U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth
Geocode Program Information and Application
Description of Data
Three National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (NLSY) Geocode data files are available on encrypted CD from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for authorized researchers to use at the facilities of their own institutions:
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) is a nationally representative sample of individuals who were born in the years 1957 to 1964. This survey was conducted annually from 1979 to 1994 and has been conducted biennially since 1994.
NLSY79 Young Adult survey includes respondents age 15 and older who are the biological children of female NLSY79 respondents. These NLSY79 Young Adult respondents continue to be interviewed biennially even after they move out of their parents’ homes.
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) is a nationally representative sample of individuals who were born in the years 1980 to 1984. The survey was conducted annually from 1997 to 2012 and has been conducted biennially since 2012.
Confidentiality of Survey Respondents
Researchers who are granted access to the NLSY Geocode files must agree to protect the confidentiality of the survey respondents.
The confidentiality of NLSY respondents is protected by the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, the Privacy Act, and other applicable Federal laws.
NLSY respondents voluntarily participate in the surveys after being assured that the information they provide will be used only for statistical research purposes. Respondents are informed that results of the survey will be made public only in summary or statistical form so that individuals who participate cannot be identified.
What Do the NLSY Geocode Files Have that the Public-Use Files Don’t Have?
The NLSY public-use files are available online at http://www.nlsinfo.org/web-investigator/. To reduce the risk that respondents’ identities could be inferred, BLS omits certain variables from the NLSY public-use files. Below is a partial list of the key variables on the Geocode files that are not available on the public-use files:
U.S. State, county, and metropolitan statistical area of residence for each respondent in each round of the survey.
Respondent’s country of birth or U.S. State and county of birth.
U.S. State of residence at age 14 for NLSY79 respondents or age 12 for NLSY97 respondents.
U.S. State or country in which respondent’s parents and grandparents were born (NLSY79 only).
U.S. State or region of the world (Mexico, Canada, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, East Asia, Oceania) in which respondent’s parents and grandparents were born (NLSY97 only).
Specific dates of births, marriages, divorces, school attendance, and other events; the NLSY public-use files provide only the months and years of these events.
Name and location of colleges and universities attended.
The NLSY Geocode Application Process
To request access to NLSY Geocode files, you must complete this application and e-mail it to the BLS National Longitudinal Surveys program at [email protected].
When the application is approved, BLS will prepare a Letter of Agreement, which must be signed by an authorized BLS official and an official at your institution who has the authority to enter into legal agreements on behalf of the institution. The Letter of Agreement is a contract between BLS and the institution, not with the individual researchers. By signing the Letter of Agreement, your institution and its employees pledge to adhere to the BLS confidentiality policy.
Each individual who is authorized under the Letter of Agreement to have access to the Geocode data must sign a document called a BLS Agent Agreement. The agent agreement designates each authorized user of the Geocode data as an unpaid “agent” of BLS and requires the agent to take appropriate measures to safeguard the Geocode data and protect the confidentiality of NLSY respondents.
Once BLS receives the signed Letter of Agreement and BLS Agent Agreements from your institution, a BLS staff member will notify you that you can order the appropriate NLSY Geocode CDs from the BLS contractor at the Ohio State University Center for Human Resource Research.
It typically takes about 6-8 weeks from the time an application is submitted until all the necessary legal documents have been signed at BLS.
Some Important Conditions of NLSY Geocode Agreements
The terms and conditions of the Letter of Agreement and Agent Agreement are not negotiable.
NLSY Geocode agreements last one year for students and three years for most faculty members. For adjunct or visiting faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and other special cases, the duration of the NLSY Geocode agreement will depend on how long the applicant expects to remain at the institution. BLS will extend agreements upon request on a case-by-case basis, but the recipient institution’s Project Coordinator must request an extension at least 6 weeks before the original expiration date of the agreement.
If an agent leaves the institution prior to the expiration of the agreement—for example, because he or she graduated or began working at another institution—BLS will terminate that agent’s authorization to have access to the NLSY Geocode data. If no other authorized agents remain at the institution or if the research project ends, BLS will terminate the Letter of Agreement with the institution.
Upon termination of the agreement, the recipient institution’s Project Coordinator is responsible for returning the NLSY Geocode CD to BLS and ensuring that all backup or extract files derived from the NLSY Geocode data files are sent to BLS or destroyed.
NLSY Geocode agreements are specific to each research project. If you have been authorized to use NLSY Geocode data for one research project and later wish to use the NLSY Geocode data for an unrelated project, you must submit a new Geocode application for the project.
