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NLSM -Older and Young Men

Psychological Well-Being

Older Men cohort

A collection of variables related to mental health is available for this cohort. Table OM1 provides reference numbers for the psychological well-being scales and questions described in this section.

Table OM1. Reference numbers for Older Men psychological well-being questions

Survey year

 Rotter Locus of Control Scale Bradburn Affect Balance Scale Pfeiffer Short Portable Mental Status CES-D Depression Scale Attitudes about life

1969

 R01280.-R01290., R01601.-R01603.        

1971

 R02004.-R02014., R02523.00-R02523.02        

1976

 R03103.-R03121., R03707.-R03709.       R03123.-R03128.

1978

         R03866.-R03870., R03901., R03902.

1980

         R04255.-R04261.

1981

 R05008.-R05020. R04865.-R04874.     R05029.-R05050.

1983

   R05700.-R05709.     R05693.-R05699.

1990

   R06377.-R06386. R07022.-R07031., R07803.-R07812. R06387.-R06396. R06371.-R06376.

In four surveys, the Older Men gave responses to an abbreviated version of Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale (1966). This scale measures locus of control, with internal control referring to the perception of events as being under personal control and external control meaning that events are perceived as unrelated to one's own behavior. The abbreviated scale used in the first three administrations included the 11 items from the original 23-item Rotter scale that were the most general and oriented to the adult world of work. The modified scale has been shown to be highly correlated with the original 23-item scale (see Parnes et al. 1974, Appendix to Chapter VI). In 1981, this scale was further reduced to only four items.

Reducing the number of items from 23 to 11 would have resulted in an overall reduction in the range of scores. To avoid this situation, the response format was modified to four choices rather than the two in the original scale. The respondent was first read a pair of statements representing opposite views and asked which statement was closer to his own opinion. He then stated whether the chosen statement was much closer to his own view or only slightly closer. These answers were combined into one score along a 4-point scale in the data set. The total score was obtained by summing the values of all 11 items, resulting in a range of 11 to 44 (4 to 16 in 1981) in order of increasing external control.

A second scale used in multiple surveys is the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale (Bradburn, 1969). This measure of positive and negative feelings in the weeks before the interview provides an indication of the respondent's general psychological well-being. The 10 statements used in the Older Men questionnaires asked, for example, whether the respondent felt particularly excited or interested in something in the past few weeks, whether he was so restless he could not sit long in a chair, and whether he felt that things were going his way.

Two scales were used only in the 1990 survey. Addressed only to sample persons (Older Men respondents still living at the time of the interview), the first series used 10 items from the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. This scale measures symptoms of depression and discriminates between clinically depressed individuals and others; it is highly correlated with other depression rating scales (see Radloff 1977; Ross and Mirowsky 1989). To provide researchers with an assessment of their cognitive functioning, both sample persons and widows responded to the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (Pfeiffer, 1975). This scale is scored by awarding respondents one point for each correct answer. A score of 2 or less signifies severe cognitive impairment, scores of 3-5 indicate moderate cognitive impairment, and scores of 6 or more indicate mild or no impairment. Pfeiffer cautions that some adjustments need to be made for race and educational level.

Finally, in 1976-90, respondents answered questions about their satisfaction with various aspects of their lives and with life in general. On a 4-point scale, respondents reported their happiness with their housing, the local area in which they lived, their health, their standard of living, and their leisure time activities.

Survey Instruments The CES-D scale items can be found in the "Health" section of the 1990 sample person questionnaire. Components of the Rotter scale can be found in the "Work Attitudes" section of the appropriate instruments.
Area of Interest Attitudes

Young Men cohort

In three surveys, Young Men respondents were administered an abbreviated version of Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale (1966). For additional information about the content of this scale, researchers should refer to the Older Men discussion above. The Young Men scale is constructed and scored in the same manner as the Older Men version. The reference numbers and years for the Rotter scale administration are as follows:

  • 1968: R01377.-R01387., R01674. (total score)
  • 1971: R03526.-R03536., R03898. (total score)
  • 1976: R04921.-R04941. (total score not created)

References

Bradburn, Norman M. The Structure of Psychological Well-Being. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co., 1969.

Parnes, Herbert S., Adams, Arvil V.; Andrisani, Paul J.; Kohen, Andrew I.; and Nestel, Gilbert. The Pre-Retirement Years: Five Years in the Work Lives of Middle-aged Men, Vol. 4. Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1974.

Pfeiffer, Eric, M.D. "A Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire for the Assessment of Organic Brain Deficit in Elderly Patients." Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 23,10 (October 1975): 433-41.

Radloff, Lenore Sawyer. "The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population." Applied Psychological Measurement 1,3 (Summer 1977): 385-401.

Ross, Catherine E. and Mirowsky, John. "Explaining the Social Patterns of Depression: Control and Problem Solving--or Support and Talking?" Journal of Health and Social Behavior 30 (June 1989): 206-9.

Rotter, Julian B. "Generalized Expectancies for Internal vs. External Control of Reinforcements." Psychological Monographs 80,1 (1966): 1-28.

Survey Instruments Components of the Rotter scale can be found in the "Work Attitudes" section of the appropriate survey year questionnaires.
Area of Interest Attitudes

Health Insurance

Older Men cohort

Two surveys collected information on the respondent's medical insurance. In 1981, the respondent reported whether he was covered by part A of Medicare, part B of Medicare, Medicaid, or any other medical or hospital insurance. The survey also asked if the respondent was a member of a health maintenance organization (HMO) and whether he was eligible for free hospital or medical care due to veteran status. As part of this series, respondents stated whether they had received any hospital or medical care in the past year that was paid for by Medicare, other health insurance, or Medicaid.

The 1990 interview asked sample persons whether they were eligible for Medicare part A and part B, as well as whether they had received any care paid for by Medicaid in past 12 months. If the respondent was covered by a plan other than Medicare, he reported whether it paid hospital expenses and doctor's bills, whether it was obtained through an employer or union, and whether the employer or union paid all or part of the premium. If the respondent was not covered by any insurance (other than Medicare), the interview asked him to state the reason. Finally, respondents were asked how they paid for medical expenses not covered by insurance in the past 12 months (savings, current income, debt).

Survey Instruments Health insurance questions are located within the "Health" sections of the questionnaires.
Area of Interest Health (Medical Care)

Young Men cohort

In 1976 and 1981, Young Men respondents were asked whether their current employer provided insurance coverage for medical, surgical, or hospital expenses, including coverage for illnesses or injuries occurring outside of the workplace.

