Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (8th- and 10th-Grade Surveys), 2024 (ICPSR 39445)
Version Date: Oct 30, 2025 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Richard A. Miech, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research. Survey Research Center;
Lloyd D. Johnston, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research. Survey Research Center;
Megan E. Patrick, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research. Survey Research Center;
Patrick M. O'Malley, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research. Survey Research Center
Series:
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39445.v1
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Additional details may be in the Version History or Data Collection Notes fields of the study metadata.
2025-10-30 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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Summary View help for Summary
These surveys of 8th- and 10th-grade students are part of a series that explores changes in important values, behaviors, and lifestyle orientations of contemporary American youth. Students in each grade are randomly assigned to complete one of four questionnaires, each with a different subset of topical questions but containing a set of "core" questions on demographics and substance use. There are more than 450 variables across the questionnaires. Substance use covered by this survey includes: amphetamines (stimulants), sedatives/barbiturates (tranquilizers), other prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, vaping, tobacco, smokeless tobacco, alcohol, inhalants, steroids, marijuana, hashish, LSD, hallucinogens, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, methamphetamine, and injectable drugs such as heroin.
Highlights for 2024:
- The MTF sampling design used through 2023 was updated in 2024: Please see the Highlights for 2024 section in the User Guide for more details.
- Changes to many substance use questions across all survey forms: Please see the Highlights for 2024 section in the User Guide for more details.
- Additional information is documented in the doc39445-0001_MTFQChanges2024byForm.pdf and doc39445-0001_MTFQChanges2024byType.pdf files available for download.
- The ICPSR-generated codebooks contain only the frequencies, question text, and response options for the survey items. Please see 39445-0001-User_guide-UsersGuide.pdf for the annual study documentation provided by MTF.
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Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Smallest Geographic Unit View help for Smallest Geographic Unit
Census Region
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
Users are reminded that these data are to be used solely for statistical analysis and reporting of aggregated information and not for the investigation of specific individuals.
Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)
Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)
Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
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This study was conducted by the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.
- Subsequent to a significant change made in 2012, the data files from the two grades and four forms are merged to create a single file. The variables V3 and V501 designate the form number and grade, respectively. The end of each variable label lists the form(s) on which the question appeared. The missing value (-8) is used to distinguish those cases where the question corresponding to a given variable was not asked on a particular form.
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To protect the anonymity of respondents, all variables that could be used to identify individuals have been collapsed or recoded in the public use files. These modifications are noted in the codebook. They should not affect analytic uses of the public use files.
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Variables omitted from the Western region questionnaires are noted in the codebook.
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A cross-time question index is included with the available documentation for the MTF 8th- and 10th-grade data. The document is sorted by subject area and covers the time period 1991 to 2024.
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Frequency and percentage distributions displayed in the 2024 codebook are unweighted, rather than weighted as they had been in previous years. This change was made to simplify both the production of the codebook and their interpretation by the analyst.
- As referenced in the UsersGuide two PDF documents have been included for download to help provide additional context and understanding to data users. These documents provided by the Principal Investigators detail changes in 2024 to the questionnaires. One document is organized by form. The other document is organized by change (dropped items, added items, changes to response categories, and changes to the text of the question). Each document covers changes for both the 8th/10th grade and 12th grade data. Therefore, the exact same documents are available for download with the 12th grade data (ICPSR 39444).
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MTF does not release detailed geography codes in its public use files because of the disclosure risk it would cause. The MTF sample is drawn to generate representative samples of the four Census Bureau regions of the country (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West), but it does not generate representative samples of smaller geographic areas such as states, counties, or cities. For additional information about data that are withheld from the public use files, please see the study codebook.
- For further information about Monitoring the Future please visit their web site. The site provides links to more publications, press releases, and data findings.
Study Design View help for Study Design
A total of 17,351 students completed a survey in 2024. There were 7,460 8th graders and 9,891 10th graders. The number of students completing each form were:
- Form 1: 5,797
- Form 2: 5,749
- Form 3: 2,871
- Form 4: 2,934
The split is approximately equal between forms completed by 8th graders and 10th graders.
In 2024, MTF continued the web-based survey administration. Depending on the school, surveys were completed in-person, remotely, or a combination of modes, and MTF survey proctors were permitted in the classrooms.
Sample View help for Sample
The MTF sample is drawn to generate nationally-representative samples of each grade. All three grades, 8, 10, and 12, are sampled independently, with no school representing more than one grade, resulting in three separate and independent, nationally representative samples each year.
A two-stage stratified random sampling procedure was used involving (1) selection of schools within geographic areas, and (2) selection of students within sampled schools. Generally speaking, in schools with more than 350 students in the target grade, a sample of students or classes was drawn. In schools with less than 350 students in the target grade, all were asked to participate unless logistical challenges required a sample be taken. Each school was asked to participate for three years so that each year one-third of the sample would be replaced. Schools declining participation were replaced with similar schools in terms of geographic location, size, and type of school (e.g., public, private/Catholic, private/non-Catholic). The participation rate among 8th and 10th grade schools has been between 78 and 91 percent since the inception of the study.
Note: The MTF sampling design used through 2023 was updated in 2024. For details, please see the MTF annual report.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Enrolled 8th- and 10th-grade students in the contiguous United States.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The downloadable data file contains a total of 609 variables (600 survey questions, 9 administrative variables). Not all of the 600 survey questions were asked on each form.
All of the survey questions are categorical in nature. The majority of questions fall into one of seven types of response options.
- Yes / No
- Marked / Not Marked
- Agree / Disagree scale (5 point)
- Disapproval scale (3 point)
- Risk scale (4 point)
- Frequency of days (6 point)
- Frequency of use (7 point)
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
The student response rates for the 2024 8th- and 10th-grade surveys were 89 percent and 85 percent, respectively.
HideOriginal Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2025-10-30
Version History View help for Version History
2025-10-30 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.
Weight View help for Weight
The file contains a weight variable, V5. It originally varied by school but was modified to protect respondent confidentiality. Users should include the weight variable in all analyses, the results of which will differ slightly from published data tables that used original data.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: As the MTF respondents are sampled using a two-stage stratified random sampling procedure, it is often desirable to incorporate the complex sample design information into analyses. However, in order to protect respondent confidentiality, the variables that represent the complex sample design of the MTF, i.e., sampling stratum and cluster, are omitted from the public use files. For researchers who wish to incorporate the unaltered weight variable and complex sample design variables into their analyses, these variables are accessible through restricted access from NAHDAP. Please see Monitoring the Future (MTF) Restricted-Use Cross-Sectional Datasets for details.
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