Active Force
An umbrella
term used to refer to the regular Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force branches
of the Armed Forces as a group. The
Reserve and Guard components are not included.
AFDC
Aid to Families
with Dependent Children. See also TANF
AFQT
See Armed
Forces Qualification Test
AFSC
See Air
Force Specialty Codes
Air Force Specialty Codes
An alphanumeric jobs/skills classification system for the Air Force and Air Force Reserves that describes the specific job a person is trained for or assigned to in those branches of the military. (See
also DOD-3-Digit.)
Annuities
See
Pensions
Armed Forces Qualifications Test
The AFQT determines general aptitude for enlistment in the Armed Forces. Two
methodologies of calculating AFQT, developed by the U.S. Department of Defense,
have been used to produce two AFQT variables in the NLSY79: R06182. (AFQT80) and
R06183. (AFQT89). R06182. is the AFQT percentile score created from the
procedures in use in 1980 and consists of the sum of the number of correct
scores for the following sections of the ASVAB: arithmetic reasoning +
word knowledge + paragraph comprehension + 1/2 (numerical operations). R06183.
is the AFQT percentile score based on new procedures established in 1989 and is
created in the following manner: (1) compute a verbal composite score by summing
the word knowledge and paragraph comprehension raw scores; (2) convert subtest
raw scores to standard scores for verbal, math knowledge, and arithmetic
reasoning; (3) multiply verbal by 2; (4) sum the standard scores for verbal,
math knowledge, and arithmetic reasoning; and (5) convert the summed standard
score to a percentile. See the Addendum to Attachment 106 for tables used to
convert raw scores to standard scores and percentiles.
Armed
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
The ASVAB is a vocational aptitude test that determines areas of
competency in the following 10 areas: general science, arithmetic reasoning,
word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, numerical operations, coding speed,
auto and shop information, mathematics knowledge, mechanical comprehension, and
electronics information. The ASVAB was administered to more than 94
percent of the NLSY79 in order to establish new norms for the population of
potential enlistees. The ASVAB is used by Department of Defense (DOD)
researchers to improve the ways training and duty assignments are made for those
who enter the Armed Forces. It is also used by vocational guidance counselors to
assess vocational interest and preparation of students. Standardized scale
scores and standard errors are available for each section.
ASVAB
See Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
Bonus
See
Tips
BPI
Behavior
Problems Index.
CETA
See
Comprehensive Employment and Training Act
CES-D
Center for
Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.
This scale is designed to measure symptoms of depression in the general
population.
Cohort
A cohort is a group sharing similar characteristics at a particular point.
The cohort selected for the NLSY79 includes 12,686 youth who were age 14–21 on
December 31, 1978 (born between January 1957 and December 1964), either
civilians residing in the 50 United States (11,406 sample members) or
non-civilians on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces in September 1978 and born
between January 1957 and December 1961 (1,280 sample members).
Commissions
See
Tips
Comprehensive Employment and Training Act
Originally enacted in 1973, CETA superseded the Manpower Development and
Training Act of the 1960s. CETA was administered by the U.S. Department of Labor
and was designed to provide employment and training opportunities for the
economically disadvantaged, under-employed, and unemployed. Under its several
titles, CETA provided a variety of services including classroom and on-the-job
training, work experience, subsidized jobs with public and private sectors,
basic education, and support services such as counseling. The various programs
were planned and operated by state and local governments with Federal funding
and oversight. CETA legislation expired in the fall of 1982 and was replaced by
the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA.)
CPS
See Current
Population Survey
Current Population Survey
Monthly interviews conducted by the Census Bureau with a scientifically
selected sample of households in several hundred sample areas throughout the
U.S. The primary purpose of the CPS is to collect up-to-date information about
the number of persons in the country who are employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force in a specific survey week. The CPS is the source of the monthly
official unemployment rate figures. CPS questions included in the NLSY79 surveys
are the same as the CPS questions used to determine employment status and are
administered as closely as possible to the method used by the Census Bureau so
that findings are comparable.
