse or partner can be found in Table 2.

Second, a unique code is assigned to each new spouse/partner at the interview date. If the same spouse or partner resides with the respondent during the next survey round, the spouse or partner code remains the same. If the respondent has a new spouse or partner, the next available number is given to that person. If in a later survey round the respondent is reunited with a previous spouse or partner, the number of spouse/partners is not increased, and the code for that year reflects that spouse/partner's original number.

The second created variable reveals whether the person living with the respondent is a spouse, coded 1, or a partner, coded 33. In some instances, the exact relationship is indeterminate in a given round; in these cases, a code of 36 is used. If no spouse or partner is present at a given survey point, but the respondent has reported a spouse/partner in the past, their relationship code will be zero. Respondents with no known spouses/partners receive a code of -999. 

There is no guarantee that the same individual(s) were present between survey rounds or that all partners are accounted for, as a spouse or partner may have appeared between survey rounds but not have been present at any survey point. Early examination suggests that this applies to only a modest proportion of cases. In some instances, identification of spouses who only were present between rounds may be possible by using the NLSY79 marriage history, as well as the marriage transition information available at each survey point.

References

Mott, Frank L., Paula Baker, R. Jean Haurin, and William Marsiglio, "Fertility Related Data in the 1982 National Longitudinal Survey of Work Experience of Youth: An Evaluation of Data Quality and Preliminary Analytical Results." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1983.

Mott, Frank L. "Evaluation of Fertility Data and Preliminary Analytical Results from the 1983 (Round 5) Survey of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Work Experience of Youth." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1985.

Mott, Frank L. "Male Data Collection: Inferences from the National Longitudinal Surveys." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1998.

Sexual Activity 

In 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985 NLSY79 respondents were asked about their sexual activity. Once the respondent answered the questions, he or she was not asked the series in subsequent surveys. Out of a total of 12,686 respondents, 310 did not answer any of the questions in these years.

The first activity question asked respondents whether they had ever had sexual intercourse. This question was skipped if the respondent had previously reported either being a parent or being pregnant. Out of the 11,797 respondents, 889 or 7.5 percent stated that they had never had sexual intercourse. The youngest respondents answered this question when they were 18. The validity of these items is evaluated in Mott (1985). These data should be used cautiously because inconsistencies in reports of first intercourse with subsequent fertility events can sometimes occur. Respondents who had ever engaged in sex were then asked at what age they first had intercourse. Table 1 includes frequencies broken down by race and sex, as well as a total for the whole cohort.

Table 1. Reported Age at which Respondents First Had Sex by Race and Gender

Questions in this section also ask NLSY79 respondents if they have had sex in the past month. In 1983, respondents provided a yes/no answer. However, in 1984 and 1985 they were asked the number of times they had sex in the last month. The data contain some outlying entries; users should carefully decide how to interpret outlying data points in these distributions. Additionally, there is evidence of a significant number of youth who changed their "ever had sex" status from yes to no between 1983 and subsequent survey years.

In 1984, the survey also asked if respondents had taken a sex education course. If so, they were asked at what date they took the course. Respondents also stated whether the first course they took covered:

• The female menstrual cycle
• Contraception methods
• Where to obtain contraception
• Effects of contraception
• Sexual diseases

To test reproductive knowledge, respondents were also asked (Table 2) when pregnancy is most likely to occur during the female monthly menstrual cycle. Answers in 1984 show a substantial portion of respondents did not choose the medically correct answer of about two weeks after the period. Approximately 25 percent of men and 12 percent of women stated they did not know the answer.

Table 2. Knowledge of When Pregnancy Most Likely to Occur

Contraception

Since 1982, NLSY79 respondents have regularly been asked about their use of contraception. These contraception questions appear in the "Fertility" section of the questionnaire. The questions were asked annually from 1982 to 1986. After 1986 the questions were asked only in even years corresponding with the child supplements. After 1994, the surveys became biennial and the questions were included in each survey.

