Monitoring the Future (MTF) Restricted-Use Cross-Sectional Datasets

This data collection is part of the Monitoring the Future series that explores changes in important values, behaviors, and lifestyle orientations of contemporary American youth in eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades. The collection provides multiple datasets for each year since 1976 that are accessible only through the ICPSR Virtual Data Enclave (VDE). These restricted datasets include the variables that are omitted from or truncated in the MTF public-use files. Examples of variables in the restricted-use files include: the full set of response options for respondent race/ethnicity, the unaltered sample weight, the sampling stratum and cluster, and school-level geographic codes (e.g. FIPS state and county codes, zip code). Use of the geographic identifiers such as state or zip code is limited. Researchers interested in these variables are encouraged to read FAQs: MTF Restricted-Use Geographic Variables.

Also included as part of each annual collection is a zip archive of the Monitoring the Future public-use data and documentation for each respective year. The basic research design used by the Monitoring the Future study involves annual data collections from eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders throughout the coterminous United States during the spring of each year. Identical forms are used for both eighth and tenth grades, and for the most part, questionnaire content is drawn from the twelfth-grade questionnaires. Thus, key demographic variables and measures of drug use and related attitudes and beliefs are generally identical for all three grades.

For more information, visit the Monitoring the Future Web site.

Years Produced: Annually. These restricted-use data are available from NAHDAP and accessible only in the ICPSR Virtual Data Enclave (VDE). A copy of the corresponding public-use data for each relevant year is provided along with the restricted-use data inside the VDE. Note that the 1975 data are not available.

For information about the MTF Public-Use Data and to download files, see Monitoring the Future (MTF) Public-Use Cross-Sectional Datasets.

For Researchers

• NIDA: High School and Youth Trends
• FAQs: MTF Restricted-Use Geographic and Other Variables
• MTF Race/Ethnicity variables through 2005 are now available. There are two data sets available for the race/ethnicity variable in the earlier years of the MTF study: one for BX (8th/10th grades) for the years 1991-2005, and one for BY (12th grade) for the years 1976-2005. See the study documentation for details.
• NOTE: Be sure to select Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth, 1976-2005: Race-Ethnicity Data [Restricted Use] (ICPSR 39699) when requesting restricted-use data before 2006.