Delayed Entry Program
A program that allows a person to enlist in the military and then report for
active duty at a later time (as many as 365 days later). Individuals enlisting
through this program are sworn into their military branch on two occasions: once
at the time that they enlist through DEP and a second time when they actually
begin active duty. DEP enlistees do not always report for active duty and can be
guaranteed, in writing, the type of training and the location that they want.
DEP
See Delayed
Entry Program
Dictionary of Occupational Titles
This occupational directory was developed by the Department of Labor as a
comprehensive classification system for occupations. It was used to code NLSY79
respondents’ 1979 current occupation only. The individual occupations are
identified by the 1970 9-digit DOT codes.
DOD-3-Digit
An occupation code using the 1977 Department of Defense 3-Digit Enlisted
Occupational Classification System. This numeric coding scheme standardizes the
occupational coding across all branches of the military.
DOT
See
Dictionary of Occupational Titles
DU
See Dwelling
Unit
Duncan Index
An ordinal measure of socioeconomic status that assigns a two-digit prestige score to the Census occupation codes. The index scores are based on education and income distribution ratings and range from 0 to 97. (See Otis Dudley Duncan. “A Socioeconomic Index for all Occupations.” In
Occupations and Social Status, Reiss, Jr., A.J., et. al., New York: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1961).
Dwelling Unit
A single room, or group of rooms, that is intended for separate living quarters. To be considered a separate dwelling unit, it must have either a separate entrance or complete kitchen facilities (stove, sink with piped water, and refrigerator) for the sole use of the household.
Educational Tuition Assistance Program
The
educational benefit package for the Armed Forces Reserves. It is comparable to
VEAP.
Employed
See
Labor
Force and Employment Status
Employer
Flap
A cover page
for the Employer Supplement listing
employer name and codes to signify that the job for this employer was
government sponsored. Used for the 1979
interview only, it is the same as the first page of the Employer Supplement in later years.
Employer
Supplement
The Employer Supplement is an addition to the youth cohort survey instrument. One supplement is completed for each employer a respondent has had since the date of the last interview. The 1979 interview incorporated five columns in Section 10 of the survey instrument; each column is equivalent to one
Employer Supplement.
Employment Status Recode
ESR is a variable created from information collected on employment status and provides a standardized employment status code for the sample for each survey year except 2000.
Enumeration Districts
Enumeration districts (ED) are areas used in the geographic control of enumeration activities by the Census Bureau. An ED is the territory assigned to a single enumerator to cover during a census count.
Environmental Variables
County and state codes are assigned for all geographic locations according to the
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS-5.) The codes for the respondent’s current residence at each interview date are then matched with the 1972, 1977, 1983, 1988, and 1994
City and County Data Books (depending on survey year) to obtain characteristics of the county such as population size, crime statistics, industrial diversification, etc. (see specific survey year). These data are available on the Geocode CD to researchers willing to insure their confidentiality.
ESR
See
Employment Status Recode
Estates
Regular or
periodic income received from estates or trusts.
ETAP
See
Educational Tuition Assistance Program
GED
See General
Educational Development Test
General Educational Development Test,
General Equivalency Diploma
A certificate that is considered by some to be an equivalent to a high school diploma obtained as a result of taking the General Educational Development Test or GED. The test provides a valid means of measuring the educational proficiency of individuals taking the test in comparison with high school graduates.
Geocode
Geographic codes established by the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the National Bureau of Standards. They provide a standardized code for matching the NLS data with the
City and County Data Books used. The state codes are a two-digit numeric code ranging from 01 (Alabama) to 56 (Wyoming) inclusive of a code for Washington, D.C.; there are some gaps for possible later additions. The SMSA geocode is a four-digit numeric code identifying each SMSA. They are arranged in alphabetical order beginning with 0040 (Abilene, Texas) and ending with 9360 (Yuma, Arizona.) The counties within each state are listed in alphabetical order, with some gaps, beginning with 001 and using almost exclusively odd numbers to allow for additions.
Gross Income
Gross income for all non-farm businesses and professions is defined as all
monies received from the sale of goods or for services rendered, as well as the
amount of net inventory increase. It does not include proceeds from the sale of
capital items such as land, buildings, and machinery. For farms, it is defined
as all monies received from the sale of farm products, government subsidies on
crops and soil conservation, and income from rental of equipment. It does not
include the value of any farm products (such as food and fuel) used by the
family or proceeds from the sale of land, buildings, or machinery.
