Newest errata
Respondent mode of contact variables added for R20 NLSY97 and R30 NLSY79
POSTED 10/23/24
Data identifying the mode of contact that most directly led to completion of the interview for a random subset of respondents will be added to both R30 of the NLSY79 and R20 of the NLSY97; the NLSY79 data have been updated in the current public release (see NLSY97 Errata for R20 data). There are two variables for each cohort, primary contact mode and secondary contact mode, that identify the source that was primarily, and secondarily, related to the respondent completing the interview. Coders manually reviewed each contact attempt for this subset of cases to determine the contact mode(s) that was most effective for getting the respondent to complete the interview.
Other errata
NLSY79 2000 Household Record errata
Posted: 10/10/2024
In the NLSY79 Household Record data for 2000 (R19), the family unit variables for the 16th and 17th household members were inadvertently omitted from the public release. These variables are now available in the current public release.
Corrections to 2018-2020 income and poverty status variables
Posted: 10/4/2024
A programming error caused incomplete input data to be used in the calculation of the TNFI and POVSTATUS variables in 2018 and 2020. The variables for respondents who received income from government programs (AFDC, food stamps, unemployment compensation, and/or SSI/SSDI) prior to the date of the last interview were updated to include these values. The corrections have been included in the current public release.
Corrections in NLSY79 Household Record data
Posted: 10/3/2024
In the NLSY79 Household Record data for 1996 (R17), the 11th and 12th household members incorrectly had codes of -4 (missing) or incorrect values for age and highest grade completed. The age variable for the 12th household member is not in the public release. The corrections have been included in the current public release.
Missing NLSY79 business investment variables 2020
Posted: 8/8/2024
Variables containing the amount used to establish or acquire businesses reported in the NLSY79 2020 survey (round 29) were inadvertently omitted from the public data release. The affected variables are:
- R84181.00 AMOUNT R USED TO ESTABLISH/ACQUIRE THE BUSINESS JOB #01 (2020)
- R84182.00 AMOUNT R USED TO ESTABLISH/ACQUIRE THE BUSINESS JOB #02 (2020)
- R84183.00 AMOUNT R USED TO ESTABLISH/ACQUIRE THE BUSINESS JOB #03 (2020)
- R84184.00 AMOUNT R USED TO ESTABLISH/ACQUIRE THE BUSINESS JOB #04 (2020)
- R84185.00 AMOUNT R USED TO ESTABLISH/ACQUIRE THE BUSINESS JOB #05 (2020)
These variables have been included in the current public release.
Corrections in some employer ID, created, and Event History variables
Posted: 12/22/23, Updated 05/02/24
NLSY79 staff have identified a problem that affects the employer start and stop months for a small number of cases during the year 2020. These are cases in which the respondent reported an invalid skip [‘don’t know’ or ‘refuse’] for the start or stop month of employment. These corrected values are included in the current public release.
NLSY79 vehicle values 1985-1986
Posted: 3/19/2024
Due to differences in the manner in which questions about vehicle values were posed in 1985-1986, and 1987 forward, topcoding of the 1985-1986 variables were not treated consistently with other early asset survey years. The inconsistency has been corrected in the current public data release.
The affected variables are:
- R17923.00 TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY R/SPOUSE OWE ON VEHICLES INCLUDING AUTOMOBILES (TRUNC) (1985)
- R17924.00 TOTAL MARKET VALUE OF ALL VEHICLES INCLUDING AUTOMOBILES R/SPOUSE OWN (TRUNC) (1985)
- R21554.00 TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY R/SPOUSE OWE ON VEHICLES INCLUDING AUTOMOBILES (TRUNC) (1986)
- R21555.00 TOTAL MARKET VALUE OF ALL VEHICLES INCLUDING AUTOMOBILES R/SPOUSE OWN (TRUNC) (1986)
The affected values have been updated in the current public release. This does not affect the “_REVISED” versions of these variables (R17923.01, R17924.01, R21554.01, R21555.01), which were created in the early 2000s using an updated method of topcoding.
NLSY79 variables missing from public release and erroneous value
Posted: 8/8/2023
A small number of NLSY79 variables are erroneously omitted from the current public release data. In addition, an erroneous outlier value is present for NFA_4C_SR000001.01 (T21649.00) in 2008.
In addition, researchers using NFA_4C_SR000001.01 should recode the outlier value of $150,000 to $15,000.
The erroneous value and missing variables listed below have been updated in the current public release.
| Survey year (round) | Reference Number | Qname | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 (r23) | T20762.00-T20763.00 | Q13-3_SR000001 – Q13-3_SR000002 | ESTIMATED INCOME FROM MILITARY SERVICE IN PAST YEAR (range) |
| 2008 (r23) | T20789.00-T20790.00 | Q13-9_SR000001 – Q13-9_SR000002 | ESTIMATED AMT MONEY RECEIVED FROM FARM OR BUSINESS AFTER EXPENSES (range) |
| 2008 (r23) | T21176.00 | Q13-73D_TRUNC | TOTAL R/SPAR REC’D FROM LIFE INSURANCE SETTLEMENT IN 2007? (TRUNCATED) |
| 2008 (r23) | T21623.00 | Q13-131_SR000001 | EST TOTAL MARKET VALUE OF FARM/BUSINESS/OTHER PROPERTY R/SPOUSE OWN (low range value) |
| 2008 (r23) | T21664.01-T21664.08 | NFA_4C_SR00002.01-06/11-12 | EST MARKET VALUE OF VEHICLE ## |
| 2010 (r24) | T30851.00 | Q13-73D_TRUNC | TOTAL R-SPAR RECEIVED FROM LIFE INSURANCE SETTLEMENT IN 2009? (TRUNCATED) |
Corrections To NLSY79 HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.## variables
Posted: 6/14/2023
The HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.## variables for several jobs in NLSY79 survey year 2002 (round 20) do not correctly incorporate hours for a subset of respondents reporting hours worked as teachers.
The affected variables are:
- R77690.00 HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.01 (2002) (72 cases affected)
- R77691.00 HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.02 (2002) (13 cases affected)
- R77693.00 HOURS_WORKED_WEEK_ALL.04 (2002) (2 cases affected)
These values have been updated in the current public release.
NLSY79 TNFW_TRUNC 2000-2016 Additional invalid missing values and topcode revisions
Posted: 5/9/2023
A small number of respondents for each of the most recent five NLSY79 rounds containing assets questions (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016) were assigned valid values for TNFW_TRUNC rather than -3/invalid missing values. This affected the assigned topcodes for those variables as well. In addition, the NLS program has conducted a review of income and assets topcoding and standardized these values. Adjustments have been made to a very limited number of values to reflect the current standards.
The affected variables are:
- R69401.03 TNFW_TRUNC (2000)FAMILY NET WEALTH (TRUNC) *KEY*
- R83787.03 TNFW_TRUNC (2004)FAMILY NET WEALTH (TRUNC) *KEY*
- T21427.02 TNFW_TRUNC (2008)FAMILY NET WEALTH (TRUNC) *KEY*
- T40458.02 TNFW_TRUNC (2012)FAMILY NET WEALTH (TRUNC) *KEY*
- T56845.00 TNFW_TRUNC (2016)FAMILY NET WEALTH (TRUNC) *KEY*
The following number of cases are affected for each survey year:
| Survey year | Cases set to -3/Invalid missing | # values changed (includes topcode revisions) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19 | 154 |
| 2004 | 19 | 146 |
| 2008 | 20 | 149 |
| 2012 | 12 | 138 |
| 2016 | 14 | 134 |
The variables listed above have been updated in the current public release.