Survey Instruments Fringe benefit questions are located within the "Current Labor Force Status and Work History" section.
Area of Interest Fringe Benefits

Young Men Variables by Survey Year: Respondents ages 14 to 24 in 1966

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

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

Important information: 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 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
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, out of labor force (time frames vary) * * * * * * * * * * * *
Spells of unemployment in past year * * * * * *     *     *

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
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 Characteristics Inventory                   *    
Fringe benefits available                 *     *
Shift worked           *       * * *

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Occupation and industry of job held during last year in high school *                      
Occupation, industry, class of worker, start date, stop date, and reason for leaving first job after leaving school (details vary) *                      

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
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 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Nationality *                      
Type of residence at age 14 and age 18 *                      
Person(s) R lived with at age 14 *                      
Occupation of head of household when R was 14 *                      
Highest grade completed by father and mother *                      
Were magazines, newspapers, library cards available in home when R was age 14 *                      
Parental encouragement to continue education past high school         * *     *      

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Years at current residence *                      
Comparison of birthplace to current residence *                      
Geographic mobility * * * * * *     *     *

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Current enrollment status * * * * * * * * * * * *
Highest grade completed * * * * * * * * * * * *
Reason stopped attending high school * * * * * *            
Is current school public * * * * * *     *     *
High school curriculum * * * * * *     *      
High school subjects enjoyed most and least *                      
High school activities *                      
Index of high school quality *                      
Index of college quality         * *            
College (attended, highest degree received, field of study)             * * * * * *
College tuition (full-time amount) * * * * * *     *      
Financial aid in college (types and amount) * * * * * * * * *      
Reason R left college   * * * * *            
Reason R's college plans have changed   * * * * *            

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Any training or educational program (did R take, current enrollment status, type, sponsor, duration, hours per week attended) (details vary) * * * * * * * * * * * *
Does R use additional training on current job * * * * * *     *      

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Does health limit work *   *   * * * * * * * *
Does health limit school activity *   *   * * * *        
Duration of health limitations *   *   * *     *     *
Problematic activities and working conditions           *     *     *
Accidents (on-the-job, how, when)                 *      
Comparison of R’s condition with past           *     *     *
Is R able to go outdoors, use public transportation, or do personal care without help           *     *     *
Does wife's health limit her work; duration of wife's limitations *   *   * *     *     *
Does others' health limit R's work           *     *     *

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Marital status * * * * * * * * * * * *
Marital history                 * * * *
Number of dependents * * * * * * * * * * * *
Parents: Life status, weeks worked, full-time, occupation * * * *                
Number and ages of children in household * * * * * * * * * * * *
Number of children R expects to have, and number he considers ideal                       *
Family members: Relationship to R, age, sex, education, employment status * * * * * * * * * * * *
Unrelated household members: Relationship to R, sex, age                   * * *
Household activities (responsibility for, hours per week spent on)                       *

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Total net family assets *       * *     *     *
Total family income * * * * * * * * * * * *
Income from farm or business * * * * * * * * * * * *
Wage or salary income * * * * * * * * * * * *
Unemployment compensation income * * * * * * * * * * * *
Income from supplemental unemployment benefits                 *     *
Disability income                       *
Rental income                       *
Interest income                       *
Total market value of Food Stamps received                   * * *
Income from AFDC/TANF                       *
Income from public assistance                   * * *
Amount of financial assistance received from others * * * * * *     * * * *
Income from other sources * * * * * * * * * * * *

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Ever served in *     * * *     * * * *
Branch of Armed Forces served in *     *   *     *     *
Months spent in Armed Forces *     *   *     *     *
Military occupation held longest *     *   *     *     *
How entered Armed Forces *     *   *     *     *
Did military service help/hurt career           *     *     *
Rank held in Armed Forces       *   *     *     *
Primary training received (did R complete, duration, type, used on job) *     *   *     *     *
GI (VA) benefits (ever used, type)                 *     *
Draft (classification, reason rejected)   * * * * *            
Disability (discharged for, service-connected, compensation rating)                 *     *

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
How does R feel about job * * * * * *       * * *
What R likes best and least about job * * * * * *       * * *
Facet-Specific Job Satisfaction Index                   *   *
Would R continue to work if had enough money to live on       *   *           *
What is more important: high wages or liking work *                      
Would R like to receive more education or training * * * * * *     *      
Educational goal and expected education *     * * *     *      
What kind of work would R like to be doing at age 30 * * * * * * * * *      
Knowledge of World of Work score *                      
Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control score     *     *     *      
IQ score     *                  
Attitude toward women working           *     *     *
Discrimination (ever experienced, type)           *     *      
Has R progressed, held own, or moved backward           *     *      
Have job pressures increased, decreased, or remained the same                 *      

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Would R accept * * * * * *     * * * *
Kind of work required to accept * * * * * *     * * * *
Hours per week would work * * * * * *     * * * *
Rate of pay required to accept * * * * * *     * * * *

III. Environmental variables

Variable 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
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 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
Size of local area labor force * * * * * * * * * * * *
Local area unemployment rate * * * * * * * * * * * *
Accredited college in local area * * *                  

Alcohol and Cigarette Use (Older Men cohort only)

Questions on the use of alcohol and cigarettes were asked only in the 1990 Older Men survey. This interview first collected information for both surviving and deceased respondents on the frequency and quantity of alcoholic beverages consumed during both the past year. If the respondent had consumed at least 12 drinks during his years as an adult, data were also gathered on the frequency and quantity of the respondent's lifetime consumption.

The 1990 survey also asked respondents about lifetime cigarette use. Data are available for both current and past users on age when first started smoking regularly and number of cigarettes/packs smoked on a usual day. In addition, the survey asked respondents who had stopped smoking as of the interview date to report their age when they last smoked regularly. Table 1 reports the ages at which respondents who smoked first began using cigarettes and stopped using cigarettes.

Table 1. Number of respondents by age at first and last use of cigarettes (unweighted): 1990 Older Men

Age at First Use
Note 1.1

 Age at Last Use Note 1.1 Row Total
1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+ Don't Know Currently Smoking

1-14

 9 17 20 41 91 143 74 8 103 506

15-19

 13 31 79 120 202 262 145 12 115 979

20-24

   18 35 55 93 95 34 2 47 379

25-29

   2 8 9 28 25 15 1 12 100

30-39

     2 5 9 14 9   4 43

40+

         6 5 4   4 19

Don't Know

 2 6 24 40 187 234 170 259
Note 1.2		   922

Column Total

 24 74 168 270 616 778 451 282 285 2948

The universe is restricted to respondents who reported currently smoking (R06277.) or having ever smoked (R06281., R07196.).

Note 1.1: Ages reported by living sample members (R06280., R06284., R06285.) or by the widows of deceased respondents (R07197., R07199.). Most "don't know" responses for age at first use were reported by widows.

Note 1.2: Includes four cases where the reported age at last use was less than the reported age at first use.
Survey Instruments The "Health" section of the 1990 Older Men interview and the "Information on Deceased Sample Person" section of the 1990 widows' questionnaire collected these data.

Poverty Status and Public Assistance Support Sources

Data on public assistance income sources have been collected for the Older and Young Men during select survey years. In general, data are available on income received from public assistance/welfare, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), food stamps, or Supplemental Security Income. Users should be aware that there is considerable variation across years in the types of public assistance income sources for which data were collected. In addition, (1) universes (all family members, any family member, respondent and spouse, respondent only, spouse only), (2) reporting periods (past calendar year, previous 12 months, most recent month), and (3) the wording of questions differs substantially both within and across cohorts.

