Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) Series

collection: series

Investigator(s): University of Michigan. Survey Research Center

Studies

7

Variables

80,629

Publications

15

About this Collection

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) is the world’s longest running nationally representative household panel survey. With more than 50 years of data on the same families and their descendants, this collection is a cornerstone of the data infrastructure for empirically based social science research in the U.S. PSID gathers data on the family as a whole and on individuals residing within the family, emphasizing the dynamic and interactive aspects of family economics, demography, and health. Information was collected annually from 1968-1997 and biennially after 1997, with the main goal of identifying what causes family income to rise above or fall below the poverty line. PSID data can be used for cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intergenerational analysis and for studying both individuals and families. In the Main Interview one person per family is interviewed on a regular basis. Information about each family member is collected, but much greater detail is obtained about the reference person and, if married/cohabitating, the spouse or long-term cohabitor. Covered topics include employment, income, wealth, expenditures, health education, marriage, childbearing, philanthropy, and others. The Child Development Supplement (CDS) provides data on children and their extended families that may be used to study the dynamic process of early human and social capital formation. The first CDS study included up to two children per household who were 0 to 12 years old in 1997, and followed these children over three waves, ending in 2007-2008. The Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS) began in 2005 to follow children from the original CDS cohort into young adulthood, collecting six waves of data through 2015. The TAS collects information on many topics, including psychological functioning, family formation, fertility-related behavior, cohabitation, childhood adversity, computer skills, responsibilities, employment and income, education and career goals, and health. Both supplements were relaunched in 2014 (CDS) and 2017 (TAS) to follow all PSID sample children throughout their life course until they enter the Main Sample as members of their own independent economic units. Finally, the Disability and Use of Time Supplement (DUST) collected information in 2009 and 2013 to investigate the connections between disability, time use, and well-being for older adults.

A repository of PSID data extracts, created from PSID public-use data, is also available through the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Repository.

Note: Files housed in the ICPSR repository are not regularly updated. For current data, users should consult the data owners via Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) directly for details on obtaining these files.

Studies

7 results

Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID): Transition into Adulthood Supplement, 2021

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The data are not archived at ICPSR. Users should consult the data owners (via PSID) directly for details on obtaining the data.

The Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS), started in 2005 and collected biennially through 2021, captures data on the development pathways and outcomes of children who participated in the 1997 PSID Child Development Supplement as they transition into young adulthood. Beginning in 2017, all PSID sampled children entering early adulthood are eligible to participate in the TAS. For information about these earlier data collections, see Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID): Transition into Adulthood Supplement, 2005-2019.

In 2021, the TAS was updated to include information about COVID-19 incidence and the effects of the pandemic.

Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID): Main Interview, 2021

The PSID is the world's longest-running nationally representative household panel survey. With over 50 years of data on the same families and their descendants, the PSID is a cornerstone of the data infrastructure for empirically based social science research in the U.S. PSID gathers data on the family as a whole and on individuals residing within the family, emphasizing the dynamic and interactive aspects of family economics, demography, and health. PSID data were collected annually from 1968-1997 and biennially after 1997.

In the Main Interview, one person per family is interviewed on a regular basis. Information about each family member is collected, but much greater detail is obtained about the reference person and, if married/cohabitating, the spouse or long-term cohabitor. Survey content changes to reflect evolving scientific and policy priorities, although many content areas have been consistently measured since 1968. Information includes employment, income, wealth, expenditures, time use, health, dementia screener, insurance, education, marriage, childbearing, philanthropy, and numerous other topics. Additional types of PSID data are available only under a restricted contract. These include but are not limited to: geospatial data below the level of state; mortality data; Medicare claims; and educational characteristics from the National Center for Education Statistics.

With low attrition and high success in following young adults as they form their own families, the sample size has grown from roughly 5,000 families in 1968 to more than 9,000 families and 24,000 individuals by 2021. Over the course of the study, the PSID has distributed data on more than 84,000 individuals. The long panel, genealogical design, and broad content of the data offer unique opportunities to conduct generational and life-course research.

The PSID now contains thousands of inter- and intragenerational relationships over 50 years of data, including (as of the 2021 wave):

  • "Paired" generational relationships, with each family in the pair providing independent interviews
    • Parent-Adult Child pairs: ~4,300
    • Sibling pairs: ~5,200
    • Cousin pairs: ~5,400
  • "Tripled" generational relationships, with all three generations providing independent interviews
    • Grandparent-Parent-Adult Child triplets: ~1,000

For information about earlier data collections, see Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID): Main Interview, 1968-2015.

In 2021, the main interview was updated to include questions about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including: loss of earnings, US government stimulus payments, charitable giving, participants' exposure to COVID-19, and vaccination status.

Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID): Child Development Supplement, 2020-2021

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The data are not archived at ICPSR. Users should consult the data owners (via PSID) directly for details on obtaining the data. The Child Development Supplement (CDS) to the longitudinal survey Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) focuses on child development, and covers such topics as school progress, academic achievement and cognitive ability, social well-being, emotional well-being, and health.

CDS-2021 was designed as a two-year follow-up to a main wave of CDS conducted in 2019 in order to support research on the effects of a cohort of children aged 2-17 years in 2021 for whom prior interview data in CDS-2019 were collected just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

The original CDS was launched in 1997 with a cohort of children aged 0-12 years, with follow-up waves in 2002 and 2007. CDS in 2014 and 2019 collected information on the next generation of PSID children aged 0-17 years in each wave. For information about these earlier data collections, see Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID): Child Development Supplement, 1997-2019.

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