Study Name:National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 (NLSY79)

Study Director:Michael W. Horrigan

Principal Investigator:Randall Olsen

Host Organization:Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor

Year Initiated:1979

 

 

Governance

 

-                     Funding Sources

 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics primarily funds the core activities of the NLSY79.Additional funding to support question modules has been provided by the Department of Defense, the National Center for Research in Vocational Education, the National Institute of Education, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the Department of Health and Human Services.

 

-                     Host organization

 

The study is conducted by the Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR) at Ohio State University and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.

 

-                     Governing body and the role of external research advisors

 

The 15-member Technical Review Committee (TRC) assists the NLS director.The TRC, along with individuals from funding agencies, meets twice each year.The committee is multidisciplinary, reflecting the wide rage of social scientists who use the NLS data.Members generally serve two three-year terms.

 

In addition to the TRC, there is an executive planning group consisting of the Principal Investigators of each NLS cohort, BLS staff, and the chair of the TRC.This group meets biannually to discuss TRC suggestions and long-range issues affecting the survey.

 

Finally, the NLSY79 survey design team meets quarterly to discuss question placement, wording, and data collection.This design team is composed of representatives from funding agencies, individuals from CHRR, and BLS staff members.

 

Sample Design

 

-                     Sample selection

 

The NLSY79 sample, originating in 1979, is a nationally representative sample of 12,686 men and women who were 14 to 21 on December 31, 1978.It is composed of three subsamples:A cross-sectional sample of 6,111 youths representing the noninstitutionalized civilian population living in the U.S. in 1978 and born between January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1964; a supplemental sample of 5,295 youths to oversample civilian Hispanic, black, and economically disadvantaged non-black/non-Hispanic youths born between January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1964; and a military sample of 1,280 youths born between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1961, who were enlisted in the four branches of the military as of September 30, 1978.

 

In 1978, for the civilian sample, NORC created a list of housing units in the U.S. for the first NLS interview.NORC interviewers went to these homes in 202 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) and performed a short screening interview.In 1979, eligible youths identified during the screening process were then interviewed.

 

-Follow rules

 

Efforts are made to trace and re-interview all respondents every survey round, even respondents who have previously missed interviews.

 

-                     Oversampling

 

Oversampling of Hispanics, blacks, and economically disadvantaged non-black/non-Hispanic youths.For this supplement sample, screening interviews were carried out in 100 PSUs specifically designed to produce statistically efficient samples of Hispanics, blacks, and economically disadvantaged whites.The disadvantaged non-black/non-Hispanic oversample was dropped after the 1990 interview.

 

Oversampling of youths ages 17 to 21 on December 31, 1978 who were enlisted in the four branches of the military as of September 30, 1978.Persons on active military duty as of September 30, 1978 were sampled from rosters provided by the Department of Defense.The military oversample was dropped after the 1984 interview.

 

-                     Weights and attrition bias

 

New weights are created each survey round.

 

-                     Sample "refreshing"

None.

 

Content

-                     Driving policy needs

 

To assist in the evaluation of the expanded employment and training programs legislated by the 1977 amendments to the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.To collect data on the labor force experience, labor market attachment, and investments in training by each respondent.

 

-                     Research objectives (Maintaining coherence of content domains)

 

Due to the depth and breadth of information available in the NLSY79, it can be used for a wide range of research objectives.Papers can be found on the NLS web site at www.bls.gov/nlshome.htm

 

-                     Content decisions

 

The NLSY79 has 10 major data elements:work and nonwork experiences; training, schooling and aptitude; military experience; income and assets; health conditions, injuries and insurance coverage; alcohol and substance use, criminal behavior; attitudes and aspirations; geographic residence information; family background and demographic characteristics, household composition, and marital and fertility histories; and child care.

 

-                     Tradeoffs between continuity and incentives for new directions.

 

The NLSY79 has a core set of questions (employment, training, schooling, fertility, marital/relationship, health and health insurance, child care) and also detailed modules (income and assets, substance use, fatherhood, transfers to other family members) that will be asked periodically.Question modules are dropped when they are no longer age appropriate.

 

Collection

 

-                     Mode

 

Interviews were conducted on an annual basis from 1979 through 1994.After 1994, the schedule changed to biennial.From 1979 to 1988 the NLSY79 was collected via face-to-face personal paper and pencil interviews, except for 1987, when the majority of interviews were collected via the telephone.In 1989 and 1990 personal interviews were conducted using both paper and computerized questionnaires.Paper interviewing continued in 1991 and 1992.Beginning in 1993, computer-aided personal interviews (CAPI) replaced traditional paper and pencil interviews.

 

-Instrument design

 

All interviews are currently conducted in a computer-aided personal interview (CAPI) format.

 

-                     Dependent interviewing

 

For each interview, there is an extensive preload of household, employment, and personal information that was gathered in previous interviews.

 

-                     Calendar year, survey year, and point of survey measures

 

Point of reference for the respondent is the date of last interview.Some information is collected in an event history format.

 

Processing

 

-                     Family composition editing.

None.

 

-                     Production of specialized files

 

In addition to the public-use files, geocode files are available to researchers who agree in writing to adhere to the BLS confidentiality policy and whose projects further the mission of BLS and the NLS program to conduct sound, legitimate research in the social sciences.The geocode files include the State, metropolitan area, and county of residence of each respondent in each survey year.The files also include selected environmental variables from the City and County Data Books.Researchers who are granted access to the geocode files are permitted to use the data are permitted to use the data at their own facilities.Researchers interested in obtaining a geocode application should e-mail BLS at NLS_Info@bls.gov.

 

BLS has opportunities available on a limited basis for researchers from colleges, universities, government, and eligible nonprofit organizations to obtain access to NLS data not available on public-use or geocode files.These confidential files are available for use only at the BLS National Office in Washington, DC, on statistical research projects approved by BLS.Access to data is subject to the availability of space and other resources at BLS.These confidential files include more detailed geographic information, such as zip codes and census tracts, as well as several surveys of schools.

 

-                     Data and Documentation Standards

 

Dissemination

 

-                     Dissemination techniques

 

NLS data are on cohort-specific compact discs complete with documentation and user-friendly search and retrieval software.The cost is $20.Sensitive data files are available only to those who complete the BLS confidential data file agreement procedure.

 

-                     Virtual data center and functionalities

None.

 

-                     Improving contractual use of data (confidentiality and encryption)

 

To protect the confidentiality of respondents, BLS only grants access to confidential files to those researchers who agree in writing to adhere to the BLS confidentiality policy and whose projects further the mission of BLS and the NLS program.

 

-                     Comparability of formats (Evolution of data standards)

 

-                     Value of joint multinational analysis projects