2023 SDR Questionnaire Changes

APPENDIX D.1

2023 SDR Questionnaire Changes

2023 Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) Questionnaire Changes

The 2023 SDR questionnaire will include eight different types of revisions.

1. All references to the prior SDR contractor will be updated from Westat to NORC to reflect the change in data collection contractor for the survey. While the sample member website reference will stay the same, the project email, numbers, and mailing address will be updated.

2. The items that were modified for the 2021 SDR to understand the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on SDR measures will be returned to their form in the 2019 SDR, prior to the pandemic.

   1. A3: Reasons for not working

   2. A40: Reasons for working fewer than 35 hours

      1. An exception is the response option that read “Hours or work reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic” added in 2021 will be updated to “Hours or work reduced” for 2023.

   3. A41: Available job benefits

   4. B3: Reasons for changing employer

   5. C4: Conference attendance

3. Items that were added for the 2021 SDR to understand how income and earnings were affected by the pandemic will be removed.

   1. A36a: Has salary been affected by the pandemic

   2. A36b: Did reported salary reflect effects of the pandemic

   3. A36c: Has 2021 salary increased or decreased due to pandemic

   4. A36d: By how much did 2021 salary decrease

   5. A36e: By how much did 2021 salary increase

   6. A44a: Did 2020 earnings increase or decrease due to pandemic

   7. A44b: By how much did 2020 earnings decrease

   8. A44c: By how much did 2020 earnings increase

4. Cognitive testing during the development of new retirement survey items revealed that some individuals who were working part-time or on a contract basis classified themselves as not working because they did not work during the specific reference week. Instruction text for the question about whether the respondent was working for pay or profit on the reference date was modified to add “an intermittent worker not working that week (e.g., consultant, freelancer, independent contractor)”. This additional instruction should support more accurate self-coding of this critical employment status survey item.

5. The question about telework opportunities that was added to the 2021 SDR in light of the pandemic will be modified to collect information about remote work in general.

Thinking of your principal job during the week of February 1, 2023, which of the following best describes whether you were allowed or required to telecommute or work remotely?

Mark one answer.

• Telecommuting or working remotely did not make sense for my job

• I was not allowed or required to telecommute or work remotely

• I was required to telecommute or work remotely

• I was allowed to telecommute or work remotely, and did  skip to follow-up below

• I was allowed to telecommute or work remotely, but did not

How often did you typically telecommute or work remotely?

Mark one answer.

• Occasionally, but not consistently

• Consistently 1-2 days per week

• Consistently 3-4 days per week

• Consistently 5 or more days per week

6. Based on the recommendations from research conducted about including more robust data about retirement (see Appendices D.3), the 2023 SDR will feature a module which will collect important information from individuals who are currently retired or previously retired. The aim of the new retirement module is to develop a nuanced picture of how individuals approach retirement, recognizing the partial and phased approach people may take to decreasing and eventually breaking off from workforce participation. The new questions also aim to understand the circumstances and reasons for retirement, as well as various behaviors and activities people may do during retirement.

The module will be integrated into the SDR questionnaire and includes the following items per the detailed inclusion of skip logic.

Retirees, that is Individuals who are not working and report the reason as being retired, will receive the following set of items.

What was the title of the job you retired from?

Example: Physics professor

________

What kind of work were you doing on the job you retired from – that is, what were your duties and responsibilities? Please be as specific as possible, including any area of specialization.
Example: Taught physics and conducted research. Specialized in high energy physics.

________

The respondent will be asked to select a job category for the job from which they retired.

________

To what extent was your work on the job you retired from related to your first U.S. doctoral degree?  Was it…

1. Closely related

2. Somewhat related

3. Not related

During a typical week on the job you retired from, how many hours did you work?

Please round to the nearest whole hour.

________ Hours per week

After being asked when they last worked for pay or profit, they will be asked the following item.

Is your last job the same as the job you retired from?

1. Yes

2. No

Retirees who answer YES will skip the last job questions. Those who answer NO will be asked to provide their last job (the standard item). Additionally, they will be asked these new questions about their last job.

To what extent was your work on your last job related to your first U.S. doctoral degree?  Was it…

1. Closely related

2. Somewhat related

3. Not related

During a typical week on your last job, how many hours did you work?

Please round to the nearest whole hour.

________ Hours per week

Semi-retirees, that is working respondents who report they were previously retired, will be asked the following new items at the end of Section A – Employment Situation.

What was the title of the job you retired from?

