11. The National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth/1979 & 1997 Cohorts, The Ohio State University

• In Event: 265 - Research Funding Opportunities and Data Resources (part of the Research Support Forum)

Abstract

NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL SURVEYS OF YOUTH, 1979 AND 1997 COHORTS. The NLSY79 and NLSY97 are two cohorts of the NLS program, a set of surveys sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Currently in its 26th round, the NLSY79 started annual interviewing in 1979 with 12,686 youth age 14 to 22, and switched to biennial interviewing after the 1994 survey. Data are currently available through 2012.
The NLSY97 Cohort follows a sample of American youth born between 1980-1984; 8,984 respondents were ages 12-17 when first interviewed in 1997. This ongoing cohort has been surveyed 15 times to date and is now interviewed biennially. Data are available from Round 1 (1997-1998) to Round 15 (2011-2012).

The NLSY surveys include oversamples of black and Hispanic respondents. While both the 1979 and 1997 NLSY cohorts initially focused on the school-to-work transition, survey content has evolved over time to reflect later life stages. Topics covered include job characteristics, labor market status, education, training, health and physical condition, marital and family relations, fertility, income and assets, attitudes, environmental characteristics, and military experiences. Scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery are available for 94% of NLSY79 respondents and 80% of NLSY97 respondents. The wide range of data in each survey support research in a number of topical areas, while the overlapping content of the two surveys provides opportunities for cross-cohort analysis.

The current NLSY79 data release includes new variables about childhood health, financial literacy, and business ownership. Postsecondary transcript data files now available for the NLSY97 cohort as well as arrest and incarceration variables updated for rounds 14 and 15. NLSY79 main Youth mothers' data can also be merged with the Children of the NLSY79 surveys, which track children of women in the NLSY79 from birth to adulthood.

NLS public-use data are available at no cost at www.nlsinfo.org/webinvestigator; detailed geographic data can be obtained through an application process supervised by BLS. A searchable, annotated listing of NLS research can be accessed at www.nlsbibliography.org. More information about the NLSY79 and NLSY97 is available at www.bls.gov/nls.

Author

• Paula C. Baker, The Ohio State University