Appendix A:  Quick Reference Guide

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This appendix summarizes some key pieces of information regarding this User’s Guide and other documentation products for the Young Women, the NLS, and the NLS data files.  It also provides answers to some common questions about the Young Women and tells users how to get additional help when necessary.

A.1 Guide to NLS Documentation

A.2 About the Young Women Data Files

A.3 Glossary of NLS Terms

A.4 How to Get Help

A.1 Guide to NLS Documentation

The User’s Guide provides in-depth information about the Young Women data.  Users requiring general information about the history, administration, or other cohorts of the NLS project should consult the following table for the most appropriate NLS document. 

Table A.1 List of NLS Documentation

Many of the resources listed above are available on-line at http://www.bls.gov/nls. Users may order documents not available on-line by contacting NLS User Services. Contact information for NLS User Services is provided under “Additional Support” at the end of this appendix.

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A.2 About the Young Women Data Files

The Young Women survey is a panel data collection—specifically, the same persons are interviewed year after year. Young Women respondents are often asked the same or similar questions in different surveys to gauge the change in behavior over time.

The database is organized by respondent.  Information on each respondent is stored in a record.  In each respondent-specific record, the variables are arranged in chronological sequence.  Users are provided with data extraction software, called Investigator, to search this large database and extract the specific variables needed.

Search Strategies

Variables can be selected for extraction either using a Search List (reference number or question number) or Search Index (year or any word in context).  The following is a brief description of the search options.

Reference Number:  Each variable is assigned a reference number that determines its relative chronological position in the database.  That reference number never changes—even when waves of data are added and the database is revised.  The reference number is the equivalent of a unique variable name.

Question Number:  Each year, a separate survey instrument is used to collect data.  A questionnaire item (or question number) refers to the location of a given variable in the printed or electronic questionnaire.

Any Word:  The database retrieval software allows the user to search for and select those variables whose titles contain any single word or combination of words.

Area of interest:  Each variable is assigned to a topical area of interest.  For example, questions on a respondent’s health and medical insurance are grouped in the “Health” area of interest.  Researchers should be aware that an individual question can be linked to only one area of interest, so questions that apply to a common research topic may appear in different areas of interest.

Year:  The user can select a specific survey year and choose variables collected in that specific year.

Accessing the Data

This section briefly describes how to access the data from the Young Women data file. 

Hardware Requirements. The minimum computer standards required to access the Young Women data are an IBM-compatible personal computer (PC) running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, or NT; and a writable disk drive connected to the PC. Users accessing the data via CD-ROM must also  have a CD-ROM drive connected to the PC.

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A.3 Glossary of NLS Terms

Any Word Search.  This data file search function allows users to select any word or words and to view all variables which contain those words in their titles.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  This agency of the U.S. Department of Labor sponsors and oversees the National Longitudinal Surveys project.

Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR).  A research unit at The Ohio State University, CHRR is responsible for the management of the Original Cohorts, documentation and dissemination of the data, and user services.

Children of the NLSY79.  This survey group comprises all children born to female NLSY79 respondents.  The group was first surveyed in 1986 and has been reinterviewed biennially.  Since 1994, a separate survey has been administered to the children age 15 and older, referred to as the “Young Adults.”

Codeblock.  Information about each variable is presented in a consistent form called a codeblock.  Most codeblocks provide users with the variable title, reference number, question number, survey year, coding information, and a frequency distribution.

Codebook.  The codebook contains complete information about all the variables in a data set and is included electronically with the data files.  It comprises a number of codeblocks presenting information about individual variables.

Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI).  These interviews, used since 1995 for both women’s cohorts, are administered using a survey instrument on a laptop computer.  CAPI allows for more complex questionnaire programming, bounded interviewing, and faster data dissemination than with PAPI interviews.

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI).  These interviews, used since 1995 for both women’s cohorts, are administered via telephone using a survey instrument on a laptop computer.  CATI allows for more complex questionnaire programming, bounded interviewing, and faster data dissemination than with PAPI interviews.

Household Record Card.  This survey instrument was used during PAPI interviews to collect information about members of the respondent’s household.  During the interview, demographic information was transferred from the cards to the “Household Roster” section of the main questionnaire, so data from the Household Record Cards contain “Household Roster” as part of their variable titles.

Household Screener.  This survey instrument was used in 1966 to identify respondents eligible for the Young Women cohort and the other Original Cohorts.  It collected demographic information about all members of each surveyed household.

Mature Women Cohort.  This group of 5,083 respondents, ages 30–44 on March 31, 1967, was first interviewed in 1967 and has been surveyed 20 times through 2001.  The Mature Women cohort is one of the four NLS Original Cohorts.

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79).  This group of 12,686 male and female respondents was first interviewed in 1979 and has been reinterviewed 20 times through 2002.  Respondents in this cohort were ages 14–21 as of December 31, 1978.

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97).  Respondents ages 12–16 as of December 31, 1996, were selected for inclusion in the newest NLS cohort.  The NLSY97 numbers 8,984 respondents, and five interviews have been conducted with the cohort to date.

Older Men Cohort.  This group of 5,020 respondents, ages 45–59 on March 31, 1966, was first interviewed in 1966 and subsequently surveyed 12 additional times before its discontinuation in 1990.  The Older Men cohort is one of the four NLS Original Cohorts.

Original Cohorts.  The four cohorts (Older Men, Mature Women, Young Men, and Young Women) selected during the 1966 household screening and first surveyed between 1966 and 1968.

Paper-and-Pencil Interview (PAPI).  Traditional paper-and-pencil instruments were used with the Young Women’s cohort for each survey through 1993.

Primary Sampling Unit (PSU).  A Primary Sampling Unit consists of one or more Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs), counties (or parishes in some states), parts of counties (parishes), or independent cities.  PSUs were the basis for sampling Young Women respondents.

Reference Number.  A reference number is a unique identifying number beginning with “R,” which is assigned to each variable in the data set.  Reference numbers never change after they are assigned to the variables from an interview even as additional information is added to the data set from later surveys.

Young Men Cohort.  This group of 5,225 respondents, ages 14–24 on March 31, 1966, was first interviewed in 1966 and subsequently surveyed 11 additional times before its discontinuation in 1981.  The Young Men cohort is one of the four NLS Original Cohorts.

Young Women Cohort.  This group of 5,159 respondents, ages 14–24 on December 31, 1967, was first interviewed in 1968 and has been surveyed 21 times through 2001.  The Young Women cohort is one of the four NLS Original Cohorts.

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A.4 How to Get Help

Sometimes users have questions about the Young Women data, database retrieval software, or documentation. The following are strategies for finding answers to these questions.

On-line and Paper Documentation Help. NLS User Services provides both on-line and paper documentation help sources for users, including on-line help within the Investigator data retrieval system. Help publications include the NLS of Young Women User’s Guide, the NLS Handbook, the NLS Original Cohort Databases Compact Disc User’s Guide, and assorted supplemental  documentation (see Table A.1). These sources contain the answers to most questions. 

Frequently Asked Questions. Table A.2 provides answers to commonly asked questions about the Young Women data and accessing the data.

Additional Support. If questions arise which are not answered in the documentation, contact NLS User Services at:

NLS User Services
Center for Human Resource Research
921 Chatham Lane, Suite 100
Columbus, Ohio 43221-2418
614-442-7366

E-mail: usersvc@postoffice.chrr.ohio-state.edu

Table A.2 Frequently Asked Questions

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