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National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Child and Young Adult (NLSCYA)

Pooling Sample Sizes

The panel dimension of the NLSY79 data collection permits one to cumulate sample cases for children at specified ages across survey points, thus attaining rather substantial sample sizes for those ages. Pooling in this manner also can greatly enhance the heterogeneity of the sample for specific research topics. The trade-off to this methodology is that the ability to follow a particular age cohort across survey years becomes somewhat limited, although it is still doable for selected research topics. Table 1 below highlights potential sample sizes using this approach.

Pooling the Child samples. From the perspective of the younger children, it is possible to attain single year of age samples numbering in the thousands for specific research efforts. For example, if one wishes to examine associations between scores on the digit span assessment and other factors for seven year olds, it would be possible to cumulate a sample of about 4,000 seven-year-old children from the first to the current assessment survey year (see Table 1 below). Because these children would have been born to mothers in all years between 1979 and the current survey round (see Table 2 in the Sample Design section), the mothers of these children would range in age from their teens to their forties. The relevance of this pooling approach for evaluation of the child data, utilizing various assessments, is dealt with in the "Repeat Assessments" section of the Child Assessments--Introduction.

Pooling the Young Adults. Parallel estimates can be found for young adults. Because the young adult interviews have only been ongoing since the 1994 survey round, no single year-of-age cumulative estimate can include more than eleven points. Nonetheless, returning to Table 1 below, the number of cases cumulated in this way for ages 15 to 18 all attain single year of age totals of between 3,417 and 3,560 cases. It is worth noting that this sample cumulation modestly increases the heterogeneity of these young adult samples. For example, cumulating cases at these early young adult ages expands the age of the mothers at children's birth from mid-adolescence to the late forties. Because beginning in 2010 young adults age 31-32, 35-36, 39-40, 43-44, etc., as of December 31 of the survey year are not fielded, pooled sample sizes in these age ranges will be constrained.

Table 1. NLSY79 Child and Young Adult Sample Types for Pooled Age Groups through the Current Survey Round
Younger Children      
Pooled Age Groups 1986-2020 Survey Round
 
Total Possible # Males Females
0 year olds 2704  1413 1291
1 year olds 3102 1586 1516
2 year olds 3281 1655 1626
3 year olds 3537 1799 1738
4 year olds 3698 1879 1819
5 year olds 3875 1989 1886
6 year olds 3911 2000 1911
7 year olds 4042 2058 1984
8 year olds 4085 2058 2027
9 year olds 4068 2060 2008
10 year olds 4146 2097 2049
11 year olds 4062 2062 2000
12 year olds1 4044 2062 1982
13 year olds2 4008 2046 1962
14 year olds3 2267 1146 1121
       
Young Adult Children      
Pooled Age Groups 1994-2020 Survey Round
 
Total Possible # Males Females
14 Year Olds 1929 989 940
15 Year Olds 3460 1774 1686
16 Year Olds 3594 1857 1737
17 Year Olds 3477 1749 1728
18 Year Olds 3681 1848 1833
19 Year Olds 3460 1703 1757
20 Year Olds 3589 1793 1796
21 Year Olds 3441 1675 1766
22 Year Olds 3330 1646 1684
23 Year Olds 3298 1611 1687
24 Year Olds 3277 1587 1690
25 Year Olds 3160 1573 1587
26 Year Olds 3088 1470 1618
27 Year Olds 2989 1503 1486
28 Year Olds 2831 1369 1462
29 Year Olds 2690 1319 1371
30 Year Olds 2153 1012 1141
31 Year Olds 492 236 256
32 Year Olds 463 192 271
33 Year Olds 1728 833 895
34 Year Olds 1651 780 871
35 Year Olds 291 140 151
36 Year Olds 121 51 70
37 Year Olds 1081 493 588
38 Year Olds 1010 489 521
39 Year Olds 162 81 81
40 Year Olds 41 13 28
41 Year Olds 428 204 224
42 Year Olds 351 157 194
43 Year Olds 55  27 28
44 Year Olds 6  2 4
45 Year Olds 92  46 46
46 Year Olds 51  25  26
47+ Years Old 5 1 4

NOTE: Ages are computed as of survey dates. For the Younger Children portion of this table, the counts are cumulative from 1986 to the current interview and are based on a child being interviewed in at least one survey year. In 2016, the Mother Supplement remained in the NLSY79 questionnaire, but the Child Supplement was not administered. In 2018, there was no Mother Supplement, but 12 and 13 year olds were interviewed as part of the YA survey. Starting in 1994, children who turned 15 or older as of December 31st of the reference year of the survey round were fielded as Young Adults. Some were age 14 when interviewed. Beginning in 2016, the inclusions age for the Young Adult fielding was lowered to 12. Those turning 14 went through the traditional YA survey, but those turning 12 or 13 answered far fewer questions, primarily drawn from the Child Supplement. The Young Adult Children portion of this table includes only those children aged 14 or older who have completed at least one Young Adult survey from 1994 to the current interview. Users should note that beginning in 2010 young adults age 31-32, 35-36, 39-40, 43-44, etc, as of December 31 of the survey year are not fielded; thus, pooled sample sizes in these age ranges will be constrained.

1 Of the 21 12 year olds in R27, 20 have both Mother Supplement and YA interview data.

2 Of the 28 13 year olds in R27, 26 have both Mother Supplement and YA interview data.

3 Beginning in 2012, the NLSY79 field period routinely crossed into the year after the reference year for fielding in the Child versus Young Adult samples. Subsequently, some of the 14 year olds had turned 15 by the point of their actual interview.