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Bureau of Labor Statistics > National Longitudinal Surveys > Home

NLSY79 Interviews

Interviews with NLSY respondents were conducted yearly from 1979 through 1994. The original interview schedule, which called for personally-administered interviews, was maintained from 1979 through 1986. In 1987, budget constraints dictated a more limited telephone interview. Personal interviews resumed with the 1988 round.

During the 1993 interviews, the traditional paper and pencil interview (PAPI) instruments used during previous interviews were replaced with computer-assisted interviewing (CAPI) for the eligible sample of NLSY respondents. Experimental CAPI administrations with select respondents had taken place during the 1989 and 1990 interviews with documented improvements in data quality. Table 1 summarizes the interview modes used during the 1989-1993 NLSY surveys.

Table 1. Numbers & Percentages of Respondents Interviewed by Type of Survey & Contact Method: NLSY 1989-1993

Survey             CAI Computer-                  PAPI Paper and
Year    Total   Assisted Interviewing           Pencil Interviewing
                  In        By                    In        By
        Total   Person   Telephone  Total   Person   Telephone
1989    10605   301 83.7       16.3     10301   85.7      14.3
1990    10436   2440    88.3       11.7         7994    87.1      12.9
1991     9018   —-    —-       —-         9014    86.2      13.8
1992     9016   —-    —-       —-         9012    87.1      12.9
1993     9011   9011    88.2       11.8          —-   —-      —-
a  Totals reflect all respondents interviewed in a given survey year and include 
small numbers of respondents for whom valid values were missing on the type of 
interview variables.

Last Modified Date: October 16, 2001