Important information: Additional income sources

The NLS also collect data on Unemployment Insurance, Workers' Compensation, Disability and Social Security. None of these sources of income are considered here as part of "public assistance." The Pensions, Social Security & Retirement section of this guide describes some of these additional income sources.

Data on housing assistance were collected for select survey years of the Older Men. The following series of poverty status and income-poverty level ratio variables are available for the Older Men cohort only:

  1. Poverty status variables created for the 1966, 1967, and 1969 surveys indicate whether the income of a respondent's family unit was above or below a set of Census-developed poverty income guidelines based on number of children, farm-nonfarm residence, and marital status of the respondent.
  2. A ratio of the respondent's family income in the previous year to the poverty level was created for the 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, and 1975 surveys.

Tables 1 and 2 show more information about the assistance variables available for the two cohorts.

Table 1. Older Men: Public assistance questions by survey year, type of assistance, reference period and universe

Survey Year

Welfare / Public Asst.

Food Stamps

SSI / Public Assistance

Public Housing

 Reference Period Universe

1966

R00277.

R00279.

--

--

 Past Calendar Year Family Members

1967

R00825.

R00828.

--

--

 Past Calendar Year Family Members

1969

R001367.

R01369.

--

--

 Past Calendar Year Family Members

1971

R02259.

R02261.

--

--

 Past Calendar Year Family Members

1973

R02674.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Respondent

1975

R02832.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Respondent

1976

R03340.

R03343.

R03336.-R03338.

--

 Past Calendar Year Family Members

1978

R04030.

R04025.

R04024.

--

 Past Calendar Year Respondent/Wife

1980

R04341.

R04337.

R04283.

R04342. Note 1.1

 Past Calendar Year Respondent/Wife

1981

R05281.

R05273.-R05275.

R05279.

Past Calendar Year

 Family Members  

1983

R05949.

R05945.

R05936.

R05950.

 Previous 12 Months Respondent/Wife

1990

R06776., R07547.

R06767., R07538.

R06762., R07533.

R06774., R07545.

 Past Calendar Year Respondent, Spouse

Note 1.1:The universe for this question is family members.
Table 2. Young Men: Public assistance questions by survey year, type of assistance, reference period and universe

Survey Year

Welfare / Public Asst.

Food Stamps

SSI / Public Assistance

Public Housing

 Reference Period Universe

1966

R00374.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1967

R00872.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1968

R01418.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1969

R01982.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1970

R02802.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1971

R03667.

--

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1975

R04321.

R04318

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1976

R05331.

R05332.

R05313./R05326. Note 2.1

--

 Previous 12 Months Family Members

1978

R05896. Note 2.2

R05890.

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Respondent/Wife

1980

R06373. Note 2.2

R06368.

--

--

 Previous 12 Months Respondent/Wife

1981

Note 2.3

R07888.

R07896.

--

 Previous 12 Months Respondent or Wife/Partner

Note 2.1: The first question refers to the respondent's receipt; the second refers to his wife's receipt.

Note 2.2: These refer to the monthly average amount for the previous 12 months.

Note 2.3: The 1981 Young Men survey included question R07893., which asked about the respondent's or wife/partner's monthly average of AFDC receipt over the previous 12 months. This is the only question referring to AFDC receipt for either the Older Men or the Young Men.
Survey Instruments & Documentation Questions on public assistance income sources are found in the "Assets and Income" or "Income" sections of the Older and Young Men questionnaires. Appendix 1 in the Older Men Codebook Supplement provides the poverty guidelines used in creation of the poverty status variables. Variable creation procedures for the Older Men ratio variables can be found within the codebook.

Pensions, Social Security & Retirement

Older Men cohort

Decisions about retirement were a main focus of the Older Men surveys. This section first discusses questions about the actual retirement and disability income received by Older Men respondents and their family members. It then describes the series of questions addressed to respondents still in the work force about their expected income and pension benefits after retirement. Finally, this section considers the wide variety of questions asked of respondents regarding their retirement plans, experiences, and attitudes.

Actual pension, retirement, and disability income

Some information about pension income in the previous calendar year was collected in every survey except 1968. In general, most surveys asked about income from a government pension and income from other sources, such as a private employer pension. However, there were variations in the amount of detail recorded and the family members in the household to whom the questions applied. Similarly, every survey except 1968 asked about receipt of Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, although the family members referred to in the questions varied across surveys. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the topics and universes of the Older Men pension and Social Security income data collection.

Table 1. Older Men pension income data

Survey year

 Universe Data collected

1966

 Any family member Total amount from federal, state, and local government pensions

1967, 1969

 Any family member Total amount from government pensions
Total amount from all other pensions

1971, 1976

 Any family member; amounts recorded separately for respondent, wife, and other members Total amount from government pensions
Total amount from all other pensions

1973, 1975

 Respondent only Total amount from all pensions

1978

 Respondent and wife; amounts recorded individually Total amount from all pensions; sources recorded but amounts by source not specified

1980

 Respondent and wife; amounts recorded individually For each of following sources, amount received and whether it had increased, decreased, or remained the same in past 2 years: local government private employer
state government union
Armed Forces personal plan
other federal government other source

1981

 Respondent and wife &
Other family members		 Same as 1980
Total amount from all sources

1983, 1990

 Respondent and wife (or widow and current husband in 1990) Same as 1980

In addition to the information described in the table, the 1966 survey asked whether any family member was eligible for a pension from a source other than the government; actual income amounts from such a pension were not collected. For the respondent only, the 1971 and 1976 other retirement pension series included a series of follow-up questions that identified how many employer-provided pensions the respondent was receiving. For the pension providing the largest income, this series then gathered the age that pension receipt began, the number of service years completed when benefits began, whether retirement occurred voluntarily, and whether the pension would have been larger had work continued with that employer. Specific information on the type of pension plan (e.g., defined benefit, defined contribution) was not collected for this cohort.

Table 2. Older Men Social Security/Railroad Retirement income and disability income data

Survey year

 Universe Social Security/Railroad Retirement data Disability income data

1966, 1967

 Any family member Total amount Amount in each category, recorded for respondent and for all other family members combined: Social Security Disability Veteran's compensation Workers' compensation Aid to the Blind/Permanently Disabled Other

1969, 1971

 Any family member Amounts recorded separately for respondent, wife, and other members Same as 1966/1967

1973, 1975

 Respondent only Total amount --

1976, 1981

 Any family member Amounts recorded separately for respondent, wife, and other members Same as 1966/1967, but Aid to the Blind/Permanently Disabled dropped

1978, 1980

 Respondent & wife Total combined amount --

1983

 Respondent & wife Total amount each received individually Same as 1976/1981

1990

 Respondent & wife (or widow & current husband) Total combined amount if received combined check; otherwise recorded separate amounts Same categories as 1976/1981; amount of each type received recorded separately for respondent and spouse

A set of retrospective questions was fielded in 1983 that gathered information on whether the respondent and/or his wife had ever applied for or ever received Social Security Disability benefits, whether benefits had ever been or were currently being received, and, if not, the year such benefits were last received. The 1990 survey of living respondents and of widows of deceased respondents also recorded information regarding on whose work record Social Security/Railroad Retirement benefits were based.