Household
Screener
The survey administered in late 1978 to the initial sample of households to locate eligible respondents for the NLSY79 civilian sample. Approximately 75,000 households were screened to identify eligible respondents based on age, sex, ethnicity, and poverty status.
I
An
abbreviation for interviewer.
ICD
See
International Classification of Diseases
Individual Quarters (IQ)
A term used
to describe non-dwelling unit, noninstitutional living quarters.
Industry Census Code
A 3-digit numeric code from the Industrial Classification System used by the
Census Bureau to assign codes to industries. The 1970 system consists of 215
industry categories arranged into 12 major groups. It was developed within the
framework of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC). All industries in all
years for the youth cohort were coded using the 1970 codes. Beginning with the
1982 interview, the industry of the respondent’s current or last job was also
coded using the 1980 codes.
Information
Sheet
An Information Sheet, which lists pertinent informational items about the respondent that were collected during the previous interview is provided to NORC interviewers.
Info sheet items include date of birth, marital status, date of last interview, etc. In PAPI surveys, the interviewers referred to the information sheet during the course of the interview in order to ascertain possible updates. The automated CAPI instruments access it automatically to drive the survey.
Int
An
abbreviation for interview.
Int Check
Interviewer check questions are used during the course of the interview to
check the sample universe and denote the skip pattern for a particular set of
questions. The interviewer codes the question based on previous responses or
direct observation, without asking the respondent.
Interest on Savings and U.S. Savings Bonds
Includes interest accrued from savings accounts even if the money has been withdrawn. It does not include interest on unredeemed U.S. Savings Bonds; if the bonds were cashed, only the difference between the amount received and the original cost is considered.
International Classification of Diseases
The ICD is a coding system for diseases, injuries, and causes of deaths as adopted by the World Health Assembly. The coding system used is defined in the
International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, 1975, with some minor modifications.
JCI
Job Characteristics
Index.
Job Corps
Established by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and continued under
Title IV of CETA in 1973, Job Corps is a skills/training program designed to
assist economically disadvantaged youth who need and can benefit from an
intensive educational and vocational training program in order to become more
responsible, employable, and productive citizens. The program is operated in a
residential group setting.
Job Training Partnership Act
Legislation enacted in the fall of 1982 (Public Law 97-300—October 13,
1982), which authorized federal funds for employment and training. It superseded
CETA and placed administrative control with the state in cooperation with local
governments. The emphasis is on private sector participation in training,
without subsidies for the training of participants.
JTPA
See Job
Training Partnership Act
"Knowledge of the World of Work"
The nine multiple-choice items that test the respondent’s ability to determine the duties associated with selected occupations.
Labor Force and Employment Status
All respondents who were either employed or unemployed during the survey are defined as being in the labor force. Employed, unemployed, and out of the labor force are defined as follows:
Employed - All
respondents who during the survey week were either (1) at work—those who did any
work for pay or profit or worked without pay for 15 hours or more on a family
farm or business—or (2) with a job but not at work—those who did not work and
were not looking for work, but had a job or business from which they were
temporarily absent because they were taking time off for various reasons.
Unemployed - All respondents who did not work at all during the survey
week and (1) either were looking or had looked for a job in the four-week period
prior to the survey; (2) were waiting to be recalled to a job from which they
had been laid off; or (3) were waiting to report to a new job within 30 days.
Out of the Labor Force
(OLF) - All respondents who were neither employed or unemployed during the
survey week.
Longitudinal Study
The NLSY79 is a longitudinal study that follows the same age cohort of youth (age 14–21 on December 31, 1978) over an extended period of time. The study began in 1979, and personal interviews have been conducted with respondents on a regular basis (annually until 1994 and then biennially);
the 1987 survey was administered by telephone.
Manpower Development and Training Act
Legislation initially enacted in 1962 and amended in 1963, 1965, 1966, and 1968 to combat poverty by providing various employment assistance and employment training programs for the unemployed and the under-employed. It was subsequently replaced by
CETA.
