Attachment 5 - Changes from R19 to R20

Attachment 5-- Changes to the NLSY97 Questionnaire from Rounds 19 to 20

In Round 20, we have made additions to the questionnaire to collect some of the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on the NLSY97 cohort. Though the field period for Round 19 went into July 2020, almost 90 percent of interviews were conducted before March 2020. A supplemental survey was conducted in spring 2021 to ask about effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on employment and health, but it was not extensive enough to collect information by job that could be integrated into the NLSY97 employment event history.

In addition, we have added a few items on the value of on-going jobs that we believe will let researchers study labor market outcomes such as compensating differentials and job search over the lifecycle. We have added questions on criminal background checks that, with the NLSY97 event histories on employment and interaction with the criminal justice system, will help researchers study the labor market effects of having a criminal record. In addition, we have added questions on internet access and respondents’ experiences with the supplemental Coronavirus survey that may help inform future survey methodology for the NLSY97.

Where possible, we have modified the wording in questions about or that refer to the sex of children, spouses, and partners to be more inclusive of family members with non-binary sexual identities.

We have streamlined the questionnaire where possible to make room for the additional items about the Coronavirus pandemic.

Details are below on the changes made to the questionnaire by section.

Household Information

1. Add a statement to the start of the interview that acknowledges that we’ll be asking additional questions on topics associated with the Coronavirus pandemic:

“The Coronavirus pandemic may have affected your life. The questions that I ask you during this interview try to capture changes in your life, including those due to the outbreak of coronavirus.”

Schooling

1. Drop YSCH-13900. Verbatim question that explains how respondent could have enrolled in college without having a GED or high school diploma.

Employment

1. Change the question wording to include clients as well as employers in item that asks about employment through a temporary help agency:

(YEMP-9899WDX) “On this job, were you paid by a temporary help agency that assigned you to assist other employers or clients?”

2. After collecting hours worked at a job, add a follow-up question that asks how many of these hours were worked from home: “How many of those [hours/wk usually worked for employer] hours per week [do/did] you usually work at [(this job/current assignment or on-call job/business)] at home?”

3. For all jobs at which the respondent worked after March 1, 2020, add a question asking about changes to hours/location/earnings due to Coronavirus pandemic:

“At any point that you held this job have there been changes due to the Coronavirus pandemic?

Read if Necessary: For example, did this change occur because of governmental restrictions on people’s activities, because of your or others’ Coronavirus or COVID-related illnesses, because of school closings, or because of the overall changes in the economy because of the Coronavirus or COVID.

1. I stopped working for this employer (yes/no)

2. I started working for this employer (yes/no)

3. I worked reduced hours (yes/no)

4. I worked increased hours (yes/no)

5. My earnings (including any overtime pay, tips, and commissions) decreased (yes/no)

6. My earnings (including any overtime pay, tips, and commissions) increased (yes/no)”

4. Drop question on about how confident the respondent is that she has a non-compete agreement for an on-going job. The following items would be dropped: YEMP-NCA2D, YEMP-NCA2A, YEMP-NCA2B, YEMP-NCA2C.

5. Add a follow up question after items that collect the reason that respondents left their employer, were not working, and were not looking for a job that asks if the reason was due to the Coronavirus pandemic: “Was that due to the Coronavirus pandemic?” The follow up items would come after items YEMP-58400A-REV, YEMP-58400, YEMP-103500, YEMP-105800, YEMP-105932, YEMP-105960, YEMP-119410D, YEMP-119650 for those jobs that ended after March 1, 2020 and for periods of non-work after March 1, 2020. We will evaluate adding an end date past which these questions are not asked once the Coronavirus pandemic has passed.

6. Add a question on value of a job: “Imagine that your employer in this job offers you a one-time payment on the condition that you end your employment immediately.  For what minimum dollar amount would you accept the offer to quit your job immediately?”

7. Add questions on applications for Unemployment insurance that occurred after March 1, 2020. These questions will only be asked of those who report a gap between jobs that begins after March 1, 2020.

(Q1_UIAPP) “Did you apply for unemployment insurance since March 1, 2020?

1. I did not apply.

2. I tried but my application was rejected (follow up? Go to Q2_UIAPP)

3. I tried but I could not get through

4. I applied successfully (follow up? Go to Q2-UIAPP)”

(Q2_UIAPP) “When did you first apply for unemployment insurance? (approximate month/year)

If Q1_UIAPP =2 go to Q3_UIAPP.