Important information: Imputed values

Researchers should note that imputed income values are available for 476 of the 503 respondents who were missing Social Security/Railroad Retirement benefit amounts from the 1981 data collection; see variables R05271.10 and R05477.10.

For all income categories, including pensions, Social Security, and disability payments, the 1990 sample person and widow questionnaires gathered information on total amounts received during both the 1989 calendar year and the month before the interview.

Expected pension and retirement income

Several surveys collected information about the income respondents expected to receive after retirement. The initial survey asked whether respondents would be eligible to receive Social Security benefits and whether they would receive retirement benefits from another source. If so, the type of source was recorded (e.g., government, private employee, personal plan, military).

Expected pension benefits for those respondents who were working for a private employer or the government were explored in more detail in 1969, 1971, and 1976. The 1969 survey simply asked whether the respondent expected to receive income from a pension provided by his employer. An expanded series in 1971 and 1976 elicited anticipated retirement ages when the respondent would be eligible for full and reduced benefits, as well as the corresponding monthly income amounts. The respondent was also asked if he would be eligible to receive a benefit and the amount if he were to leave his job today or to retire today. In addition to expected pension benefits, the 1971 and 1976 surveys collected information about the respondent's expected income from Social Security/Railroad Retirement. The respondent reported whether these benefits would be a source of income for him (and his wife) when he reached retirement age; if so, an expected monthly income amount was gathered. Finally, the 1971 and 1976 surveys asked respondents to report the total amount of monthly or yearly retirement income they expected to receive from all sources.

The 1981 survey collected the most detailed information about expected retirement income. In this interview, respondents who had not yet retired were read a list of 10 possible sources of income and asked whether they expected to receive income from each source. Possible income sources included Social Security/Railroad Retirement, current employer pension, past employer pension, personal pension plan, investments, money from children or relatives, Supplemental Security Income, other welfare payments, rental income, or another source. The respondent then reported whether he was eligible to receive Social Security benefits and the amount per month he and his wife expected to receive. Also fielded in 1981 were a series of questions on the respondent's wife's retirement plans and whether she expected to receive income from Social Security (based on her own work record) or from an employer-provided pension; separate amounts for the wife were not collected. Finally, considering all of these sources, including Social Security information already provided, respondents reported their total expected retirement income on either a yearly or monthly basis. Follow-up questions requested information on how much of this total income would come from a current employer pension, a past employer pension, or from Social Security/Railroad Retirement benefits.

Important information: Retirement income sources

Researchers should be aware that the same list of 10 sources of retirement income was addressed to two different universes of respondents based on whether they planned to retire; the two series of questions must be combined if information about all respondents is desired.

For a discussion of retirement attitudes and experiences, see the Job Satisfaction & Work Attitudes section.

Survey Instruments & Documentation Retirement and pension questions were asked in the "Assets and Income," 1966 "Retirement Plans," 1971 and 1976 "Plans for the Future," and 1981 "Retrospective Work History" questionnaire sections; the "Income" section of the 1990 sample persons questionnaire; and the "Income" and "Medical Care Prior to Death" sections of the 1990 widow's questionnaire.

Young Men cohort

Because they were still fairly young when interviews with this cohort were discontinued, no information on eligibility for or income from pensions and Social Security was collected for these respondents. Limited information on disability income was gathered and is discussed below.

Social Security Disability/Other Disability Payments

During most survey years, disability income was included within the "income from other sources" questions--question wording did not differentiate disability income from rental, interest, or dividend income. In 1966-71 and 1976, this question about other income referred to both the respondent and his wife and asked about "income as a result of disability or illness." The 1973 survey, which referred only to the respondent's income, asked the respondent to report the total amount of other income and up to three sources; coding categories included "disability pension including Workman's Compensation" and "Social Security insurance, gifts from family members, royalties, and inheritances." The 1975, 1978, and 1980 surveys did not include any specific references to disability income but did contain an "other income" question. Finally, the most detailed information was collected in 1981. This survey asked for the amount of income received from Veteran's compensation or pension, Worker's compensation, Social Security disability, and any other disability payments. Amounts were recorded separately for each type of payment and for the respondent and his wife.

Important information: Other income sources

Like other multiple response ("check all that apply") questions, the 1973 other income sources question was coded using a geometric progression format. Program statements to unpack such variables are presented in Appendix C: How to Unpack Multiple Entries.

Related Variables The "Geographic Mobility" section of the 1981 Young Men questionnaire collected information on the effect of the respondent's move to his current residence on (1) the seniority rights of the respondent or spouse and (2) the retirement plans of the respondent or spouse. Coding categories delineated whether the respondent/spouse had lost some, none, or all seniority or pension/retirement rights or whether he or she had no seniority or retirement rights before the move. The fringe benefit series included "retirement pension program" as one of the benefits made available by a current or past employer to respondents of the Young Men cohorts. Availability should not be confused with actual coverage under a pension plan or receipt of pension benefits.
Survey Instruments The "Assets and Income" section of the relevant questionnaires.

Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality

One race variable is available for each respondent in the Older and Young Men cohorts. Nationality of the respondent was created from data collected on parents' and grandparents' birthplaces. Note: Although race of all household members was collected in the initial screening, those data never became part of the data set.

Race/ethnicity

In the Older and Young Men cohorts, 'Race' (R00023. for both cohorts) is a three-category variable (black, white, and other) available for the respondent only and, in general, is derived from the household screening. According to the Current Population Survey Interviewer's Reference Manual (Census 1962) in use at the time of the screening, race was to be determined by interviewer observation. Interviewers were instructed to code Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and other Latin Americans as "white" unless they were obviously of another race and were to include Japanese, Chinese, American Indian, Korean, Hindu, Eskimo, etc. in the "other" category. Table 1 presents a distribution of race by nationality for the Older and Young Men. At the time of the first survey of each cohort, race information for each respondent was manually transferred to the questionnaire from information that had been entered on the Household Record Cards during the 1966 household screening. (Only in the case of the creation of a new household, where a respondent had moved out of the household in which he was living at the time of the screening, would the interviewer fill out a new Household Record Card, in which case all household member information would be newly recorded.)

Table 1a. Older Men: Race by nationality

Nationality Note 1a.1

 Row Total Non-black Black

US or Canada

 2877 1588 1289

North or West Europe

 1049 1044 5

Central or East Europe

 364 363 1

South Europe

 250 248 2

Latin America

 39 37 2

Other

 117 100 17

NA

 324 220 104

Column Total

 5020 3600 1420

Note 1a.1: Countries included in each category are listed in Table 2. The U.S. and Canada category appears over-represented because nationality was based on birthplace of parents and grandparents, so it includes all whose parents and grandparents were born in the U.S. or Canada.
Table 1b. Young Men: Race by nationality

Nationality Note 1b.1

 Row Total Non-black Black

US or Canada

 3939 2527 1412

North or West Europe

 86 80 6

Central or East Europe

 523 520 3

South Europe

 307 307 0

Latin America

 252 251 1

Other

 106 94 12

NA

 12 8 4

Column Total

 5225 3787 1438

Note 1b.1: Countries included in each category are listed in Table 2. The U.S. and Canada category appears over-represented because nationality was based on birthplace of parents and grandparents, so it includes all whose parents and grandparents were born in the U.S. or Canada.

