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The Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) survey series is an ongoing, nationally representative, longitudinal study focusing especially on differences between Black and White Americans in middle and late life. These data constitute the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth waves in a panel survey covering a wide range of sociological, psychological, mental, and physical health items. Wave I of the study began in 1986 with a nation face-to-face survey of 3,617 adults ages 25 and up, with Black Americans and people aged 60 and over over-sampled at twice the rate of the others. Wave II constitutes face-to-face re-interviews in 1989 of those still alive. Survivors have been re-interviewed by telephone, and when necessary face-to-face, in 1994 (Wave III), 2001/02 (Wave IV), 2011 (Wave V), and 2019/21 (Wave VI).

Please note that for Wave VI, the majority of data collection occurred in 2019, with only a small subset (n=39) of participants surveyed in 2021.

ACL was designed and sought to investigate the following: (1) The ways in which a wide range of activities and social relationships that people engage in are broadly "productive," (2) how individuals adapt to acute life events and chronic stresses that threaten the maintenance of health, effective functioning, and productive activity, and (3) sociocultural variations in the nature, meaning, determinants, and consequences of productive activity and relationships. Among the topics covered are interpersonal relationships (spouse/partner, children, parents, friends), sources and levels of satisfaction, social interactions and leisure activities, traumatic life events (physical assault, serious illness, divorce, death of a loved one, financial or legal problems), perceptions of retirement, health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight, rest), and utilization of health care services (doctor visits, hospitalization, nursing home institutionalization, bed days). Also included are measures of physical health, psychological well-being, and indices referring to cognitive functioning.

Demographic information provided for individuals includes household composition, number of children and grandchildren, employment status, occupation and work history, income, family financial situation, religious beliefs and practices, ethnicity, race, education, sex, and region of residence.

In 2005, 592 African Americans from Milwaukee were added to the MIDUS sample to examine health issues in minority populations (for more details, see Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 2): Milwaukee African American Sample [ICPSR #22840]). Respondents were interviewed in their homes using a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) survey protocol and asked to complete and return a Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ). Afterwards these individuals were eligible for participation in the same research protocol as the national MIDUS 2 sample, including cognitive, daily stress, biomarker, and neuroscience projects.

With support from the National Institute on Aging, a second wave of survey data collection on the Milwaukee sample was begun in 2016. The survey consisted of a 2.5 hour CAPI interview followed by a 45-page mailed SAQ. CAPI survey data was collected for 389 individuals, realizing a 78 percent response rate, adjusted for mortality and other eligibility criteria. Data collection for this follow-up wave largely repeated baseline assessments, with additional questions in selected areas (e.g., economic recession experiences, childhood experience with race, etc.). Following successful completion of the CAPI and SAQ protocols, individuals were eligible for participation in cognitive, daily stress, biomarker, and neuroscience projects.

In 2012-2013, the MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher study recruited a sample of 508 Milwaukee African American adults, aged 25 to 64, designed to replenish the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS 2): Milwaukee African American Sample, 2005-2006 (ICPSR 22840). This sample was also designed to increase the number of racial minorities included in the broader MIDUS study. The MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher survey employed the same assessments (demographic, psycho-social, and physical and mental health) as those assembled on the existing MIDUS sample, but with additional questions about the effect of the economic recession of 2008-09. A sample of African Americans from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, was stratified by age, gender, and income.

Area probability sampling methods were used to identify potential respondents. Field interviewers screened households to determine if they contained any African American adults. There was additional screening to achieve an appropriate age/gender distribution in a manner similar to what was done for the original MIDUS sample (Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 1), 1995-1996 [ICPSR 2760]). Milwaukee respondents were interviewed in their homes using a 2.5-hour Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) protocol and afterwards asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ). All measures paralleled those used in the larger MIDUS samples. In addition to successful completion of the survey, participants were asked to complete a cognitive assessment by phone. Some respondents were eligible to participate in additional MIDUS projects: daily diary assessments, biomarker assessments, and neuroscience assessments.

In 2012-2013, the MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher study recruited a sample of 508 Milwaukee African American adults, aged 25 to 64, designed to replenish the original MIDUS Milwaukee 1 survey that was designed to increase the number of racial minorities in 2005. The MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher survey employed the same comprehensive assessments (demographic, psycho-social, and physical and mental health) as those on the existing MIDUS sample, with additional questions about the effect of the Great Recession in 2008-09.