MDTA
See Manpower
Development and Training Act
Military Occupational Specialties
An alphanumeric jobs/skills classification system for Army, Army Reserves,
Army National Guard, Marine Corps, and Marine Reserves that describes the
specific job a person is trained for or assigned to in those branches of the
military.
Military Pay Grades
A pay level classification system for military personnel, used by all
branches of the military, that is associated with ranks. The ranks are enlisted
(E), officer (O), and warrant officer (W). There are nine enlisted grades, ten
officer grades, and four warrant officer grades, with 1 being the lowest grade
within each rank. For example, an E-2 is the second lowest rank for enlisted
personnel.
MOS
See Military
Occupational Specialties
Net Income
For farms and non-farm businesses, the amount of income remaining after
operating expenses are subtracted from the total or gross income. For
individuals who do not own a business, net income is the same as gross income.
Net Rental Income
Payments received from the rental of room(s), apartment(s), house(s), or any other real estate, after operating expenses are deducted.
Occupation Census Code
A 3-digit numeric code from the 1970 Occupational Classification System used
by the Census Bureau to assign codes to occupations. It has 417 separate
categories and is divided into 12 major groups. All occupations in all years for
NLSY79 respondents were coded using the 1970 codes. Beginning with the 1982
survey, data are coded with 1980 codes in addition to 1970 codes. Beginning with
the 2002 survey data were coded with 2000 codes only.
OJT
See
On-the-Job Training Program
OLF
See
Labor
Force and Employment Status-Out of the Labor Force.
On-the-Job Training Program
Includes institutional instruction in a work setting intended to enable an
individual to learn a skill and/or qualify for a particular occupation through
demonstration and practice. On-the-job training programs conducted under
CETA refer to programs in which the government pays a
portion of the employee’s wages for a certain period of time, and the employer
agrees to keep the employee after the training is completed. The subsidy pays
the employer for the increased costs of hiring workers whose skill levels are
lower than those of regular entry-level employees.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses for all non-farm businesses are defined as the cost of
utilities, annual depreciation of machinery and other business property, amount
of net inventory decrease, wages and salaries paid to employees, cost of
supplies and raw materials, business taxes, and interest on debts. For farms,
they are defined as the cost of feed, tools, livestock purchases, wages to farm
workers, and depreciation of equipment or buildings. They do not include capital
expenditures such as purchase of land or machinery.
Opportunities Industrialization Centers of
America, Inc. (OICA)
Community-based programs designed to motivate, train, develop, and use the technical skills of community residents in a variety of vocational areas. The activities are aimed at easing local unemployment problems; they work with so-called “unemployables” to enable them to become productive participants in industry.
Out of the Labor Force
See
Labor
Force and Employment Status
Pensions and Annuities
These include pension and retirement benefits such as federal employee, private employee, self-employed, and military retirement pensions. Benefits paid to survivors of the primary recipient of a pension are also included.
PIAT
Peabody Individual Achievement Test. This test is given to the children of the
NLSY79 mothers. See NLSY79 Child Handbook for a detailed
discussion.
PPVT
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. This
test is given to the children of the NLSY79 mothers. See NLSY79 Child Handbook
for a detailed discussion.
Primary Sampling Unit
A primary sampling unit (PSU) of the Census Bureau is composed of either a single county, a group of counties, or an SMSA and is based on population and area constraints. In certain special situations, state-defined units are termed “independent cities” or “parishes.” In these instances, such units are used in the definition of PSU.
Profiles, Profiles of American Youth
The name
given to describe the ASVAB test that
was administered to 94 percent of the NLSY79 in the summer of 1980.
PSE
See Public
Service Employment
PSU
See Primary
Sampling Unit
Public Assistance
Commonly
referred to as "welfare," public assistance refers principally to Aid to
Families with Dependent Children (AFDC or ADC). Other programs include General Assistance (local titles include
Outdoor Relief, Direct Relief, and General Relief) and Emergency
Assistance. Food stamps, clothing, free
or reduced rent, public housing, or other non-monetary assistance are not
included. With the Welfare Reform Act
passed in August 1996, these types of programs were reconstituted as "Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families" (TANF) and returned to state control,
with some federal guidelines.