Nationality

The variable 'Nationality of R,' created during the initial survey year, is available for each respondent (R00584. for the Older Men and R00625. for the Young Men). The nationality of the Young Men respondents was derived from the first parent or grandparent born outside of the U.S. and Canada using the following decision rules: if the father was born outside of the U.S. and Canada, his nationality was assigned to the respondent; if he was born inside the U.S. and Canada but the respondent's mother was not, her nationality was assigned to the respondent; and so forth. The derivation of the Older Men nationality is suspected to be similar, but it is unclear at this time. Categories for both cohorts include U.S. or Canada, North or West Europe, Central or East Europe, South Europe, Latin America, and other. There are no separate categories for Asian or African countries. Specific countries included in each category are not listed in the codebook with the nationality variable but are included in Table 2.

Table 2. Country codes for the nationality variables
Coding Category Countries
North or West Europe Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland (Eire), Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales, Yugoslavia
Central or East Europe Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, USSR
South Europe Andorra, Azores, Gibraltar, Gozo, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Trieste, Vatican City
Latin America Mexico, Central America, South America

Reference

Census Bureau. "Current Population Survey and Housing Vacancy Survey: Interviewer's Reference Manual." Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, 1962.

Related Variables A single 1966 variable identifies whether the birthplace of Young Men respondents was in the United States (R00380.). 'Which Foreign Language Spoken Regularly in Household When R Was Age 15' (R03691.) is available for the Young Men in 1971.
Survey Instruments & Documentation

Race was recorded on Household Record Card form LGT-1, which was used at the time of the 1966 screening and the initial interview, and was manually transferred to the first page of the initial year's questionnaire. Birthplace was collected in the "Family Background" section of each cohort's initial year's questionnaire.

The Young Men codebook contains information on the specific derivation of the nationality variable.

Age

Both the Older and Young Men data sets include information on the respondent's age as of the initial survey year and date of birth. The initial survey year age variables were provided by the Census Bureau based on information collected during the 1966 household screening. As age inconsistencies were discovered, Census made date of birth information available in the late 1970s. Date of birth and age data were also collected in later surveys during fielding of the "Household Roster" (HHR) section of the questionnaire. Data for reported age and birth dates include a small number of inconsistencies; therefore, attempts to restrict the universe according to age-related variables may have an unwanted result. The cohort-specific User Notes at the end of this section discuss some of the idiosyncratic aspects of these variables.

In addition to the respondent-specific variables discussed in this section, the date of birth and/or age variables for other household members are also available; see the Household Composition section for more information.

Older Men cohort

The Older Men data set contains a respondent age variable ('Age, 66') for the initial survey year and two date of birth variables, i.e., 'Day of R's Birth,' 'Month of R's Birth,' and 'Year of R's Birth' for 1966 and a month and year variable for the 1981 survey year. Age at death was calculated by Census at the time of the 1990 interview for 2,660 respondents; data were derived from Census records and month/day/year of death information collected from the widows of respondents. Table OM1 lists reference numbers and source information for these Older Men variables. Table OM2 provides the age of the respondents during the 1966-83 surveys, Table OM3 presents information about the respondents' ages at death, and Table OM4 presents respondents' ages at the 1990 interview.

Table OM1. Older Men: Age, date of birth and date of death variables

Variable

 1966 1981 1990

Date of Birth of R

 R00022.01-R00022.03
(Census)		 R05051.-R05052.
(HHR)		 --

Age of R

 R00022. (Census) -- --

Age of R at Death

 -- -- R07075.-R07077.
(Census)
Table OM2. Older Men: Ages of interviewed respondents by Survey Year (unweighted)
Age of R on June 30 1966 1967 1968 1969 1971 1973 1975 1976 1978 1980 1981 1983
39 1                      
40   1                    
41 1   1                  
42   1   1                
43 1   1                  
44 7 1   1 1              
45 278 7 1                  
46 386 266 7 1 1 1            
47 374 364 260 6                
48 349 346 359 255 1 1            
49 356 331 346 334 7              
50 355 325 325 325 247 1 1          
51 355 338 315 310 328 7   1        
52 346 338 337 298 313 238 1          
53 346 324 336 322 298 316 6 1 1      
54 316 334 322 319 289 304 232 5        
55 326 301 326 308 301 282 293 210 1 1    
56 309 306 292 308 309 277 285 280 6   1  
57 277 293 293 274 291 288 277 277 198 1    
58 270 263 282 277 296 284 260 261 264 6 1 1
59 275 261 259 263 263 275 281 246 253 190 6  
60 65 259 254 236 253 278 266 260 245 250 185 1
61 7 61 248 239 247 246 262 247 232 239 231 6
62 2 7 60 227 231 241 262 246 240 237 237 174
63 2 2 7 57 218 231 235 241 229 219 227 223
64   2 2 7 208 212 229 221 223 225 204 233
65 2   2 2 52 205 211 218 226 217 211 221
66   2   2 7 196 199 190 203 203 205 188
67     2   2 48 193 181 202 209 189 199
68       2 2 7 176 181 172 188 193 182
69 1         2 46 162 165 190 175 180
70         2 2 6 43 167 154 183 179
71     1       2 6 144 149 140 160
72           2 2 2 37 148 142 165
73               2 5 128 138 127
74         1   2   2 35 120 132
75               2 1 6 32 123
76           1       2 6 98
77                 2 1 2 30
78             1       1 5
79               1   2   2
80                     2 1
82                       2

Total Interviewed

 5020 4744 4648 4381 4175 3951 3732 3487 3219 3001 2832 2633

Not Interviewed

 -- 276 372 639 845 1069 1288 1533 1801 2019 2188 2387

Not Available 
Note OM2.1

 13 11 10 7 7 6 4 3 1 1 1 1

Table OM2 is based on R00022.01-R00022.03, R05051., and R05052.; the 1981 date of birth variables were used when available. June was imputed for missing months of birth; respondents with missing birth years are in the "not available" category.

