Data
Data for public use are available online for the following surveys:
- Chicago Health and Social Life Survey
- Chinese Health and Family Life Survey
- National Health and Social Life Survey
- Taiwan Women and Family Studies
Converting Project Data
Web-based project data are viewable in various formats: Stata, SPSS, and SAS.
Technical questions about the data or documentation should be referred to the Data Archive at the Social Science Reasearch Computing Center at the University of Chicago, sscs-data-archive@listhost.uchicago.edu
Public use data is also available online from both the NORC Data Enclave and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).
NORC Data Enclave
The NORC Data Enclave exists to provide researchers with secure access to microdata and protect confidentiality, as well as index, curate and archive data. The NORC Data Enclave provides authorized researchers with remote access to microdata using the most secure methods to protect confidentiality. This is achieved by implementing technological security, applying statistical protections, enforcing legal requirements, and training researchers. The NORC Data Enclave also ensures that valuable data are preserved for the long term by documenting the data using DDI-compliant metadata standards. In addition, the Enclave engages the research community in developing a knowledge infrastructure around each dataset through its research “collaboratory”, which enables geographically dispersed researchers to collaborate and share information by means of wikis and blogs.
The Data Enclave currently houses five datasets, two of which are NORC datasets. To gain access to any of the NORC Enclave datasets, contact Tim Mulcahy, Senior Research Scientist and Principal Investigator of the Data Enclave, at mulcahy-tim[at]norc.org. The Anne E. Casey Foundation “Making Connections” study and the National Science Foundation “Survey of Earned Doctorates” are both available from the NORC Data Enclave.
Online Resources: NORC Data Enclave Website
- Making Connections
Project Director:
Catherine Haggerty, Associate Director and Senior Research Associate, NORC Economics, Labor, and Population Studies Department
Abstract:
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connections initiative is a collaboration of local organizations and residents designed to strengthen families and improve neighborhoods. The collaboration is based in a two generation approach to alleviating poverty and creating opportunities for families.
Between August 2002 and April 2004, ten Making Connections neighborhoods participated in the baseline data collection. NORC interviewers completed approximately 800 in-person interviews in the five Cohort I sites: Denver, Des Moines, Indianapolis, San Antonio, and White Center (Seattle). For each Cohort II site, which included Hartford, Milwaukee, Oakland, Providence, and Louisville, NORC interviewers completed approximately 700 in-person interviews. NORC’s Telephone Survey Operations Department also completed approximately 700 random digit dial (RDD) city-wide control sample interviews in each of these ten sites. Baseline data were used to evaluate important factors such as neighborhood conditions, services used by residents, family economics, and the health and education of neighborhood children.
NORC returned to all ten neighborhood sites between 2005 and 2007 to complete a second interview with the same families. In 2008, a third wave of data collection began in Des Moines, Indianapolis, Denver, and San Antonio. In 2009 and in early 2010 NORC collected data in White Center (Seattle) and Providence. Data was collected in Louisville in 2011. These three waves of data will be used to evaluate local efforts to improve the community and to inform the development of future initiatives.
The Making Connections Survey is the collaborative effort of many organizations: NORC, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Urban Institute, Local Management Entities, and research advisors. The Cross-Site Indicators Database is available from the data collected from the Making Connections initiative and includes county, city, and neighborhood data.
Online resources:
Making Connections Survey Website
Making Connections Data Access
- Survey of Earned Doctorates
Project Director:
Mary Ann Latter, Senior Survey Director, NORC Education and Child Development Department
Abstract:
The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is a federal agency survey conducted by NORC for the National Science Foundation and five other federal agencies (National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, National Endowment for the Humanities, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
The SED gathers information annually from 45,000 new U.S. research doctorate graduates about their educational histories, funding sources, and post-doctoral plans. Each year the SED data are added to a larger historical record of doctorate-degree graduates, the Doctorate Records File (DRF). Begun in 1920, the DRF contains annual information used to track the number of graduates in various fields; the educational paths of scientists, engineers, and humanists; movement of graduates into the labor market; and similar information.
