Using Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study Data for Policy Research

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Abstract

The Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) is the longest-running and only contemporary U.S. birth cohort study of young adults based on a national sample. A key part of the country’s research infrastructure, FFCWS follows children from birth through young adulthood, enabling researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to understand the impacts of family structure, education, employment, income, health, housing, and resource sharing on human development. FFCWS serves as a vital public resource, with data made widely available to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. More than 8,700 researchers have utilized FFCWS data to generate insights that inform research agendas, public policy, and social programs. The vast majority of the study's data are accessible for free through public use processes with more sensitive data available through a contract process. 

This workshop is designed for both researchers who are interested in learning about using the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study data for the first time and current FFCWS data users who would like a deeper dive into navigating our data. This workshop will include  1) a brief overview of the FFCWS, including the history of the study, variety of survey and activity components included in our data, and an overview of the file structure, contents, and data conventions used in FFCWS; and 2) a panel discussion on how FFCWS data can be used in policy research from diverse speakers who have been using the data in their research. Our goals for this workshop are to provide a solid background for working with FFCWS data and to share with participants how FFCWS data can be used in policy research from existing data users.

The workshop will involve three major components:

1. Introductory presentation from the facilitators: Including slides covering the history and background of FFCWS, survey components of the study, topical contents of the data, and file structure, contents, and data conventions.
2. Discussion among speakers who have being using these data in policy research: Each of the four speakers will share their experiences using the FFCWS data in their research and give participants some suggestions about research opportunities the data offer.
3. Q&A section: Participants will ask any questions they have, and facilitators and speakers will answer these questions.

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Policy Area

• Workshops

Moderator

• Panpan Yang, Princeton University

Organizer

• Kristin Catena, Princeton University

Speakers

• Eunho Cha, University of California, Irvine

• Will Joseph Schneider, University of Illinois

• Margaret M. C. Thomas, The University of Chicago

• Lenna Nepomnyaschy, Rutgers University - New Brunswick