Example: Physics professor

________

What kind of work were you doing on the job you retired from – that is, what were your duties and responsibilities? Please be as specific as possible, including any area of specialization.
Example: Taught physics and conducted research. Specialized in high energy physics.

________

The respondent will be asked to select a job category for the job from which they retired.

________

To what extent was your work on the job you retired from related to your first U.S. doctoral degree?  Was it…

1. Closely related

2. Somewhat related

3. Not related

During a typical week on the job you retired from, how many hours did you work?

Please round to the nearest whole hour.

________ Hours per week

All retirees and semi-retirees will be asked the following items.

Did any of the following employment situations encourage you to retire?

Select Yes or No for each item.

	Yes	No
Wages reduced (or about to be reduced)
Hours reduced (or about to be reduced)
Would have been laid off
New job duties
New job location
Work was not satisfying
Lack of work available
Experienced age discrimination
Early retirement incentive offer
Became eligible for pension
Other employment situation

Did any of the following personal factors encourage you to retire?

Select Yes or No for each item.

	Yes	No
My personal health
The health of family members, relatives, or friends
Providing child care
My spouse/partner retired
Wanted to spend more time with family and friends
Wanted to spend more time on personal pursuits or leisure
Had sufficient income to retire
Became eligible for government retirement benefit program (e.g., Social Security, Medicare)
Some other factor

Only semi-retirees and retirees who worked after they retired will be asked the following item.

You reported working after retiring. What were your reasons for working after retiring?

Select Yes or No for each item.

	Yes	No
Health insurance for me
Health insurance for my family
Needed additional income
Wanted additional income
Wanted social connection
Wanted a professional identity
Was asked to continue working or return to work
My spouse/partner changed their work status
Some other reason

Retirees and semi-retirees will be asked the following item.

All in all, how satisfied are you with your retirement?

1. Very satisfied

2. Somewhat satisfied

3. Somewhat dissatisfied

4. Very dissatisfied

Retirees, semi-retirees, and all others age 55 and older (both working and not working) will be asked the following items.

Have you spent any time in the past 12 months doing volunteer work for religious, educational, health-related, or other charitable organizations?

1. Yes

2. No

[IF YES] In the past 12 months, how many hours did you spend volunteering for religious, educational, health-related, or other charitable organizations?

1. 1-14 hours

2. 15-49 hours

3. 50-99 hours

4. 100-199 hours

5. 200 hours or more

Have you spent any time in the past 12 months helping friends, neighbors, or relatives who did not live with you and did not pay you for the help?

1. Yes

2. No

[IF YES] In the past 12 months, how many hours did you spend helping friends, neighbors, or relatives who did not live with you and did not pay you for the help?

1. 1-14 hours

2. 15-49 hours

3. 50-99 hours

4. 100-199 hours

5. 200 hours or more

Retirees and those not working age 55 and older will be asked the following items.

Have you spent any time in the past 12 months doing professional activities related to your first U.S. doctoral degree?

Include research, writing, speaking engagements, advising, or consulting, teaching, mentoring, and other professional activities.

1. Yes

2. No

[IF YES] In the past 12 months, how many hours did you spend doing professional activities related to your first U.S. doctoral degree?

Include research, writing, speaking engagements, advising, or consulting, teaching, mentoring, and other professional activities.

1. 1-14 hours

2. 15-49 hours

3. 50-99 hours

4. 100-199 hours

5. 200 hours or more

After completing “Section C – Other Work-related Experiences, Section D – Recent Education Experiences, and Section E through the demographic questions, retirees and those not working age 55 and older will be asked the following items.

How is your physical health?

1. Excellent

2. Very good

3. Good

4. Fair

5. Poor

You said you are not working, but we would like to ask how your health might affect paid work activities you could do.

Do you have any impairment or health problem that limits the kind or amount of paid work you can do?

1. Yes

2. No

[IF YES] Does this impairment or problem keep you from working altogether?

1. Yes

2. No

[IF NO] Are you able to work full-time (35 or more hours per week) or can you work only part-time (fewer than 35 hours per week)?

1. Full-time

2. Part-time

7. Respondents who provide a telephone number for themselves will be asked a follow-up question to provide permission to text.

[Original question] Please provide telephone numbers where you can be reached.

Home Phone Number [__________]

Work Phone Number [__________]

Cell Phone Number [__________]

New Follow-up Question: We would like the data collection contractor to notify you about the next SDR cycle and request your participation by text message. If you agree, we will only use your phone number to request your participation in the survey and will not send you more than 3 messages about the 2025 SDR over a 6-month time period. We will not share, sell, or otherwise use your phone number for any other purpose than notifying you about the survey. Standard messaging and data rates may apply and you will be able to opt out of receiving text messages at any time. You can call toll free at 1-800-685-1663 at any time for assistance. To view our efforts to protect the privacy of all survey respondents, click here.