The respondents are asked if they use birth control. If they state that they do, the second question asks the frequency of these methods using a three-point scale of "always," "sometimes," or "almost never." Finally, respondents are asked to state all the methods they have used in the past month from the following list:

• Pill
• Condom, rubber
• Foam
• Jelly or cream alone
• Suppository or insert
• Diaphragm with or without jelly or cream
• Douching after intercourse
• IUD, coil, loop
• Operation-Female sterilization, tubes tied
• Operation-Male sterilization, vasectomy
• Natural family planning, safe period by temperature and cervical mucus test
• Rhythm or safe period by calendar
• Withdrawal/pulling out
• Contraceptive sponge
• Other Method

Over time the list has been expanded and now includes four additional choices:

• Abstinence
• Norplant
• Cervical Cap
• Depo-Provera
• Hysterectomy

Beginning in 2002 a specific individual question was added asking respondents if they have been surgically sterilized. If they have been sterilized they will not be asked this series of birth control questions again. Previously, sterilization was an option among a list of birth control options (see list above), but it was not a separate question.

In most years, at the end of this three-question series, the interviewer fills in a question that states if anyone else was present during this part of the questioning. Small children under three years old are not counted by interviewers when filling in their response.

In addition to these questions, female respondents who are pregnant or who have given birth since the last survey year are asked about their contraception methods before conceiving. Respondents are asked if before becoming pregnant they used one of the birth control methods listed, or if they stopped all birth control methods before becoming pregnant. Finally, they were asked if the reason they stopped using birth control was because they wanted to become pregnant.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: NLSY79 young adults have been asked about both sex and birth control methods in the "Confidential" section of each survey. In NLSY97 rounds 1 and 2, questions on sexual activity were asked of respondents who were at least 14 years old; all respondents were eligible in later rounds. These respondents were first asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse and if they had intercourse since the last interview (later rounds). If a respondent reported ever having sexual intercourse, questions were asked about the first occurrence, such as the respondent's age and whether the respondent and the partner used birth control. For more precise details about the content of each survey, consult the appropriate cohort's User's Guide using the tabs above for more information.

Reference

Mott, Frank L. "Evaluation of Fertility Data and Preliminary Analytical Results from the 1983 (Round 5) Survey of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Work Experience of Youth." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1985.

Data on childcare have been collected within various topical sections of the NLSY79 questionnaires. The main data collection on types of childcare arrangements, discussed in detail below, occurred during the 1982-86, 1988, 1992, and 1994-2014 surveys. Starting with the 2016 survey, childcare data were no longer gathered, due to the age of the sample.

A range of both retrospective and cross-sectional (past four weeks) childcare information is available in the NLSY79. The mother-report child care sections from the NLSY79 provide the types of current childcare arrangements used for each child in the household, a retrospective of childcare experiences during the first three years of life for all children (of at least 1 year of age) born to the respondent, and in some survey years, the overall family expenditure for current care.

Retrospective

Retrospective data were gathered during the 1986, 1988, 1992 and 1994-2014 survey years for up to three childcare arrangements used by NLSY79 mothers for each of their children during the first three years of life. For each year, mothers were asked about whether the child lived with them and, if so, whether that child was in child care. If so, questions about specific child care arrangements during that year of the child's life were asked about. (While childcare information was not collected in the 1990 NLSY79 survey round, it was updated in 1992.)

The data about childcare in the first three years of life have been concatenated into cross-round variables that allow users to study the use of child care during each child's first 3 years of life. For each of the first three years of life for each child there is a variable indicating whether or not that child was in child care during their first year or why this information is unavailable (i.e., the child did not live with the mother, the child or the mother was deceased, the mother was part of a dropped sample type, etc.) If the child was in childcare for a given year, there are variables for up to 3 types of arrangements and the number of months spent in each arrangement.

Cross-Sectional

Current childcare information was first asked in the 1982 survey about the youngest and next youngest child living in the mother’s household. In the 1983, 1984, and 1985 NLSY79 surveys, questions were asked about current child care arrangements used in the past four weeks for the youngest child by parents who were either employed, in school, or in training at the survey date. Location and type of primary and secondary care and hours of use were initially asked in 1983, and these questions were expanded in 1984 to include nature of payment and grandmother care. Location, type, payment, detail on group arrangements, and hypothetical care are available for 1985. In both 1984 and 1985, respondents who are not currently employed but who have an employed spouse report limited information on location and type of care.

In both 1986 and 1988, NLSY79 mothers are asked a limited number of questions about current child care arrangements for all of their children living in the household.

