New York City Longitudinal Survey of Well-Being (Poverty Tracker), 2015-2018 (ICPSR 38062)

Version Date: Aug 11, 2021

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Principal Investigator(s):
Irwin Garfinkel, Columbia University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38062.v1

Version V1

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Alternate Title

NYC-LSW Poverty Tracker

Summary

The New York City Longitudinal Survey of Wellbeing (NYC-LSW) also known as the Poverty Tracker (PT) is a study of disadvantage in New York City. Launched in 2012, the Poverty Tracker surveys a representative sample of New Yorkers every three months collecting data on the dynamics of poverty and other forms of disadvantage. The Poverty Tracker covers two distinct panels. The first panel collected from 2012-2015 following 2,286 New Yorkers and the second panel which follows 3,908 New Yorkers. Collection of the second panel of data began in 2015 after respondents took the Community Health Survey with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

In the first panel (n=2286) the majority of respondents were recruited by landline and mobile phone using random digit dialing (n=2002). Landline phone numbers from zip codes where more than 20% of residents live in poverty based on the 2000 US Census were oversampled. An additional sample (n=226) was recruited from 14 social service agencies randomly selected from a list of all agencies funded by the Robin Hood Foundation. The agency sample allowed the oversampling of low-income persons who utilize social services. An additional sample (n=58) of respondents randomly selected from homes in zip codes affected by Hurricane Sandy were also recruited. Respondents who joined the panel study were surveyed at baseline in late 2012 and early 2013. Follow-up interviews were conducted in English and Spanish every 3 months over a 2-year period. Surveys were 10-20 minutes in length. Persons recruited from social service agencies who did not have a stable telephone number were offered cell phones and paid phone service in lieu of monetary compensation.

The second panel (n=3908), began collection in Spring 2015 after respondents participated in the Community Health Survey administered by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which was also sampled using random digit dialing (n=3403). Again, this sample contains an additional subsample (n=505) from 26 randomly selected Robin Hood-funded social service agencies designed to provide an oversample of New Yorkers engaged in social services. Follow-up interviews were conducted in English and Spanish every 3 months over a 6-year period. Surveys are 10-25 minutes in length. Persons recruited from social service agencies who did not have a stable telephone number were offered cell phones and paid phone service in lieu of monetary compensation.

Citation

Garfinkel, Irwin. New York City Longitudinal Survey of Well-Being (Poverty Tracker), 2015-2018. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2021-08-11. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38062.v1

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Funding

Robin Hood Foundation

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

Borough

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2015 -- 2018

Date of Collection

2015-04 -- 2018-09

Data Collection Notes

  1. Please see the New York City Longitudinal Survey of Well-Being (Poverty Tracker), 2012-2015 (ICPSR 37406) for the data from the first panel.
  2. Additional information on the New York City Longitudinal Survey of Well-Being (Poverty Tracker) can be found at the New York Poverty Tracker Web site.
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Study Purpose

The purpose of this study was to provide a more accurate picture of poverty in New York City.

Sample

Panel 2 includes two sample frames and a biennial refresh:

  1. An initial sample recruited by Abt SRBI from among New Yorkers who completed the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Community Health Survey, a random-digit dialing sample survey fielded in 2015 (n=3,403).
  2. An agency sample randomly selected among service users at Robin Hood funded social service agencies (n=505).
  3. In 2017, the second panel was refreshed with 853 respondents, recruited by Abt SRBI using a random digit dialing survey. The sample will continue to be refreshed every few years with roughly 2,000 new respondents.

Time Method

Longitudinal: Panel

Universe

New York City adult population in 2015.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables

The initial survey collects detailed information on income, material hardships, and health and well-being. This survey is repeated every 12 months and used to track trends in disadvantage in New York City. The quarterly surveys in between the annual surveys focus on additional topics and capture changes in circumstances around household composition, employment, and other major events in order to understand how New Yorkers are faring over time. At times, modules on additional topics are added to quarterly surveys to leverage time-sensitive research opportunities and assess specific policy outcomes.

Response Rates

  • 3,908 respondents participated in the baseline survey.
  • 3,507 or 90% participated in the 3-month follow-up survey.
  • 3,346 or 86% participated in the 6-month follow-up survey.
  • 3,254 or 83% participated in the 9-month follow-up survey.
  • 3,182 or 81% participated in the 12-month follow-up survey.
  • 3,108 or 80% participated in the 15-month follow-up survey.
  • 2,960 or 76% participated in the 18-month follow-up survey.
  • 2,931 or 75% participated in the 21-month follow-up survey.
  • 2,952 or 76% participated in the 24-month follow-up survey.

Presence of Common Scales

Several Likert type scales were used.

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Original Release Date

2021-08-11

Version History

2021-08-11 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Created online analysis version with question text.

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Weight

There are two types of weights for each wave. There are the person-level weights and the poverty unit weights. The person-level weight represents all NYC adults. The poverty unit weight represents all NYC poverty units. If you multiply the poverty unit weight by personx (number of people in the household) it will be representative of NYC including both adults and children.

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.