Researchers who are approved to have access to NLSY Geocode data do not need to be U.S. citizens, but they must be working or studying at an institution in the U.S. BLS does not enter into NLSY Geocode agreements with institutions outside the U.S. Within the U.S., BLS has legal remedies to prevent misuse of Geocode data and more readily can inspect the facilities of Geocode recipients periodically to ensure that the data are protected adequately from unauthorized access. For researchers outside the U.S., BLS has no way to enforce U.S. privacy laws, and it generally is not feasible to inspect researchers’ facilities. The NLSY public-use files are available for researchers to use at institutions outside the U.S.
Research outputs derived from NLSY Geocode data are subject to review by BLS to ensure that they comply with requirements to protect respondent confidentiality.
BLS reserves the right to inspect the facilities where NLSY Geocode data are used to verify compliance with the terms and conditions of the Letter of Agreement.
For more information about the National Longitudinal Surveys program, see the web site at http://www.bls.gov/nls/. If you would like to receive a copy of a blank Letter of Agreement, or BLS Agent Agreement, prior to submitting your NLSY Geocode application, please e-mail the NLS staff at [email protected].
Please e-mail your completed NLSY Geocode application to [email protected].
1. Please provide the following information about the Applicant:
Name:
Title:
Name of institution:
Academic department (if you are applying from a college or university):
Relationship to institution:
Student; Expected graduation date:
Full-time faculty or staff
Part-time faculty or staff
Adjunct faculty; Expected ending date of appointment:
Postdoctoral researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Visiting researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Other – Please specify.
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will the Applicant be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
All work must be performed on the institutions’ premises exclusive of dorms or other residential facilities.
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
2.
Please provide the following information about the Project
Coordinator if different from the Applicant:
The
Project Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the security of the
NLSY Geocode CD and all electronic files and printed outputs derived
from it. The Project Coordinator could be the primary researcher on
the project or a data archivist. If the primary researcher is a
student, the Project Coordinator should be the student’s
advisor, another faculty member in the department, or the data
archivist.
Name:
Title:
Academic department (if you are applying from a college or university):
Relationship to institution:
Full-time faculty or staff
Part-time faculty or staff
Adjunct faculty; Expected ending date of appointment:
Postdoctoral researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Visiting researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
(2. Cont.)
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will the Project Coordinator be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
All work must be performed on the institutions’ premises exclusive of dorms or other residential facilities.
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
Please provide the following information about the IT specialist:
You must include an IT specialist on this application, even if you do not plan to store the NLSY Geocode data on a network or a computer connected to a network. If multiple IT specialists will have access to the NLSY Geocode data, only list their immediate supervisor. The responsibilities of IT specialists include:
Coordinating security of NLSY Geocode data stored on the institution’s computers and networks
Ensuring that access to the NLSY Geocode data is limited to those named as agents
Ensuring that backup files are not created on portable media
Ensuring that files stored on a server are not included in routine server backups
Ensuring that electronic files containing NLSY Geocode data are destroyed or turned over to BLS upon termination of the Letter of Agreement
Cooperating with BLS inspectors who may visit the institution to ensure the security of the NLSY Geocode data
Name:
Title:
Relationship to institution:
Full-time staff
Part-time staff
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will the IT specialist be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
All work must be performed on the institutions’ premises exclusive of dorms or other residential facilities.
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
Does your department or other organizational unit have a central location where a data archivist controls the release of confidential data sets?
No
Yes – Please provide the following information about the data archivist:
Name:
Title:
Relationship to institution:
Full-time staff
Part-time staff
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Please provide the following information about all other researchers or staff who will be working with the NLSY Geocode data:
Be sure to name all researchers or staff you wish to have access to NLSY Geocode data, even if they are not directly involved in conducting research. All persons listed must sign a BLS Agent Agreement before they can be authorized to have access to the data. No work may be performed at an individual’s private residence (including an on-campus dormitory or apartment) or in any public area in which unauthorized persons could obtain access to the NLSY Geocode data.
Name:
Title:
Academic department (if you are applying from a college or university):
Relationship to institution:
Student; Expected graduation date:
Full-time faculty or staff
Part-time faculty or staff
Adjunct faculty; Expected ending date of appointment:
Postdoctoral researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Visiting researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Other – Please specify.
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will this individual be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
Name:
Title:
Academic department (if you are applying from a college or university):
Relationship to institution:
Student; Expected graduation date:
Full-time faculty or staff
Part-time faculty or staff
Adjunct faculty; Expected ending date of appointment:
Postdoctoral researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Visiting researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Other – Please specify.
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will this individual be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
Name:
Title:
Academic department (if you are applying from a college or university):
Relationship to institution:
Student; Expected graduation date:
Full-time faculty or staff
Part-time faculty or staff
Adjunct faculty; Expected ending date of appointment:
Postdoctoral researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Visiting researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Other – Please specify.