Note OM2.1: Includes one extreme outlier (age 20 in 1966) who was interviewed in every survey year.
Table OM3. Older Men: Ages at death by race
Age at Death Total Percent Non-black Black
47 2 <1 1 1
48 9 <1 3 6
49 19 <1 10 9
50 9 <1 5 4
51 24 <1 14 10
52 30 1.1 21 9
53 30 1.1 23 7
54 44 1.6 29 15
55 45 1.7 27 18
56 64 2.4 44 20
57 65 2.4 45 20
58 73 2.7 46 27
59 78 2.9 48 30
60 92 3.4 59 33
61 89 3.3 61 28
62 104 3.9 71 33
63 91 3.4 57 34
64 109 4.0 75 34
65 100 3.7 75 25
66 114 4.2 69 45
67 116 4.3 76 40
68 130 4.8 86 44
69 133 4.9 76 57
70 119 4.4 82 37
71 136 5.1 87 49
72 114 4.2 77 37
73 117 4.3 80 37
74 92 3.4 69  
75 85 3.2 57 28
76 99 3.7 67 32
77 80 3.0 57 23
78 64 2.4 47 17
79 57 2.1 44  
80 42 1.6 34 8
81 41 1.5 32 9
82 21 <1 16 5
83 20 <1 15 5
84 2 <1 -- 2
85 1 <1 1 --
Missing 33 1.2 -- --
Total 2693 100 1786 874

Note: Age at death based on R07075. Age at 1990 interview date based on R00022.01-R00022.03, R05051. and R05052., and R06010.-R06012. The 1981 date of birth variables were used when available; missing birth months were imputed to June and missing birth days were imputed to 15. Missing 1990 interview dates were not imputed.
Table OM4. Older Men: Ages at 1990 interview by race
Age at 1990 Interview Total Percent Non-black Black
65 1 <1 1 --
66 -- -- -- --
67 -- -- -- --
68 3 <1 3 --
69 94 4.5 73 21
70 212 10.1 166 46
71 193 9.2 144 49
72 201 9.6 151 50
73 167 8.0 126 41
74 177 8.5 138 39
75 136 6.5 99 37
76 155 7.4 117 38
77 137 6.6 115 22
78 135 6.5 99 36
79 111 5.3 85 26
80 99 4.7 72 27
81 82 3.9 65 17
82 75 3.6 57 18
83 68 3.3 59 9
84 33 1.6 25 8
85 2 <1 1 1
86 1 <1 1 --
87 1 <1 -- 1
89 1 <1 -- 1
Missing 8 <1 6 2
Total 2092 100 1603 489

Note: Age at death based on R07075. Age at 1990 interview date based on R00022.01-R00022.03, R05051. and R05052., and R06010.-R06012. The 1981 date of birth variables were used when available; missing birth months were imputed to June and missing birth days were imputed to 15. Missing 1990 interview dates were not imputed.

Important information: Age and birth data

The user is encouraged to carefully examine all age and birth date variables when performing any age-related analysis. Birth data collected at the time of screening may have been provided by a family member, giving rise to possible inconsistencies when comparing a respondent's reported age with age calculated from date of birth. In cases where age was unknown, interviewers were directed to obtain a "best estimate" of a respondent's "exact age" at the time of screening and to make corrections later if possible. Furthermore, a respondent may be inconsistent in different interviews in reporting his age. The date of birth inconsistencies are documented in the codebook. Birth date corrections were made in 1981. The birth date corrections should be used carefully and the user is advised to make any additional corrections on a case-by-case basis.

There are varying numbers of out-of-scope cases in the Original Cohorts for two reasons: (1) the birth date variables in a handful of cases are inconsistent with the stated age of the respondent, and (2) some borderline cases that may actually be in scope for the calendar year of the survey are not necessarily in scope at the time the interview took place. CHRR has investigated causes of birth date inconsistencies and has discovered that they arise from birth data originally provided by Census. Unfortunately, these data are generally not recoverable since many of the affected respondents have since attrited. An additional difficulty is that the date of birth for some cases is not reported.

It may be to the user's advantage to calculate his or her own variable for age based on the reported date of birth. When birth date variables are either unavailable or out of scope, the user may wish to investigate other age-related variables in order to establish age.

There are several cases in the Older Men database that are more than one year out of scope when age is calculated from date of birth. Although date of birth was asked again during the 1981 survey, those particular out of scope cases were not surveyed in that year. The user should consult the codebook for case identification codes; other age-related variables may be investigated in order to decide whether to include a particular case in an analysis. In addition, there are 12 cases in the initial survey year with missing birth dates so that an attempt to create an age based on date of birth will result, depending on the algorithm used, in missing or possibly even erroneous ages.

In the 1981 survey year, there are duplicate date of birth variables for the Young Men cohort. One series, R06823., R08068., and R08069. (not depicted on the chart), includes values for individuals interviewed as well as for some who were not interviewed in 1981. It is advisable to use the series of birth date variables R07441.-R07443. for this survey year.

Young Men cohort

A variable for respondent's age, 'Age, 66,' is provided for the initial survey year based on data from the initial household screening. In addition to the 1966 screener birth date information, 'Day of R's Birth,' 'Month of R's Birth,' and 'Year of R's Birth,' birth date information was also collected during administration of the household roster section of the 1976, 1978, and 1981 questionnaires. Table YM1 lists reference numbers and sources for these variables, and Table YM2 provides the age of the respondents during each survey.

Table YM1. Young Men: Age and date of birth variables

Variable

 1966 1976 1978 1981

Date of Birth

 R00022.01-R00022.03
(Census)		 R05078.-R05080.
(HHR)		 R05640.-R05642.
(HHR)		 R07441.-R07443.
(HHR)

Age of R

 R00022. (Census) -- -- --
Table YM2. Young Men: Ages of interviewed respondents by survey year (unweighted)
Age as of June 30 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1975 1976 1978 1980 1981
13 47                      
14 554 46                    
15 671 543 40                  
16 703 647 521 35                
17 595 657 598 487 36              
18 553 538 590 546 441 32            
19 427 455 434 506 486 399            
20 293 364 358 368 488 466 20          
21 302 262 316 365 393 494 389          
22 337 275 241 314 397 429 493 12        
23 354 318 257 228 334 415 533 399 9      
24 307 324 295 256 231 348 458 501 376      
25 80 286 311 290 251 236 429 524 472 8    
26   74 285 300 295 252 344 450 471 363    
27     72 267 308 289 226 418 420 446 8  
28       71 264 299 236 342 390 459 351 8
29 1       69 257 277 231 325 410 431 345
30           71 294 226 220 367 436 439
31             248 275 209 308 396 427
32             67 292 247 210 367 382
33               242 271 206 295 369
34               65 225 238 206 296
35                 60 255 201 201
36                   211 227 192
37                   57 255 228
38                     212 248
39                     53 208
40                       55
Total Interviewed 5225 4790 4318 4033 3993 3987 4014 3977 3695 3538 3438 3398
Not Interviewed/ Available 1 Note YM2.1 436 Note YM2.1 907 1192 1232 1238 1211 1248 1530 1687 1787 1827

Table YM2 is based on R00022.01-R00022.03, R05078.-R05080., R05640.-R05642., R07441., and R07442.; the most recent variables available were used. June was imputed for missing months of birth.

Note YM2.1: Includes one respondent with no birth year available; this respondent was interviewed only in 1966 and 1967.
Survey Instruments Ages and birth dates of respondents were derived from the 1966 household screener. The respondent's date of birth was collected during select years in the "Household Roster" section of the survey.

Geographic Residence and Environmental Characteristics

A limited number of geographic variables are available for respondents in the Older and Young Men. Due to Census Bureau confidentiality concerns, such variables provide only broad geographical demarcations of the respondent's area of residence, e.g., the name of the Census division, whether the residence was located in the South or non-South, and whether the residence was in an SMSA. A series of comparison variables contrast the respondent's current state/SMSA of residence with those of his birthplace, previous residences, or current job. Specific information on the names of the county, state, or metropolitan statistical area(s) in which respondents reside at given points in time is not available. Finally, characteristics of the respondent's environment are available from several variables describing the size of the labor force and unemployment rate for the labor market of current residence.