Public Service Employment
Authorized under Titles II and VI of CETA, PSE provides public service jobs, either through CETA or
WIN, in areas where substantial or temporary service unemployment exists. PSE placements are in government positions or in jobs with private, non-profit service organizations.
Ratings
An alphanumeric jobs/skills classification system for the Navy, Naval Reserves, Coast Guard, and Coast Guard Reserves that describes the specific job to which a person in those branches of the military is trained or assigned.
Regular Job
A full-time or part-time civilian job with a definite arrangement to work for pay (or profit) for a specific number of hours or days a month. It includes unpaid work on a family farm or for a family business.
Regular School
A school that provides credit toward an academic diploma or degree, such as an elementary school, junior high school, high school, college, or university, as contrasted with special schools that offer certificates rather than diplomas or degrees. Some courses at special schools or programs (such as technical schools, nursing programs, etc.) do provide credits that can be applied toward a regular academic diploma or degree. These programs are considered regular school.
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
A ten-item scale using four-point Likert forced-choice response to measure feelings of self-worth and competence taken from Rosenberg, M.,
Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1965.
Rotter Scale or Internal-External Locus of
Control Scale (Rotter 1966)
A set of statements designed to measure the attitudes of respondents about the degree to which they have control over their own lives.
Royalties
Income
received from a percentage of gross sales from books, music, etc.
Sampling Weights
A numeric value calculated on the basis of each respondent’s characteristics (sex, ethnicity, year of birth, sample type, and location). The value is adjusted for differential probabilities of selection and attrition and allows for population estimates.
School Survey
A supplemental survey of the non-foreign high schools attended by civilian NLSY79 respondents. The school survey collected information about the characteristics of the school (enrollment, library size, vocational programs, ethnic diversity of students and teachers, etc.), as well as individual respondent characteristics (participation in remedial courses, aptitude and ability test scores, date last enrolled, etc.).
School to Work Transition Program
Authorized under Title III of CETA, the School to Work Transition Program includes a number of pilot projects designed to prepare youth to move smoothly from an educational setting to the work force. Specific goals of the program include helping dropouts obtain a GED while providing them with intensive vocational counseling and a job.
Selected Reserves
Umbrella
term used to refer to both the Reserves and the Guard branches of the military
service.
SER-Jobs for Progress
SER (Service, Employment, and Redevelopment) is a private, non-profit, community-based manpower organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, which seeks to provide education and skills training and employment placement for the economically disadvantaged, with primary emphasis on Hispanic
or Latino Americans.
SMSA
See Standard
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Social Security
Social Security benefits include disability, retirement, and survivors benefits, as well as Black Lung payments made to coal miners and payments made to retired railroad workers under the Railroad Retirement Act.
Special Pay Enlistment Bonus
A bonus of
up to $3,000 ($2,500 for the Army) paid to encourage enlistment for a 4-year
term of service in designated skills of the Armed Forces.
Special Pay Selective Re-Enlistment Bonus
A bonus paid for re-enlistment in critical military specialties that is available only during a problem re-enlistment period between 21 months and 10 years of service. The maximum bonus is $12,000 ($15,000 for Navy nuclear power personnel) and is available only for the first re-enlistment in the Army.
SSI
See
Supplemental Security Income
Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
An SMSA of the Census Bureau consists of one or more entire counties containing at least one city (or twin cities) having a population of 50,000 or more plus adjacent counties that are metropolitan and are economically and socially integrated with the central city. In New England, towns and cities rather than counties are the basis for defining an SMSA. SMSA boundaries may cross state lines as in the case of Washington, D.C.
Supplemental Security Income
A federal assistance program for aged, disabled, or blind persons whose income falls below a certain level. The program is administered through the Social Security Administration and replaced state welfare programs such as Old Age Assistance, Aid to the Aged, Aid to the Blind, and Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled.