The retrospective information collected in 1986 and the current child care information collected between 1984 and 1988 relate to different universes of children and utilize different child care definitions. Additional child care information was also collected in the 1982 and 1983 NLSY79 surveys.

There are marked differences in the universes of respondents, reference children, kinds of questions asked, and reference periods across survey years (see Table 1 below). Universes of respondents vary widely both within and across survey years, from respondents--both male and female--engaged in some educational or labor market pursuit, to all women with a child in the household, to not-employed respondents with an employed spouse. The focus during the initial survey years was on collecting information on childcare arrangements used over the past month for only the youngest child(ren) in the household.

• A limited number of childcare questions, fielded within the 1987, 1989, and 1990 fertility series, obtained information from select universes on:
  • Whether respondents made use of regular childcare arrangement
  • Whether respondents encountered childcare problems that affected their employment
  • The extent of responsibility for childcare assumed by female respondents during recent pregnancies
• Out-of-the-labor-force respondents could specify within various sections of the yearly questionnaires, such as the 1980-98 "CPS or Current Labor Force Status" or 1979-2014, "Periods not Working" sections, that lack of available childcare or family responsibilities was a reason they were not looking for work or did not want a job now

In addition, information on whether childcare services were provided as a supportive service through Federally funded government employment and training programs was gathered during the 1979-87 surveys. For those respondents residing in households with children under age 14, the special 1981 "Household Chore and Childcare" time use survey provides information on the amount of responsibility for providing childcare at home and actual time spent on a given day in specific childcare tasks. The Fringe Benefits section of this guide details the collection of information on childcare as a benefit made available by employers of NLSY79 respondents. Finally, a special experimental Childcare Supplement, administered to 347 NLSY79 mothers who were interviewed during the first month of the 1989 fielding, collected a wide range of information, including data on every childcare arrangement used for at least 10 hours per week since the date of last interview. Researchers interested in the 1989 special childcare supplement data should contact NLS User Services. A report evaluating the quality of various childcare data items is available from CHRR (Mott and Baker 1992).

Types and Locations of Childcare Arrangements

Data on types and locations of childcare arrangements are available for the 1982-86, 1988, 1992, and 1994-2014 survey years. Typical categories of childcare arrangements include self-care; care by relatives (the child's other parent, a step-parent, siblings, or grandparents); care by nonrelatives; and care provided by institutions such as day care centers, nurseries, or preschools. Information on care provided by individuals usually differentiates between that occurring in the child's home and that occurring in another private home. Information was gathered during select survey years (1983-86 and 1988) on both primary and secondary childcare arrangements.

Additional Characteristics of Childcare Arrangements: In addition, supplementary information has been collected during certain survey years on the number of hours that childcare services were required/provided, the nature of the payments (cash or noncash), total cost per child/per provider, and the effect of available childcare services on such activities as employment, job search, and training.

Table 1. Child Care Questions: 1982-2014 NLSY79 Surveys Including the Special 1989 Child Care Supplement

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: Childcare history in the first three years is on the NLSY79 Child Data File. The NLSY97 Parent Questionnaire collected information from one of the youth's biological parents or another household adult on background information including childcare. An expanded set of NLSY97 childcare questions was asked in select rounds. In some years the Young Women and Mature Women answered questions concerning types and locations of childcare arrangements and the extent of childcare responsibility. For more precise details about the content of each survey, consult the appropriate cohort's User's Guide using the tabs above for more information.

References

Mott, Frank L. and Baker, Paula. "Evaluation of the 1989 Child Care Supplement in the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth." Discussion Paper 92-6. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Marital status

Marital status information for NLSY79 respondents is available from:

• responses to questions fielded during the annual or biennial surveys
• two sets of created variables specifying marital status as of the interview date
• an item on the marital status of each respondent as of the previous interview derived from the interviewing aid called the Information Sheet

Marital history/transitions

A series of edited Supplemental Fertility File variables (area of interest "Fertility and Relationship History/Created") that reflects the beginning and ending dates of marriages was constructed for all marriages through the present. These variables include the month and year the respondent began a marriage and the month and year a marriage ended, for example, 'Month Began 1^st Marriage.' The unedited data items include the month and year of each reported marital transition and type of transition. Users should note that a separate category for the transition to "reunited" was not added until the 1981 survey. Evaluations of the marital history data for the NLSY79 can be found in Haurin (1988, 1994). A related variable, also located in the "Fertility and Relationship History/Created" area of interest, provides the number of months between the respondent's first marriage and the birth of the respondent's first child.

