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The MTF study consists of six different survey forms (forms 1-5 began in 1976; form 6 was added in 1989). This study contains the data for Form 3 longitudinal panel participants. The MTF Form 3 Panel dataset includes data for the base year (BY) 12th grade surveys (modal age 18) and their young adult follow-up FU surveys (modal ages 19-30).

In addition to demographic-related questions and questions about lifetime, annual, and 30-day substance use that are included on all survey forms, Form 3 also includes questions covering:

• Attitudes toward governmental policies and practices
• Dating and marriage: status, attitudes, expectations
• Ecological concerns, conservation of resources
• Happiness; satisfaction with life domains and self
• Health symptoms, healthy behaviors, COVID-19
• Leisure time, including computer, cell phone, and social media use
• Local and global concerns
• Methods of marijuana use
• Own attitudes and perceptions about substance use
• Parenthood: attitudes, expectations
• Perceived friends' substance use
• Perceived risk of substance use
• Race relations
• Substance use consequences (alcohol, marijuana/cannabis, other illicit drugs)

NOTE: In 2020, school-based data collection was halted due to COVID-19. BY sample sizes were affected, and data for some questions on forms 2 and 3 were suppressed. The list of variables affected is found in the 2020 12th grade Codebook available through NAHDAP.

Please see the study documentation available on the MTF Panel series page for question-specific details, including content areas included in all survey forms.

NOTE: Researchers are encouraged to begin their work with the "core" data file, NAHDAP study 39223. Please see the User's Guide, IV. Working with the MTF Restricted Panel Data, for details.

More information about the MTF project can be accessed through the Monitoring the Future website. Annual reports are published by the research team, describing the data collection and trends over time.