Geographic variables that are not on the public-use files may be requested for any of the original cohorts. Proposals in which researchers request access to such variables are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. For more information, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Geographic variables are available for use at Census Data Centers.

Due to the fact that Census procedures for the geocoding of geographical boundaries were deliberately frozen in the mid-1970s, users are advised to be skeptical about all variables relating to location below the state level except those delineating movement between counties. For more information, see the important information note about older cohorts' geographic data below.

Geographic residence

Some of the primary sets of geographic variables available for Original Cohort respondents are described below. Table 1 summarizes the years for which each variable is available for each cohort.

Scroll right to view additional table columns.

Table 1. Created variables for Geographic Residence and Mobility by Survey Year
Key: OM = Older Men, YM = Young Men

Created Variables

 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81 83 90
Region of Residence (South/non-South) OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM OM
Residence Comparison:

State, County

 OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM OM

SMSA

 OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM OM

Size of Labor Market

 OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM  

Residence in SMSA

 OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM  

Residence Status (Mover/Non-mover)

 OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM OM

Unemployment Rate for Labor Market

 OM, YM OM, YM YM OM, YM YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM, YM OM  

Birthplace

Birthplace information for each Older and Young Men respondent is available that identifies the birthplace in relation to the respondent's permanent residence as of the initial survey year. Coding categories differ across cohorts but typically provide a comparison of the respondent's state/SMSA/region or division of current residence with that of the respondent's birthplace or identify the birthplace as outside of the United States. Birthplace information is also available for each respondent's mother, father, and maternal/paternal grandparents; coding categories include U.S. or Canada, Northern or Western Europe, Central or Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Latin America, or other. The decision rules used to create a nationality variable for each respondent within the four Original Cohorts are discussed within the Race, Ethnicity, & Nationality section.

Region of residence (revised)

A series of variables are available for Older and Young Men respondents that indicate whether the location of the respondent's permanent address was "in the South" or "in [one of] the non-South" regions of the United States, e.g., the Northeast, North Central, or West. A listing of states constituting the various Census divisions is provided in each cohort's Codebook Supplement: Appendix 3 for the Older Men or Appendix 2 for the Young Men. The three divisions comprising the South include the South Atlantic Division, the East South Central Division, and the West South Central Division. Table 4.10.1 above depicts the survey years for which this variable is available. Users should note that two versions, revised and nonrevised, of the 'Region of Residence' variables are present. Revised versions should be used whenever available.

Census division of current residence

A series of variables are available for the early years of each cohort that identify the Census division, e.g., New England, Middle Atlantic, Mountain, Pacific, etc., of the respondent's permanent address. The cohort-specific appendices listed above under 'Region of Residence' contain a listing of the nine Census divisions and the states comprising each. This variable for respondents of the 1975 and 1976 Older Men surveys does not provide Census division information but rather the codes "lives in South" and "lives in non-South."

Residence—SMSA (SMSA status)

A series of revised variables are available for each cohort that identify whether the current residence of a respondent is in the central city of an SMSA, in the balance (not the central city) of an SMSA, or not in an SMSA. Table 1 above depicts the survey years for which this variable is available. Two versions of these variables are present within the Young Men data set: 'Current Residence in SMSA' and 'SMSA Status in (YR) (Revised).' Comparable variables for the Older Men data set are titled 'Current Residence in SMSA' and 'Current Residence in SMSA - Revised.' The revised version of these variables should be used for those survey years in which it is available. The important information note about older cohorts' geographic data section below discusses issues relating to the SMSA classification systems in use by Census.

Residence status (mover)

A series of revised variables are available which indicate whether a respondent has moved, i.e., reported a permanent address change, since the initial survey year. Residence in the first survey year is coded 1. Code 2 in a subsequent survey year indicates that the respondent has had an address change from the original residence and code 3 indicates that no move occurred. Table 1 above depicts the survey years for which this variable is available.

Comparisons of current residence withp revious state/county/SMSA

This set of variables, available for each survey year, does not provide information on the actual state, county, or SMSA of the respondent's current residence but rather codes movement of the respondent in relationship to the permanent address reported at the time of the first survey. The respondent's county, state, and SMSA each are coded 1 for the initial survey year. A code of 2 in a given survey year indicates that the respondent had moved to, for example, a different second county. A subsequent move in year 10 back to the 1966 county would again be coded 1. Appendix 5 in the Older Men Codebook Supplement and Appendix 21 in the Young Men Codebook Supplement provide a further explanation of this coding system along with a select listing of other geographic variables present through the mid-70s for that cohort. The SMSA comparison series was not included in the 1990 Older Men survey for reasons described in the important information note about older cohorts' geographic data below. However, two variables, 'Comparison of 90 Residence with Previous Residence (Movers Only),' that use a coding system similar to the residence/job comparison variables (see description below) were provided in the 1990 Older Men data set for those respondents or widows of respondents who had moved. Table 1 above depicts the survey years for which this variable is available.

Comparison of current residence and location of current job/second or retirement residence

A set of variables are present for select survey years of each cohort that compare each respondent's location of current residence with the location of his/her current (or last or longest) job. Coding categories include: same SMSA or county; different SMSA or county, same state; different state, same division; different division; abroad; or other. Several other comparison variables are present for respondents in the Older Men cohort. These include 'Comparison of XX Residence and Retirement Residence' for the 1981 and 1983 survey years and 'Comparison of Location of 2nd Residence and Current Residence 90.' The important information note about Older Cohorts' geographic data below include a discussion of issues affecting SMSA boundaries.

Second residence

In 1990, information was collected on whether an Older Men respondent resided in another residence during part of the year. Questions included the specific months of the year the respondent was in residence at that location and the year he first started spending time there.

Geographic mobility in retirement

The 1981, 1983, and 1990 surveys of Older Men collected information about residential moves. In 1981 and 1983, respondents who had ever moved since retirement were asked why they moved. In 1990, respondents who had not lived in their current city or county for their entire lives were asked when and why they moved to their current residence.

Type of property of residence

Present within the data set of each cohort is a single variable identifying whether the respondent's property in the original survey year was urban or a farm or non-farm residence with varying acreage and sales.

Type of area of residence

A single variable present for the first year of each cohort identifies whether the respondent lived in (1) an urbanized area of a certain size (over 3 million, under 250,000. etc.), (2) an urban place outside an urbanized area of varying population sizes, or (3) a rural area.

Environmental characteristics

Two sets of variables have been created that provide information on characteristics of the labor market in which a respondent resided. The geographical unit used to define "residence" for the revised versions of the following variables was the 1970 Primary Sampling Unit (PSU), a geographical sampling area made up of one or more contiguous counties or Minor Civil Divisions (MCD).

Residence—Size of labor force

A series of revised variables provide information from the 1970 Census of Population on the size of the labor force for the respondent's current residence. The revised variables are present for the 1966-83 Older Men surveys and all Young Men interviews. The variables based on data from the 1960 Census are present only through the mid-1970s.

