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National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97)

Index to the NLSY97 Cohort

The NLSY97 Cohort is a longitudinal project that follows the lives of a sample of American youth born between 1980-84; 8,984 respondents were ages 12-17 when first interviewed in 1997. This ongoing cohort has been surveyed 20 times to date and is now interviewed biennially. Data are now available from Round 1 (1997-98) to Round 20 (2021-2022). A brief COVID-19 supplement was fielded in spring 2021; these data are also included in the NLSY97 data release.

  • Topical Guide to the Data

    Topic-by-topic descriptions of the NLS Youth 1997 data, a crosswalk between the NLS Investigator’s Areas of Interest, and a glossary of terms.

  • Asterisk Tables

    Table of NLS Youth 1997 topics across all survey rounds often referred to as the "Asterisk Table."

  • Introduction to the Sample

    Description of the sample, the sample design and screening process, interview methods, retention and reason for non-interview, and confidentiality.

  • Other Documentation

    Tutorials, NLS Youth 1997 Codebook Supplement, Geocode Supplement, Technical Sampling Report, List of Errata, and questionnaires for all rounds.

  • Using and Understanding the Data

    Information on survey instruments, variables types, the interviewing process, item nonresponse, sample weights and design effects, data documentation, and how to access the data.

  • Get Data

    The NLS Investigator provides access to all public NLS data, including NLS Youth 1997 data.