Online Resources:
Survey of Earned Doctorates Website
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is a conglomeration of 700 academic and research institutions. The Consortium works to provide training and education in access to data, as well as curate and analyze data. A particular focus of the ICPSR is digital archiving of data, in an attempt to provide data for secondary analysis, preserve it, assure its integrity and make sure people have access to the data. The data archive at the ICPSR includes over 500,000 data files related to fields in social science research, including research topics of interest to PRC scholars: education, aging, criminal justice, and substance abuse. The data is collected and accessible in a number of ways. In collaboration with other agencies, the ICPSR has developed thematic collections of data. These listings of datasets are thematically arranged by topics including: Aging; Criminal Justice; Demographic Data; Education; Health and Mental Health; Instructional Data; International; Race and Ethnicity; and Terrorism. The over 500,000 data files can also be can be specifically searched by geography, topic, investigators, series or the recency of update or addition to the files. Specific files are also available for analysis online. The online analysis capabilities include searching for variables of interest, reviewing frequencies and summary statistics, producing summary statistics and charts, and viewing electronic codebooks. The ICPSR is also focused on providing education on topics of data use, supporting internships, and providing information on employing data in undergraduate education.
Access to data is determined by multiple factors. All researchers must register with a MyData account through ICPSR website. Once the account is established and with an IP address from an ICPSR member institution, academics, students, and other researchers can download the data directly from the ICPSR. Data is available for download for the general public through the thematic collections listed on the website. Certain datasets are restricted use, with specified use policies. NORC datasets available from the ICPSR include both recent and past surveys. The surveys listed below are all non-restricted use, NORC produced datasets.
Online Resources:
ICPSR Website
Available Datasets:
500 Family Study [1998-2000 United States]
Comparative Study of Community Decision-Making
General Social Survey 1972-2010
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
National Organizations Survey
National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP)
Sloan Study of Youth and Development (1992-1997)
- 500 Family Study [1998-2000 United States]
Principal Investigators:
Barbara Schneider, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Department of Sociology, Michigan State University
Linda J. Waite, Lucy Flower Professor of Urban Sociology in the Department of Sociology, University of Chicago
Survey Date: 1997-2001
Abstract:
The 500 Family Study was designed to obtain in-depth information on middle class, dual-career families living in the United States. To understand the complex dynamics of today's families and the strategies they use to balance the demands of work and family, over 500 families from eight cities across the United States were studied. To address different issues facing parents with older and younger children, families with adolescents and families with kindergartners were included in the sample. Working mothers and fathers are now splitting their time between their responsibilities to their family, and to their respective occupations. This study of 500 families explores how work affects the lives and well-being of parents and their children.
Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04549 - General Social Surveys, 1972-2008 [Cumulative Files]
Principal Investigators:
James A. Davis, Visiting Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago
Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey, National Opinion Research Center
Peter V. Marsden, Edith and Benjamin Geisinger Professor of Sociology, Dean of Social Science, Harvard College Professor, Harvard University
Survey Date: 1972-2010
Abstract:
The General Social Surveys (GSS) were designed as part of a data diffusion project in 1972. The GSS replicated questionnaire items and wording in order to facilitate time-trend studies. This data collection includes a cumulative file that merges all 25 General Social Surveys into a single file containing data from 1972 to 2008. The 2008 surveys included nine topical modules: knowledge about and attitude towards science, self-employment, Jewish identity, social inequality, terrorism preparedness, global economics, CDC high risk behaviors, sexual orientation, and clergy sex. The International Social Survey Program (ISSP) module included in the 2008 survey was religion. Specific topics included social-welfare and economic regulation, civil liberties, spending priorities, and political efficacy. The data also contain several variables describing the demographic characteristics of the respondents.
Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR25962.v2
- National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997
Principal Investigators:
Robert Michael (1995-1998), Eliakim Hastings Moore Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, Dean Emeritus, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
James Walker (1998-2005), Professor, Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dan A. Black (2005-present), Professor & Deputy Dean, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago & Senior Fellow, National Opinion Research Center
Survey Date: 1997-2003
Abstract:
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) is one of six surveys, designed by the United States Department of Labor, comprising the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) Series. Created to be representative of United States residents in 1997 who were born between the years of 1980 and 1984, the NLSY97 documents the transition from school to work experienced by today's youths through seven rounds of data collection spanning the time period 1997-2003. The majority of the oldest cohort members (age 16 as of December 31, 1996) were still in school during the first survey round and the youngest respondents (age 12) had not yet entered the labor market. The NLSY97 addresses eleven main topics of interest including: employment, schooling, vocational training, income and assets, family formation, family background, future expectations, attitudes, behaviors, and time use, health, political participation, and environmental characteristics. Respondents were asked about their employment status including hours worked per week, job history, benefits, job satisfaction, freelance employment opportunities, occupation and pay during military service, and periods of unemployment. Respondents were also asked about their education history, current enrollment status, high school curriculum, whether they received a diploma or GED, participation in any school-based learning programs, whether they attended college or university and whether or not they graduated, the cost of tuition, their grade point average, and field of study. Respondents were asked to give information about training programs in which they had participated such as the type of training program, amount of time spent in training, skills obtained, and whether or not the training programs were completed. The survey also addressed the topic of income and assets with questions focusing on the respondents' wages or salary, other sources of income, assets such as real estate, stock or mutual funds, retirement plans, and income from sources such as workers compensation, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and Food Stamps. Respondents were asked about their family including their marital status, number, sex, and ages of any biological or adopted children, outcomes of pregnancies not ending in live births. Respondents were asked to answer a series of questions pertaining to their family history such as their parents nationality and place of birth, grandparents place of birth, native language spoken by parents, parents education, whether or not the respondents lived with their parents, other relatives living in the household, as well as questions about the household environment. Respondents were asked about their expectations for the future and specifically, where they expected to be in the next year, in the next five years, by the age of 20 and by the age of 30. Respondents were asked about their attitudes, behaviors, and time use. They were asked about their perception of teachers, school, peers, as well as their sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, crimes committed, and how much time they devoted to homework, classes, reading, and watching television. Respondents were asked questions about their general physical health, mental health, any chronic health conditions, and any health conditions that limited school or work activities. Respondents were asked if they were interested in government and public affairs, whether they were registered to vote, and whether they voted in recent elections. Finally, respondents were asked questions about their living environment, residential moves, whether their current residence was urban or rural, whether their current residence was in a metropolitan area, and the region of residence.
Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03959.v2 - National Organizations Survey (NOS), 2002
Principal Investigators:
Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey, National Opinion Research Center
Arne L. Kalleberg, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Peter V. Marsden, Edith and Benjamin Geisinger Professor of Sociology, Dean of Social Science, Harvard College Professor, Harvard University
Survey Date: 2002-2003
Abstract:
The National Organizations Survey (NOS) is a survey of business organizations across the United States in which the unit of analysis is the actual workplace. The study was conducted for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Commonwealth Fund, to learn about the employment policies, benefits, and structures of organizations throughout the country, particularly the effects on business performance and worker productivity of rising workplace stress levels, rising health insurance costs or lack of health insurance, and the extent of mental health benefits and service offerings within organizations.
Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04074.v1 - National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP)
Principal Investigators:
Linda J. Waite, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago & Center on Aging, NORC
Kathleen A. Cagney, Departments of Sociology and Health Studies, University of Chicago & Population Research Center, NORC
Benjamin Cornwell, Department of Sociology, Cornell University
William Dale, Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center and Pritzker School of Medicine
Elbert Huang, Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center and Pritzker School of Medicine
Edward O. Laumann, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago
Martha K. McClintock, Institute for Mind and Biology & Department of Psychology, University of Chicago
Colm A. O'Muircheartaigh, Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago & NORC
L. Philip Schumm, Department of Health Studies, University of Chicago
Survey Date: Wave 1 (2005-2006); Wave 2 (2010-2011)
Abstract:
The health of older adults is influenced by many factors. The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) is a longitudinal study of older adults designed to examine the mechanisms by which social factors—such as intimate relationships and social networks—affect and are affected by health. NSHAP is unique among population-based studies due to the breadth, detail and quality of information obtained on community-dwelling older adults’ intimate and other social relationships, which is complemented by extensive self-report and biological data on physical and mental health, physical and cognitive functioning, and medication use. Waves 1 and 2 were designed to provide health providers, policy makers, and individuals with useful information and insights into these factors, particularly on social and intimate relationships. The Wave 2 Partner Study provides dyadic data from respondents’ co-resident romantic partners to better understand both individual and within-couple association of health and well-being. The study will be important in finding new ways to reduce morbidity and prevent dysfunction as people age.