Residence—Unemployment rate for labor market

Two series of variables provide data, drawn from the 1970 Census of Population and varying years of the Current Population Surveys, for the unemployment rate of the respondent's labor market of current residence. These variables are present for all Older Men surveys except 1968 and 1990 and for all Young Men interviews. Unemployment rates were calculated for each CPS PSU by summing the total number of unemployed for the 12-month period and dividing by the total number in the labor force. A combined unemployment rate was computed for PSUs in the same Special Labor Market Areas (combinations of two or more PSUs) and assigned to each PSU within the area. These rates were then collapsed further into broader categories.

Important information: Older cohorts' geographic data

The following paragraphs contain a discussion of issues affecting the availability and quality of geographic data for the Original Cohorts. Researchers are advised to read this information before using geographic variables in analyses.

The amount of geographic information that the Census Bureau has provided to CHRR has always been limited. This was, in part, the trade-off for the richness of data available in all other topical areas. Census felt that the detailed information available for each respondent in combination with the geographic location was sufficient, in some cases, to identify specific respondents. To protect respondent identities and fulfill the promise of anonymity, only gross geographic measures such as South/non-South, size of the labor force from the 1970 Census, and unemployment rate from the 1970 Census and current CPS are consistently released.

As data were analyzed based on respondents' permanent addresses, some peculiar and inconsistent results were observed. When specifications for the creation of these variables were checked, a problem with the type of address information utilized, permanent versus temporary, was uncovered. It was not clear in all cases exactly which address had been used by Census as the respondent's permanent address or which respondents had their original data based on address information from the screening as opposed to the first interview. As a result of these problems, the entire series of geographic variables were revised in the mid-1970s.

While in most instances the geographic information from the early surveys will be consistent with that in the revised series, there are sufficient instances when this will not be true. Thus, the revised series should be considered as replacing all earlier geographic information even though the unrevised information has been left on the data sets. Users will find the word "REVISED" appended to the variable titles of most of these variables; the custom of appending REVISED was continued after the mid-1970s revisions to alert users to the fact that the same methodology continued to be utilized to create subsequent years' variables. Notes that appear within the codeblock of the unrevised variables reference the appendix of the Codebook Supplement that describes the revised variables released at that point in time. It is strongly suggested that this new set of variables be used in any analysis that includes geographic mobility.

After Congress passed the Privacy Act of 1974, Census froze the definitions of NLS geographic variables in an attempt to carry out the spirit of the new law. SMSA codes assigned to the 'Residence - SMSA Status' variables were those in effect as of January 1, 1976 (Office of Management and the Budget). As time passed, these geographic variables became increasingly less useful since the information Census provided was based on definitions that did not correspond to current geographical definitions.

Due to the increasingly inaccurate boundaries and the limitations imposed by the Privacy Act, BLS and CHRR decided to restrict the set of variables that would be created to those that were known to be accurate. For the 1990 Older Men data, the following variables were no longer created: (1) 'Comparison of Current Residence with Previous SMSA,' (2) 'Residence - Size of Labor Force,' and (3) 'Residence - Unemployment Rate for Labor Market' (both Census and CPS versions). Characteristics of the respondent's local labor market were not released, nor were measures of the geographic proximity of the respondent's residence to the employer (except what can be approximated by length of travel). Also unavailable is information on whether the location of a respondent's employer is in an SMSA. Any variables reflecting SMSA status and related comparison variables were discontinued. Retained for continued release were (1) 'Residence Status (Mover),' a set of variables that had always been based on permanent address comparisons, and (2) three other variables based on definitions that had remained the same since the inception of the surveys (i.e., 'Region of Residence [Revised],' 'Comparison of Current Residence with Previous State,' and 'Comparison of Current Residence with Previous County'). These last two comparison variables never revealed the existing geographic location of the respondent, only his movement into and out of the state and/or county.

References

Adams, Avril and Nestel, Gilbert. "Interregional Migration, Education and Poverty in the Urban Ghetto: Another Look at Black-White Earnings Differentials." Review of Economics and Statistics 58,2 (May 1976): 156-66.

Bartel, Ann. "The Migration Decision: What Role Does Job Mobility Play?" American Economic Review 69,5 (December 1979): 775-86.

Maxwell, Nan. "Economic Returns to Migration: Marital Status and Gender Differences." Social Science Quarterly 68,1 (March 1988): 108-21.

Office of Management and the Budget. Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 1975.

Pitcher, B., Stinner, W., and Toney, M. "Patterns of Migration Propensity for Black and White American Men: Evidence from a Cohort Analysis." Research on Aging 7,1 (March 1985): 94-120.

Reitzes, D. and Mutran, E. "Location and Well-Being among Retired Men." The Journals of Gerontology 46,4 (July 1991): S195-203.

Sandell, Steven. "Women and the Economics of Family Migration." Review of Economics and Statistics 59,4 (November 1977): 406-14.

Tremblay, Carol Horton. "The Impact of School and College Expenditures on the Wages of Southern and Non-Southern Workers." Journal of Labor Research 7,2 (Spring 1986): 201-11.

Survey Instruments & Documentation These geographic residence variables for the Older and Young Men were, for the most part, created by Census Bureau personnel from the permanent address information available for each respondent. Information on the birthplace of each respondent and of his parents and grandparents was collected during the initial survey year of each cohort; questions can be found in the "Family Background" section of the questionnaires. Information on the location of a current job used to construct the comparison of current residence with location of job was collected as part of the "Current Labor Force Status" sections of the questionnaire.

Work-Related Discrimination

Older Men answered questions on work-related discrimination in 1971, 1976, and 1980. In all three interviews, respondents reported whether they had experienced discrimination due to age, race, religion, or nationality; sex discrimination was also included in 1976 and 1980. If so, interviews of the Older Men followed up with a question eliciting information on the type(s) of discriminatory practice experienced, e.g., the respondent believed that he was not hired, interviewed, or promoted, or was demoted or laid off because of discrimination. All work-related discrimination questions asked of Older Men referred to the five-year period preceding each interview in which these data were collected.

The discrimination questions addressed to Young Men were very similar. In 1971 and 1976, Young Men respondents reported discrimination due to age, race, religion, or nationality; discrimination due to sex was included only in 1976. The questions in the surveys of Young Men referred to a period of two years before the interview date. The follow-up question regarding the type of discriminatory practice experienced was not asked of Young Men respondents.

Important information: Multiple responses

In the 1976 Young Men and 1980 Older Men surveys, the format of the discrimination questions shifted from a single "most important" response to a "mark-all-that-apply" list. These multiple responses have been coded in a geometric progression; users should refer to Appendix C: How to Unpack Multiple Entries.

Reference

Parnes, Herbert S. Work and Retirement Data: National Longitudinal Surveys of Middle-Aged and Older Men 1966-1976. Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1980.

Survey Instruments

Question numbers by cohort and survey year are as follows:

  • Older Men: 1971 (Qs 44-46), 1976 (Qs 27-28), 1980 (Qs16-17)
  • Young Men: 1971 (Qs 76-78), 1976 (Q 56)
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