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will this individual be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
Name:
Title:
Academic department (if you are applying from a college or university):
Relationship to institution:
Student; Expected graduation date:
Full-time faculty or staff
Part-time faculty or staff
Adjunct faculty; Expected ending date of appointment:
Postdoctoral researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Visiting researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Other – Please specify.
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will this individual be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
Name:
Title:
Academic department (if you are applying from a college or university):
Relationship to institution:
Student; Expected graduation date:
Full-time faculty or staff
Part-time faculty or staff
Adjunct faculty; Expected ending date of appointment:
Postdoctoral researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Visiting researcher; Expected ending date of appointment:
Other – Please specify.
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Where will this individual be working with the NLSY Geocode data?
Room
number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Is this:
An office? Cubicle? Computer lab?
6. Which Geocode file(s) are you requesting?
NLSY79
NLSY79 Young Adult
NLSY97
7. Please provide the following information about your project:
Title:
Project
description:
Your
project description must be clear and concise and should avoid the
use of jargon. Describe the project so that a general audience can
understand it. Please limit the length of your description to no
more than four paragraphs.
Which
NLSY Geocode variables do you plan to use in your research project,
and how do you plan to use them?
Clearly
state the Geocode variables that you plan to use. (See pages 1-2 of
this application for information about the Geocode variables
available.) If you plan to use these Geocode variables to link NLSY
respondents with information from other sources, please describe the
information and identify its sources. Please note that you are not
permitted to link NLSY Geocode data with individually identifiable
records from any other data sets.
8. Is this research project funded by a government agency, either through a grant or contract?
No
Yes – Please provide the name of the agency, the grant or contract number, and the name, phone number, and e-mail address of an appropriate contact person for the agency.
9. Are you conducting this research in collaboration with researchers from other institutions?
No
Yes – Please provide the names of the other researchers and their institutions and indicate whether these researchers intend to submit their own NLSY Geocode application for this project.
10. What outputs do you plan to produce from this project? Please check all that apply.
One or more journal articles
Doctoral dissertation
Undergraduate or Master’s thesis
Report for a government agency
Other – Please specify in the space provided below.
11. What type of computer will you use to work with the NLSY Geocode files?
Desktop computer
Laptop computer
12. Will the computer be connected to a network?
No
Yes
13. Where will you store the NLSY Geocode files and other electronic files created from them? Please check all that apply.
Desktop computer hard drive
Secure area of a server
Please provide the server address (room number and building name):
Secure area of a mainframe
Please provide the mainframe address (room number and building name):
Other – Please specify.
Please note that the data may not be stored on any portable media (laptops, external disk drives, flash drives, CD, and so forth). You may access the data on your laptop when the data are stored on a server. The NLSY Geocode files may only be accessed from the work locations identified in items 1-5 of this application.
14. Where will the NLSY Geocode CD be stored?
Room number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Check one |
Type of Storage Receptacle |
|
Locked drawer |
|
Locked cabinet |
|
Locked safe |
|
Locked closet |
|
Other – Please specify |
Access to the receptacle where the CD(s) will be stored must be limited to the authorized personnel that you listed in items 1-5 of this application.
15. Where will printed materials that contain NLSY Geocode information be stored when not in use?
Room number and building name (Do not use abbreviations):
Check all that apply |
Type of Storage Receptacle |
|
Locked drawer |
|
Locked cabinet |
|
Locked safe |
|
Locked closet |
|
Other – Please specify |
16. Please explain how system passwords, folder passwords, file passwords, encryption, and other computer security measures will be used to prevent unauthorized access to the NLSY Geocode data.
17. Please describe the physical security measures that are in place to prevent unauthorized access to the NLSY Geocode data. These measures may include card key systems, door locks, safes, security guards, security cameras, and so forth.
18. Who will sign the Letter of Agreement on behalf of your institution?
The Letter of Agreement must be signed by an individual who has the authority to enter into legal agreements on behalf of the institution, such as a president, vice president, provost, director of sponsored research, director of contract and grant administration, or similar official. Please note that a dean, department chair, or director of a university research center is not acceptable.
Name:
Title:
Business mailing address:
Business phone:
E-mail:
Privacy Act Statement. The information you provide will be used by staff at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine your eligibility for access to confidential BLS data and for other administrative purposes. Providing the information on this form is voluntary; however, the BLS will not be able to grant access to confidential BLS data without this information. The information provided will be used to draft agreements with your institution, which upon full execution are public records. The BLS is authorized to request the information on this form under Title 5, United States Code, Section 301.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement. This information is being collected to allow access to confidential information on a limited basis to eligible researchers for approved statistical analysis. We estimate that it will take an average of 30 minutes to complete this form. The responses to this collection of information are voluntary. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Management Systems, Attention: BLS Clearance Coordinator, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Room 4080, Washington, DC 20212.
OMB Control Number: 1220-0180
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | NLSY Geocode application |
| Author | yates_j |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-24 |