SWTP
See School
to Work Transition Program
TANF
With the Welfare Reform Act passed in August 1996, public assistance programs such as
AFDC were reconstituted as “Temporary Assistance to Needy Families” (TANF) and returned to state control, with some federal guidelines.
Tips, Commissions, Bonus
Any payments in addition to base wage or salary received as income. It does not include allowances or other monies received from other household member(s) for chores, etc., done around the home.
Transcript Survey
Sponsored by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education at The Ohio State University, the Transcript Survey was conducted during 1980–83. Information collected includes courses, grades, credits, days absent, and rank in class.
UC Benefits
See
Unemployment Compensation Benefits
Unemployed
See
Labor
Force and Employment Status
Unemployment Compensation Benefits
Payments made by state or local governments to help replace wages lost by a worker who was laid off from her/his job. It also includes payments from a union strike fund to union members for wages lost because of a strike.
Urban League
A non-profit community service organization that works to secure equal opportunities in all sectors of society for Black Americans and other minorities. It uses the disciplines of social work, economics, law, and business management to achieve its goals.
VEAP
See
Veteran's Educational Assistance Program
Veteran Benefits
Benefits paid by the Veteran’s Administration to former members of the Armed Forces for service or non-service related disabilities. It also includes educational benefits paid to veterans and any payments made to survivors of deceased veterans.
Veteran's Educational Assistance Program
Education assistance program for veterans whose active military service was contracted or began on or after January 1, 1977.
VEAP replaced the GI Bill and provides that for every $1 contributed by the veteran while on active duty, the government will provide $2, up to a maximum of $8,100, for educational costs.
Vocational Rehabilitation Programs
Federal/state programs authorized under the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that provide a wide range of rehabilitation services for persons with physical and mental disabilities causing a substantial handicap to employment. The programs focus on the individuals’ abilities, interests, and needs in order to enable them to pursue gainful employment.
Welfare
See
Public
Assistance
WIN
See Work
Incentive Program
Work Experience Program
Generally operated through CETA or WIN, the Work Experience Program provides subsidized employment in the public sector and in private, non-profit agencies. The work situations are temporary and not expected to lead to more permanent employment. The program is intended to provide experience on a job, to develop occupational skills, to improve work habits, and to allow exposure to various occupational opportunities.
Work Incentive Program
Program authorized by the 1968 amendments to Title IV of the Social Security Act, WIN that was designed to help recipients of AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) find jobs. This was the only government-sponsored training and employment program that served welfare recipients exclusively. It also provided support services such as vocational counseling and childcare.
Work-Study Programs
Government-sponsored programs designed to help eligible students finance their college education by providing part-time jobs, generally on campus.
Worker's Compensation or Worker's Comp
Payments made by private insurance companies, self-insured employers, or state funds financed under federal and state worker’s compensation laws to persons injured in work-related accidents. It includes payments from insurance companies only when the premiums were paid by the employer, not the employee.
Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC)
Authorized under YEDPA, YACC is a government-sponsored program administered by the Departments of Labor, Agriculture, and the Interior. It recruits unemployed youth 16–23 years old to work for up to one year on conservation projects in parks, national forests, and recreation areas.
Youth Community Conservation and
Improvement Projects (YCCIP)
A government-sponsored program authorized by YEDPA as a part of
CETA, YCCIP is designed to provide highly supervised employment, work experience, and skills training for unemployed youth 16–19 years old. The youth are employed on community-planned projects that produce tangible benefits for the community.
Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects
Act of 1977 (YEDPA)
A major effort to employ youth and increase their future employability through coordination of existing employment and training projects and development of new and innovative approaches.
Youth Employment and Training Program
(YETP)
Government-sponsored projects that provide a variety of year-round training activities intended to enhance job prospects and career opportunities that will lead to unsubsidized employment. In order to participate in the program, youth must be aged 14–21 and in school or unemployed. Most participants are economically disadvantaged, but 10 percent may be from diverse economic backgrounds.
Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects
(YIEPP)
Authorized under YEDPA, YIEPP is a part of CETA and is designed to demonstrate or test various approaches that will guarantee jobs and training for economically disadvantaged youth 16–19 years old in school or willing to return to school to complete their education.