10.3886/ICPSR03959.v2 Ohio State University. Center for Human Resource Research Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research 2004 attitudes demographic characteristics economic indicators educational background expectations family background health high school students household composition income job history job training labor (work) labor force labor markets occupational mobility political participation secondary education time allocation training wages and salaries work experience young adults youths 2004-08-02 2007-06-04 1997 2003 survey data 3959 2 The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) is one of six surveys, designed by the United States Department of Labor, comprising the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) Series. Created to be representative of United States residents in 1997 who were born between the years of 1980 and 1984, the NLSY97 documents the transition from school to work experienced by today's youths through seven rounds of data collection spanning the time period 1997-2003. The majority of the oldest cohort members (age 16 as of December 31, 1996) were still in school during the first survey round and the youngest respondents (age 12) had not yet entered the labor market. The NLSY97 addresses eleven main topics of interest including: employment, schooling, vocational training, income and assets, family formation, family background, future expectations, attitudes, behaviors, and time use, health, political participation, and environmental characteristics. Respondents were asked about their employment status including hours worked per week, job history, benefits, job satisfaction, freelance employment opportunities, occupation and pay during military service, and periods of unemployment. Respondents were also asked about their education history, current enrollment status, high school curriculum, whether they received a diploma or GED, participation in any school-based learning programs, whether they attended college or university and whether or not they graduated, the cost of tuition, their grade point average, and field of study. Respondents were asked to give information about training programs in which they had participated such as the type of training program, amount of time spent in training, skills obtained, and whether or not the training programs were completed. The survey also addressed the topic of income and assets with questions focusing on the respondents' wages or salary, other sources of income, assets such as real estate, stock or mutual funds, retirement plans, and income from sources such as workers compensation, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and Food Stamps. Respondents were asked about their family including their marital status, number, sex, and ages of any biological or adopted children, outcomes of pregnancies not ending in live births. Respondents were asked to answer a series of questions pertaining to their family history such as their parents nationality and place of birth, grandparents place of birth, native language spoken by parents, parents education, whether or not the respondents lived with their parents, other relatives living in the household, as well as questions about the household environment. Respondents were asked about their expectations for the future and specifically, where they expected to be in the next year, in the next five years, by the age of 20 and by the age of 30. Respondents were asked about their attitudes, behaviors, and time use. They were asked about their perception of teachers, school, peers, as well as their sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, crimes committed, and how much time they devoted to homework, classes, reading, and watching television. Respondents were asked questions about their general physical health, mental health, any chronic health conditions, and any health conditions that limited school or work activities. Respondents were asked if they were interested in government and public affairs, whether they were registered to vote, and whether they voted in recent elections. Finally, respondents were asked questions about their living environment, residential moves, whether their current residence was urban or rural, whether their current residence was in a metropolitan area, and the region of residence.