NLSY97 Tutorial

Welcome to the step-by-step guide on how to create and submit a Request List of up to 250 variables from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) 1997, 1998, and 1999 interviews.

This guide will show you how to navigate the four steps of the NLSY97 data request site:

  1. Select a Variable or Variable Group
  2. Add Selected Variable or Variable Group to Request List
  3. Enter Your E-mail Address to Receive Your Data
  4. Submit Data Request

STEP 1. Select a Variable or Variable Group

Screen A

  • The Variables box lists 250 NLSY97 variables that are in 24 groups.
  • Select (click on) a variable or variable group to view its description. More information about the selected variable (including response categories and raw NLSY97 frequency counts) will appear in the Description of Variable box.
  • In the picture above, we have selected the variable "age at interview date 1997," which is under the group name "BIRTH DATE AND AGE AT INTERVIEW."

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STEP 2. Add Selected Variable or Variable Group to Request List

Screen B

  • The Request List box lists all of your requested variables.
  • Select a variable or variable group from the Variables box and then click Add to include it in your Request List.
  • In the picture above, we have added the variable "spend time doing homework 1997" and the variable group HEIGHT AND WEIGHT to our request list.
  • Note that the variables "youth public id code" and the rounds 1, 2, and 3 (1997-1999) sampling weights are automatically included in every Request List. Each respondent has a unique public identification code. The identification code allows researchers to merge their NLSY97 data sets. Researchers should weight the observations when tabulating sample characteristics in order to describe the population of youths represented.

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STEP 3. Enter Your E-mail Address to Receive Your Data

Screen C

  • Once your Request List is complete, you are ready to submit your request to obtain a data set of up to 250 NLSY97 variables.
  • Your data set and accompanying documentation will be sent to you via e-mail, and thus you must enter your e-mail address in the box.
  • SAS, SPSS, and Stata users may choose to receive a program to read their data set. Click to put a check in the appropriate box (or boxes).

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STEP 4. Submit Data Request

  • Select Submit to submit your data request.

    • Screen D

  • You will be e-mailed the following items:


    • A zipped text data set of variables from your Request List (see picture below).

      • Screen E

    • A codebook of the selected variable definitions, response categories, and raw frequency counts. The codebook also depicts the eight-character “r” variable names that are used on the NLSY97 public-use data CD.
    • (optional) SAS, SPSS, and Stata users can choose to receive a program that reads in their data set and contains user-friendly variable names and variable labels.

  • Tutorial is complete.