In 2005 and 2006, NORC and Principal Investigators at the University of Chicago conducted the first wave of NSHAP; completing 3,005 interviews with a nationally representative sample of adults aged 57 to 85. NSHAP Wave 1 uses a national area probability sample of community residing adults born between 1920 and 1947 (aged 57 to 85 at the time of the Wave 1 interview), which includes an oversampling of African-Americans and Hispanics. In 2010 and 2011, NSHAP conducted the second wave and Partner Study; completing 3,377 interviews with the Wave 1 Respondents (n = 2,261), Wave 1 Non-Interviewed Respondents (n = 161), and their spouses or cohabiting romantic partners (n = 955). Romantic partners (aged 36 – 99) were eligible to participate in NSHAP if they resided in the household with the Wave 1 Respondent or Wave 1 Non-Interviewed Respondent at the time of the Wave 2 interview and were at least 18 years of age. For both waves, data collection included three measurement modes: in-home interviews, biomeasures, and leave-behind respondent-administered questionnaires. The face-to-face interviews and biomeasure collection took place in respondents' homes.
The National Health, Social Life and Aging Project (NSHAP) is supported by the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute on Aging, the Office of Women's Health Research, the Office of AIDS Research, and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (5R01AG021487, 5R37AG030481, 5R01AG033903). NSHAP is also supported by NORC whose staff is responsible for data collection.
Online Resources:
Project Website: http://www.norc.org/Research/Projects/Pages/national-social-life-health-and-aging-project.aspx
Persistent ICPSR URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR20541.v5
Sloan Study of Youth and Development, 1992-1997
Principal Investigator:
Barbara Schneider, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Department of Sociology, Michigan State University
Institution: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Survey Date: 1992-1997
Abstract:
The Alfred P. Sloan Study of Youth and Social Development was designed to gather a holistic picture of the adolescent experience. To understand how young people form ideas about their future, the study considered not only what adolescents' aspirations are, but also how they may be influenced by family, peer groups, schools, and their communities. Data were collected within adolescents' three major social environments: schools, families, and peer groups. The study gathered information from 12 sites over five years, to examining such research questions as: (1) how young people of various ages and family backgrounds differ in their conceptions of work, (2) what learning opportunities families with different economic circumstances provide for their children with respect to work and careers, and (3) how schools influence educational expectations and career formation. Data were collected from focal students using the experience sampling method (ESM), an in-depth interview, and a battery of questionnaires. The questionnaires included: (1) the Teenage Life Questionnaire, a modification of instruments used in the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS:1988-94), (2) a Friends Sociometric form, which provided detailed information about the respondents' peer groups and social ties, and (3) the Career Orientation Survey (COS), which measures respondents' knowledge about jobs and occupational expectations. Cohort students were also administered the questionnaires but did not participate in the ESM or in-depth interviews. All instruments were administered to focal students in Years one, three, and five. In addition, in Year two, in-depth interviews alone were administered to focal students. In years one, three, and five, a separate group of cohort students were administered the questionnaires. Parts 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, and 12 consist of the Teenage Life Questionnaire data. Parts 3, 4, 8, 9, 13, and 14 consist of the Career Orientation Survey data. Parts 5, 10, and 15 consist of the Experience Sampling Method data. The in-depth interview component will be released by ICPSR as restricted data at a later time.
Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04551.v1