Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Series

collection: series

Investigator(s): U.S. Bureau of the Census

Studies

26

Variables

15,149

Publications

799

About this Collection

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) program, initiated in 1983, is a longitudinal, multi-panel survey primarily of adults in households in the United States, interviewed at least nine times at four-month intervals and followed over the life of the panel. The SIPP fills the gaps that the Current Population Survey (CPS) leaves by providing data that afford a better understanding and analyses of the distribution of income, wealth, and poverty in the society, and of the effects of federal and state programs on the well-being of families and individuals. SIPP information falls into two categories: the core information, and other questions (found in "topical modules") that produce in-depth information on specific subjects and are asked at only one or two interviews. The core questions cover demographic characteristics, labor force participation, program participation, amounts and types of earned and unearned income received, including transfer payments and noncash benefits from various programs, and asset ownership. The goals of SIPP are to improve the measurement of the economic situation of persons, families, and households in the U.S., and to provide a tool for managing and evaluating government transfer and service programs. SIPP collects more detailed data than any other national survey on program eligibility, access and participation, transfer income, and in-kind benefits. It provides critical data for employed and unemployed persons on cash and noncash incomes, assets component of wealth, subannual program participation patterns, and the dynamics of household relationships. SIPP aims to: improve the accuracy in reporting and classifying income sources, obtain subannual information on income recipiency and program participation, examine interactions among transfer programs, labor participation, and living arrangements, obtain sufficient information to improve the simulation of eligibility under the major means-tested cash and in-kind transfer programs, and obtain improved measures of assets and liabilities. After 1996, a new data series, Survey of Program Dynamics, was established to investigate the effects of welfare reform on recipient families and children. Two retired SIPP panels (1992 and 1993), which represent the pre-welfare reform situation of households, were chosen as one of the important samples for the Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD) panels created after the SIPP. These SIPP panels provide extensive baseline (background) information from which to determine the effects of welfare reform that the SPD program surveys. By interviewing the same households as SIPP in the SPD, analysts are provided with data for the baseline pre-reform period, along with data for the reform implementation period, and the medium-term post-reform period, enabling researchers access to data to assess short-term and medium-term consequences and outcomes for families and individuals. The use of the SIPP panels doubles the sample size for certain groups of interest. Interviews carried out with the same households in both the SIPP and the SPD panels expand the range of information on the same population and provide panels data necessary to effectively evaluate the impact of the law.

For data files from 1984 to 2001 (SAS, SPSS, and Stata, in addition to documentation), please visit the National Bureau of Economic Research Web site.

Studies

26 results

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2004 Panel

This data collection is part of a longitudinal survey designed to provide detailed information on the economic situation of households and persons in the United States. These data examine the distribution of income, wealth, and poverty in American society and gauge the effects of federal and state programs on the well-being of families and individuals.

There are three basic elements contained in the survey. The first is a control card that records basic social and demographic characteristics for each person in a household, as well as changes in such characteristics over the course of the interviewing period. These include age, sex, race, ethnic origin, marital status, household relationship, education, and veteran status. Limited data are provided on housing unit characteristics such as the number of units in the structure, tenure, access, and complete kitchen facilities. The second element is the core portion of the questionnaire, with questions repeated at each interview on labor force activity, types and amounts of income, and participation in various cash and noncash benefit programs for each month of the four-month reference period. Data for employed persons include number of hours and weeks worked, earnings, and weeks without a job. Nonworkers are classified as unemployed or not in the labor force. In addition to providing income data associated with labor force activity, the core questions cover nearly 50 other types of income. Core data also include postsecondary school attendance, public or private subsidized rental housing, low-income energy assistance, and school breakfast and lunch participation. The third element consists of topical modules, which are a series of supplemental questions asked during selected household visits. Topical modules include some core data to link individuals to the core files. For more information on this study, see the SIPP Web site.

Information about child care is located in the topical modules for Waves III, V, VI, and VIII.

  1. The Wave I Topical Module covers recipiency and employment history.
  2. The Wave II Topical Module includes work disability, education and training, household relationships, marital, migration, and fertility histories.
  3. The Wave III Topical Module covers medical expenses and utilization of health care, work-related expenses and child support, assets and liabilities, real estate, shelter costs, dependent care, vehicles, value of business, interest earning accounts, rental properties, stocks and mutual fund shares, mortgages, other assets, and child well-being.
  4. The Wave IV Topical Module covers adult well-being, work schedule, taxes, child care, and annual income and retirement accounts.
  5. Data in the Wave V Topical Module describe child support agreements, school enrollment and financing, support for nonhousehold members, adult and child disability, and employer-provided health benefits.
  6. The Wave VI Topical Module covers medical expenses and utilization of health care, work-related expenses, child support paid and child care, poverty, assets and liabilities, real estate, shelter costs, dependent care, vehicles, value of business, interest earning accounts, rental properties, stock and mutual fund shares, mortgages, and other financial investments.
  7. The Wave VII Topical Module covers retirement, pension plan coverage, annual income, taxes, and retirement accounts. Variables on informal caregiving, such as who received unpaid care and how long they were cared for, are located in a separate topical module file.
  8. The Wave VIII Topical Module covers welfare reform, child well-being, and child care.

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 1986 Panel

This data collection is part of a longitudinal survey designed to provide detailed information on the economic situation of households and persons in the United States. These data examine the distribution of income, wealth, and poverty in American society and gauge the effects of federal and state programs on the well-being of families and individuals. There are three basic elements contained in the survey. The first is a control card that records basic social and demographic characteristics for each person in a household, as well as changes in such characteristics over the course of the interviewing period. The second element is the core portion of the questionnaire, with questions repeated at each interview on labor force activity, types and amounts of income, participation in various cash and noncash benefit programs, attendance in postsecondary schools, private health insurance coverage, public or subsidized rental housing, low-income energy assistance, and school breakfast and lunch participation. The third element consists of topical modules, which are series of supplemental questions asked during selected household visits. A topical module was not created for the first wave of the 1986 panel. The topical module for Wave II is considered a Personal History topical module. It includes data on fertility, marital status, migration, recipiency of transfer payments, employment, work disability, and education and training history. Data on family background and household relationships are also provided. Wave III topical module concerns child care arrangements, child support agreements, support for nonhousehold members, job offers, health status and utilization of health care services, long-term care, and disability status of children. Wave IV topical module includes data on assets and liabilities, real estate property and vehicles, retirement expectations and pension plans. The topical module for Wave V includes questions on educational financing and enrollment. Wave VI topical module covers child care arrangements, child support agreements, support for nonhousehold members, work related expenses, housing costs, and energy usage. Wave VII topical module covers assets and liabilities.

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 1996 Panel, Longitudinal Files

This data collection contains basic demographic, social, and economic data for each member of interviewed households during the 12 waves of the 1996 panel of SIPP.

Variables include age, sex, race, ethnic origin, marital status, household relationship, education, and veteran status. Limited data are provided on housing unit characteristics such as number of units in structure, tenure, access, and complete kitchen facilities.

Core questions, repeated at each interview, cover monthly labor force activity, types and amounts of monthly income, and participation in various cash and noncash benefit programs for each month of the survey period. Data for employed persons include number of hours and weeks worked, earnings, and weeks without a job. Nonworkers are classified as unemployed or not in the labor force. In addition to income data associated with labor force activity, nearly 50 other types of income data are provided. Core data also include post-secondary school attendance, public or private subsidized rental housing, low-income energy assistance, and school breakfast and lunch participation. Several variables are included for use in identifying longitudinal households and persons in them and to aid in analysis.

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