Do we have your permission to send text messages to {this number/any of these numbers}?

Select Yes or No for each item.

1. Home Phone

2. Work Phone

3. Cell Phone

8. The Occupation Codeframe has been updated to align with the federal Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) and NCSES Taxonomy of Disciplines (ToD).

1. The following codes have been added:

• 115 Psychologists - Health Services (e.g., clinical, counseling, school psychologists) – Also consider 070 Counselors

• 125 Legal support workers (e.g., paralegals, legal assistants)

• 177 Data scientists

• 241 Miscellaneous community and social service specialists (e.g.: probation officers and correctional treatment specialists)

2. The following code has been deleted:

• 175 Technologists and technicians in the mathematical sciences

3. The following codes have been renamed:

Code	2021 Label	2023 Label
024	Forestry and conservation scientists	Conservation scientists and foresters
027	Other biological and life scientists	Other life scientists
031	Accounting clerks and bookkeepers	Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
032	Secretaries, receptionists, typists	Secretaries and administrative assistants, and receptionists
033	Other administrative (e.g., record clerks, telephone operators)	Other office and administrative support workers
051	Computer & information scientists, research	Computer and information research scientists
070	Counselors (Educational, vocational, mental health and substance abuse) Also consider 236 Psychologists, including clinical	Counselors (e.g., educational, vocational, mental health, substance abuse) Also consider 240 Social Workers and 115 Psychologists - Health Services
081	Architects	Architects, except naval
086	Civil, including architectural/sanitary engineers	Civil engineers, including architectural and sanitary
091	Industrial engineers	Industrial engineers, including health and safety
093	Materials and metallurgical engineers	Materials engineers
095	Mining and geological engineers	Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
110	Farmers, foresters and fishermen	Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
120	Lawyers, judges	Lawyers, judges, and related workers
141	Top-level managers, executives, administrators (e.g., CEO/COO/CFO, president, district manager, general manager, legislator, chancellor, provost)	Top executives (e.g. chief executives, general and operations managers, legislators)
146	Education administrators (e.g., registrar, dean, principal)	Education and childcare administrators
151	Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists	Financial Specialists (e.g., accountants, auditors)
153	Other management related occupations	Other management related occupations (e.g., buyers and purchasing agents, claims adjusters, compliance officers, logisticians, management analysts, marketing specialists)
173	Operations research analysts, including modeling	Operations research analysts
194	Geologists, including earth scientists	Environmental scientists and specialists
195	Oceanographers	Geoscientists, including hydrologists and oceanographers
200	Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services	Sales representatives: services (e.g., insurance, securities, real estate, and business services)
201	Sales occupations – commodities except retail (e.g., industrial machinery/equipment/supplies, medical and dental equip./supplies)	Sales representatives: wholesale and manufacturing (e.g., industrial machinery/equipment/supplies)
202	Sales occupations – retail (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics)	Retail sales workers (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics)
203	Other marketing and sales occupations	Miscellaneous sales and related workers
222	Protective services (e.g., fire fighters, police, guards, wardens, park rangers)	Protective services occupations (e.g., fire fighters, police, guards, wardens, park rangers)
223	Other service occupations, except health (e.g., probation officers, human services workers)	Other service occupations, except health (e.g., personal care service occupations, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations, etc.)
231	Anthropologists	Anthropologists and archeologists
236	Psychologists, including clinical Also consider 070 Counselors	Psychologists - research and applied (e.g., industrial-organizational, experimental)
251	Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten	Preschool and kindergarten teachers
252	Elementary	Elementary and middle school teachers
256	Special education – primary and secondary	Special education – primary and secondary school
274	Business, Commerce, and Marketing	Business
277	Earth, Environmental, and Marine Science	Atmospheric, Earth, Environmental, Marine, and Space Sciences
281	English	English Language and Literature
282	Foreign Language	Foreign Language and Literature
286	Mathematics and Statistics	Mathematical Sciences
287	Health and Related Sciences	Health
288	Physical Education	Recreation and Fitness Studies
297	Other Natural Sciences	Other Life and Physical Sciences (e.g., Conservation, etc.)
403	Precision/production occupations (e.g., metal workers, woodworkers, butchers, bakers, assemblers, printing occupations, tailors, shoemakers, photographic process)	Production occupations (e.g., assemblers, bakers, metal workers, tailors, woodworkers)

  

D.1-23