Interview Methods
Interview Methods
Content of the Main Youth Survey Questionnaire
In the initial round, 8,984 youth completed the Youth Questionnaire, the main component of the NLSY97 data set. In each survey round after round 1, the Youth Questionnaire is administered to every eligible respondent who can be located and who agrees to be interviewed. Table 2 shows the Youth content.
Table 2. Content of the Youth Questionnaire
| Section | Abbreviation used as prefix for question names | Description of Data Collected |
| Information | YINF | In rd. 1, verified youth data in the Screener, Household Roster, and Nonresident Roster Questionnaire. |
| Household Information | YHHI | Confirms and updates information on members of the youth's household after rd. 1. |
| CPS | YCPS | In rds. 1, 4, and 10, established employment status using questions from the Current Population Survey. |
| Schooling | YSCH | Gathers information about current schooling and school environment. |
| College Choice | YCOC | In rds. 7 and up, gathers information about college choice, asking the youth for information such as application, admissions, and financial aid. |
| Peers/Opportunity Sets | YPRS | In rd. 1, provided the youth with a list of activities and asked him or her to estimate the percentage of peers who participate in each. |
| Domains of Influence | YDOM | In rds. 7-9, asked the youth about people influencing their decisions. |
| Time Use | YTIM | In rds. 1-3, asked the youth about time spent during the day and week on various activities. |
| Employment | YEMP | Collects data about each employer for whom the youth worked since age 14; also includes data on freelance employment for youths 12 and up. |
| Training | YTRN | Asks about training programs the youth has participated in outside of regular schooling. |
| Health | YHEA | Asks about general state of youth's health and long-standing problems he or she has. |
| Self-Administered | YSAQ | Completed by youth; asks sensitive questions. Subsections include household and neighborhood environment, relationship with parents, puberty, dating and sexual activity, pregnancy and abortion, attitudes toward self, substance use, and criminal and delinquent activities. (This section is divided into SAQ1 and SAQ2 sections in round 5 and beyond.) |
| Marriage | YMAR | Asks questions about any marriages or marriage-like relationships that the youth may have had. |
| Fertility | YFER | Gathers information about any biological children of the youth and the parentage of each. |
| Child Care | YCCA/YCCAL |
Collects details about child care arrangements or child care availability. Rds 5 and up (Some rounds gathered more details than others)
|
| Welfare Knowledge | YWEK | In rd. 7, asked respondents about their knowledge of welfare. |
| Program Participation | YPRG | Gathers data about any assistance programs in which the youth and the youth's spouse/partner may have participated. |
| Income / Assets | YINC/YAST | Collects data on the income and assets of youth and the youth's spouse/partner. These questions were combined in the YINC section in rd. 1 but split into two sections for subsequent rounds. |
| Expectations | YEXP | In rds. 1, 4, and 5, asked youths to predict characteristics of their lives at certain points in the future. |
| PIAT Math | YPIA | Administered the PIAT Math Assessment to eligible respondents. |
| Political Participation | YPOL |
In rd. 8, asked about being registered to vote, voting in presidential election, and interest in government and public affairs. In rds. 10, 12 and 14, asked about being registered to vote and voting in November election. (rd 15 asked only about voting in election).
|
| Best Friends | YFRD |
In rds. 6 and 8, asked about relationship with best friend, including level of closeness and frequency of communication.
|
| Childhood Retrospective | YCHR |
Completed by youth (rds. 6-9), asked questions retrospectively for youth whose parents did not answer questions about youth's childhood.
|
| Contraceptive Choice | YPECC |
Completed by a subsample of youth in rd. 11, asked about contraceptive choices, costs, and consequences (probability of getting pregnant, contracting an STD, partner objecting, etc.)
|
| Tell Us What You Think | YTEL | Completed by youth (rds. 10 and up), asks questions about respondents' opinions and life. Questions vary. |
Interviewer Remarks: Each NLSY97 questionnaire also includes an interviewer remarks section, which interviewers complete after finishing the interview with the respondent. This section records objective information about the interview, such as the presence of another person during the survey, where the interview took place, and the language in which the questionnaire was administered. Interviewers are also asked to provide an overall assessment of the interview. See Interviewer Remarks, Characteristics & Contacts for more details.