If Q1_UIAPP =4 go to Q4_UIAPP.”

(Q3_UIAPP) “When did you receive notification that your claim was rejected? (approximate month/year)”

(Q4_UIAPP) “When did you receive notification that your claim was accepted? (approximate month/year)”

Training: No changes.

Marriage:

1. Change the wording from “What is (partner’s name)’s gender?” to “What is (partner’s name)’s sex?” The following items will be modified: YMAR-3033, YMAR-710XC, YMAR-710YC, YMAR-714FA, YMAR-716FA, YMAR-716SA, YMAR-717FA.

2. Change the reference to male/female pronouns to a more inclusive reference to an individual.

   1. In YMAR-4050, the wording of the item will change from, “What is your best estimate of (his/her) monthly income at the time you began living together?” to “What is your best estimate of that person's monthly income at the time you began living together?”

   2. In YMAR-652Rev, the wording of the item will change from, “How far in advance does [PARTNERS.NAME([{Y9-LOOP-1}])] usually know what days and hours [{PARTNERS_HIS_HER}] main employer will need [{PARTNERS_HIM_HER}] to work?” to “How far in advance does [PARTNERS.NAME([{Y9-LOOP-1}])] usually know what days and hours that person's main employer will need them to work?”

   3. In YMAR-653, the wording of the response categories will change from, “Which of the following statements best describes how [PARTNERS.NAME([{Y9-LOOP-1}])]'s working hours are decided at [{PARTNERS_HIS_HER}] main employer?

Previous response categories:

1 Starting and finishing times are decided by his/her employer and he/she cannot change them on his/her own;
2 Starting and finishing times are decided by his/her employer but with his/her input;
3 He/she can decide the time he/she starts and finishes work, within certain limits;
4 He/she is entirely free to decide when he/she starts and finishes work.
5 Starting and finishing work times depend on things outside of his/her control and outside of the employer's control.

Revised response categories:

1 Starting and finishing times are decided by their employer and they cannot change them on their own;

2 Starting and finishing times are decided by their employer but with their input;

3 They can decide the time they start and finish work, within certain limits;

4 They are entirely free to decide when they start and finish work.

5 Starting and finishing work times depend on things outside of their control and outside of the employer's control.

Fertility

1. Skip men and women who have reported surgical sterilization in past rounds out of questions on methods and use of birth control.

2. In YFER-1600 and YFER-5700, the response categories will change from “Boy” and “Girl” to “Male” and “Female”.

1. In YFER-BCINTRO, the text “Now I'd like to ask you some questions about your use of birth control. In order to collect information about birth control I will also ask about your sexual activity,” will be removed and replaced with, “These next questions are about public health issues. They involve topics like sexual activity and birth control.”

2. In YFER-49290, YFER-4930, YFER-4972, YFER-9030, YFER-4940, YFER-4950, YFER-4960, and YFER-4970 references in the item wording to “mother” and “father” will change to “parent” or filled with the parent’s name.

Child Care: No changes.

Income

1. Change year reference: Adjust year references from 2017 to 2019 and from 2018 to 2020.

2. In YINC-2520, change reference to partner from “his” or “her” to “that person.”

Assets

1. Assets at age 35: Questions on the value of assets and debts at age 35 will be asked only of respondents who did not participate in the interview when their birth cohorts reached age 35, and have not yet reached age 40. Questions on wealth have been collected at five-year age increments the first-time the respondent is a given age or older (but has not yet reached the next age at which assets information is collected).

2. Assets at age 40: Because respondents will turn ages 37 to 41 in 2021 when fielding of Round 20 begins, questions collecting assets at age 40 (or higher) will be collected. All those born in 1980 and 1981 will go through the Assets 40 module in Round 20. The Assets at 40 module matches the Assets at 35 module in terms of assets/debts collected and question wording with the exception that two items on loans for remodeling from friends and family will be dropped due to very low incidence.

2. In YAST35_5040_NEW, YAST35-5280, YAST35-5320, and in YAST40_5040_NEW, YAST40-5280, YAST40-5320, replace male and female pronouns with “partner” or “spouse” or fill with the partner or spouse’s name.