Cohabitation

The following cohabitation information is available from the 1990 and 1992-2016 surveys:

• the month and year the respondent and his or her opposite-sex partner began living together
• whether the respondent lived with his or her spouse before marriage
• the month and year the respondent and his or her spouse began living together
• whether the respondent and his or her spouse lived together continuously until marriage

A household member's relationship to the respondent may be listed as "partner" in the Household Record. This is true regardless of whether the "partner" is of the same or opposite sex as the respondent. However, through 1996 only opposite-sex partners are referenced during the interview for questions relating to household, income, and dating/relationship. After 1998 information on all partners is collected.

Beginning in 2002, respondents were asked detailed questions about their cohabitation experiences during any unmarried spell lasting three months or longer. First, respondents were asked about marital status and changes in marital status. If any unmarried gap lasting three months or more was identified, respondents were asked if they ever lived with anyone as a domestic partner for three months or more since the last interview. If respondents answered affirmatively, they were then asked specifically about each unmarried gap of three months or greater.

For each unmarried gap, respondents were asked the following series of questions: First, respondents were reminded of the marital status they reported during the gap and asked if they lived with someone as a domestic partner during that period. If a partner was reported, respondents provided information on the date on which they began cohabiting, whether they cohabited with this partner continuously until the current interview date and, if not, the date they stopped cohabiting with this partner during the specific gap. After these questions were answered, the dates were compared. If the unaccounted-for remainder of the specific gap was three months or more, the respondent was asked if they lived with any other partner during that gap for three months or more. If the answer was "yes," the questions were repeated for the next partner during that gap. This entire series of questions was then repeated for each eligible three-month-plus unmarried gap.

Same-sex partners

Beginning in 2000, the question titled “IS THERE A SAME SEX PARTNER IN THE HOUSEHOLD?” (Q9-64FB) indicates a same-sex partner reported.

Prior to 2000, the questions on NLSY79 partners were limited to an opposite sex adult; however, it may be possible to find some same-sex partners prior to 2000 by looking at the Household Record variables. To do so, users can identify the household member who is the spouse or partner by using the relationship variables HHI_FINAL_RELCODE, then identify the gender for that same member# using HHI_FINAL_GENCODE.

NLSY79 respondents have never been asked specifically to identify their sexual orientation as straight or LGBT.

Spousal characteristics

Information collected as part of the Household Record is available for spouses and partners at each survey point if they are listed as members of the household. Users first need to identify the appropriate relationship to the respondent (that is, code "1" for spouse; code "33" for partner) through variables that are specific for this purpose. Typically, information on the age, relationship to respondent, highest grade of schooling completed, and employment in the past calendar year is collected during each survey. See Household Composition for information on specific characteristics. In addition to information available from the Household Record, additional information has been collected on the spouse as part of the Marital History section of the questionnaire. Users should consult each relevant survey year's questionnaire or codebook to ascertain the specific items collected in the given year. Information on income has been selectively collected for the respondent's spouse or partner. Users should check the Income section for further details.

Marital attitudes and expectations

A series of relationship satisfaction questions were asked during the 1988, 1992, and 1994-2016 interviews of those mothers living with a spouse or opposite-sex partner. These questions dealt with both positive and negative interactions in the relationship, for example, 'Frequency R and Husband/Partner Calmly Discuss Something' and 'Frequency R and Husband/Partner Argue About - Money.' In addition, mothers without a spouse or partner were asked for information on 'Frequency R Goes Out on Dates,' whether the 'Oldest Child Encourage(s) R's Dating,' and 'Likelihood of Marriage in the Future.' In 1979, all never married respondents were asked for information on 'Age Expects to Marry.'

Environmental characteristic data

For the 1979-82 interview years, the Geocode CD includes marriage and divorce rates and percent of families with female heads of household for the county and SMSA in which the respondent resided. These statistics are taken from the 1972 and 1977 County & City Data Books. From 1983 until 1998, marriage and divorce rates and the number of families with a female head are included for county of residence only, based on statistics from the 1983 and 1988 County & City Data Books. The 2000 release includes the same information based on statistics from the 1988 and 1994 County & City Data Books.