In 2023-2024, the second wave of survey data was collected from 327 longitudinal Refresher Milwaukee participants, including the questions (1) repeated from the Refresher 1, (2) new impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic replacing the questions related to the Great Recession in the Refresher 1, and (3) the additional questions in selected areas (e.g., AD8, IADL, family history of dementia). This new longitudinal MIDUS Refresher Milwaukee data allow examination of period effects on health and well-being related to the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing the pre-pandemic MIDUS Refresher Milwaukee 1 data with the post-pandemic MIDUS Refresher Milwaukee 2 data. Further, the longitudinal MIDUS Refresher datasets (wave 1 and wave 2) allow investigation of the two major macro-level historic events, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, on health and well-being.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans, as well as to provide information on their savings and investment habits and perceptions of government. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' assessments of their financial status relative to the previous year, their views of the government in Washington, the need for governmental changes, military spending, government support for Black people, and their satisfaction with their income and their jobs, as well as their opinion of married women working outside the home, women's liberation, and penalties for marijuana use. Information is also provided on respondents' political party identification, time spent with their children, savings accounts, contributions to charitable organizations, and car ownership and plans to buy a new one. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, ethnic group, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' degree of satisfaction with the amount of money in their savings accounts, their assessment of their financial status relative to the previous year, and their opinion of the relative merits of small cars and standard full-size cars and small foreign and American cars. Information is also provided on respondents' political party identification and present car ownership and plans for a new one. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' opinions of their health relative to that of other people in their age group, the relative merits of small and standard full-size cars as well as of small foreign cars and small American cars, the long-term cost and durability of certain household appliances, their satisfaction with the amount of money they had in savings, their satisfaction with life in the United States and with their lives in general, the United States government's help to the South Vietnamese government, and the seriousness of Arab nations' intentions regarding peace with Israel. Additional topics covered include a solution to the energy crisis, penalties for smoking marijuana, freedom to make uncomplimentary public speeches, communism in the United States and free speech, causes of crime and lawlessness, the role of government in improving the quality of life of the people, job satisfaction, monetary drive of lawyers and doctors and the state of the public good, and unionization of workers, as well as their financial status relative to the previous year and relative to that of their parents at a comparable age. Information is also provided on respondents' car ownership and the make and use of it, religious group affiliation, hobbies, political influence, political party identification, and self-identified ideological position. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, religion, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans, as well as to provide information on consumer ideas of social change, the care of physically challenged parents, grandparents, and spouse, and labor unions. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' opinions of their health relative to that of other people of their age group, their financial status relative to the previous year and to that of their parents at a comparable age, their job satisfaction, satisfaction with life in the United States and with treatment from public officials, and the role of government in improving the quality of life of the people. Other topics covered included government support for the rights of Black people, racial desegregation, Black empowerment, causes of crime and lawlessness, and the relative merits of small and standard full-size cars and small foreign and American cars. Data are also provided on respondents' perceptions of violence, policemen, social change, and Black protesters, and their assessment of the relative importance of equality, human dignity, respect for property and the law, freedom, and financial security for self and loved ones. Information is also provided on respondents' political party candidate preference and their self-identified ideological position, membership in unions and professional associations, the effect of the Landrum-Griffin Act on the running of unions, respondents' car ownership and the make and use of it, income tax refunds, and the state of health of respondents' parents, grandparents, and spouse. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, religion, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' opinions of the United States government's help to the South Vietnamese government, the seriousness of Arab nations' intentions regarding peace with Israel, women's right to abortion, voting for a woman or a Jew as a presidential candidate, gun permit law, causes of crime and lawlessness, chances of Russian adherence to a nuclear weapons limitation agreement with the United States, and communism in the United States and free speech. Additional topics covered include the proposed government tax returns, a solution to the energy crisis, the relative merits of buying a new or used car and the relative value of small foreign cars and the small American cars, job pay satisfaction, penalties for smoking marijuana, freedom to make uncomplimentary public speeches, monetary drive of lawyers and doctors and the state of the public good, satisfaction with life in the United States, government's expected role in racial integration and relations between white and Black people, vacation plans, and respondents' assessment of their financial status relative to the previous year. Information is also provided on respondents' car ownership and the make and use of it, political party self-identification and party candidate vote preference, self-identified ideological position, the neighborhood and house structure respondents live in, and spending plans for their income tax refunds. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, occupation, employment status, religion, and family income.