Program Participation:

1. In PRG-9000_UPD and PRG-9710_UPD, replace male and female pronouns with “that person.”

Self-Administered: No changes.

Health

1. Add two questions to gauge whether the respondent contracted the Coronavirus or COVID-19

(YHEA-COVID_1) “Has a doctor or another healthcare professional ever told you that you had the Coronavirus or COVID-19?

1. Yes

2. No”

If YHEA-COVID_1 ne 1 go to YHEA-COVID_2

(YHEA-COVID_2) “Do you suspect that you have ever had the Coronavirus or COVID-19?

1. Yes

2. No”

2. Add a question on whether respondent received a Coronavirus vaccine:

(YHEA-COVID_3) “Have you received a Coronavirus or COVID-19 vaccine?

1. Yes

2. No”

3. Add a question asking whether the respondent has received a flu shot in the past 24 months:

”During the past 24 months, that is since [{refdate_24mo~X}], have you had a flu shot?

1. Yes

2. No”

4. Change time period from 12 months to 24 months on the question that asks whether the respondent has received a routine check-up:

(YHEA-1940A) “During the past 24 months, that is since [{refdate_24mo~X}], have you visited a doctor for a routine checkup?”

5. Drop questions that ask about chronic pain and the use of painkillers; these topics are covered in items YHEA-Pain-1 and YHEA-Pain-2 and YHEA-PK_1 to YHEA-PK-3.

6. As previously stated in the Round 19 OMB package, we will drop the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) mental health scale for all respondents in Round 20. In Round 19, the MOS scale was asked only of the 1984 birth cohort. The MOS was replaced by the Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale (CES-D) in Round 19. The CES-D will be asked again in Round 20.

7. Health 38/39: We propose to continue the health module that assesses aspects of health at ages 38 and 39. In Round 19, the two oldest birth years of the NLSY97 cohort, birth years 1980 and 1981 went through this section. The younger birth cohorts of 1982 and 1983 would be asked these questions in Round 20, as well as those sample members from birth years 1980 and 1981 who missed Round 19, but participate in Round 20.

End of Interview

1. We propose to drop three questions on device ownership that were asked in Round 19.

2. We propose to add two questions on criminal background checks. An initial question would ask how long it has been since the respondent applied for a job. The second question would ask when in the application process the potential employer asked if the respondent had been convicted of a crime. Including such items in NLSY97 would permit researchers to access the life and employment history data that are not available in other surveys when examining the effects of criminal records inquiries on labor market outcomes.

The questions are provided here:

(YEND-BACKGR1) “How long has it been since you last applied for a job?

1. I have never applied for a job (go to YEND-INTRO-3)

2. Less than 1 year

3. 1 to 2 years

4. 3 to 4 years

5. 5 to 10 years

6. More than 10 years”

Default next: YEND-BACKGR2

(YEND-BACKGR2) “Please think about the last time you applied for a job. When did the employer first ask you if you had ever been convicted of a crime, or were you never asked?

FI INSTRUCTION: If respondent is unsure, please select “Do not know”

1. At the initial application stage (i.e., on the application form)

2. At the interview stage, before the final hiring decision

3. After the final hiring decision, before beginning work

4. Never, the employer didn’t ask”

3. We propose to add three questions on internet access at home. The first two come from the American Community Survey and have been asked there since 2013. The third question has been asked in Pew surveys since 2015. Such items measure an aspect of the “digital divide” and permit researchers to study the relationships between internet accessibility, skills in the labor market, job search, and the ability to work from home especially during the Coronavirus pandemic. The third item may inform future internet data collection for the NLSY97. The items are listed here:

YEND-InternetA

Do you have access to the internet at home?

1. Yes (go to YEND-InternetB)

2. No (go to YEND-PROXY1)

YEND-InternetB

How do you access to the internet at home? (Select all that apply)

1. A cellular plan for a smartphone or other mobile device

2. Broadband (high speed) internet service such as cable, fiber optic, or DSL service installed in your home

3. Satellite internet service installed in your home

4. Dial-up internet service installed in your home

5. Some other service

1. Yes

2. No

YEND-Internet4

Overall, when you use the internet, do you do that mostly using a cell phone or mostly using some other device like a desktop, laptop or tablet computer?

1. Mostly on cell phone

2. Mostly on something else

3. Both equally

4. Don’t use the internet”

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