National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) is a representative national sample of persons who were born in the years 1957 to 1964 and lived in the U.S. in 1979. These respondents were ages 14 to 22 when the first round of interviews began in 1979; they will be ages 55 to 62 when the planned round twenty-nine of interviews is conducted in 2019 and 2020. In addition to the main NLSY79, the biological children of female NLSY79 respondents have been surveyed since 1986. A battery of child cognitive, socio-emotional, and physiological assessments has been administered biennially since 1986 to NLSY79 mothers and their children. Starting in 1994, children who had reached age 15 by December 31 of the survey year (the Young Adults) were interviewed about their work experiences, training, schooling, health, fertility, self-esteem, and other topics. The longitudinal focus of the NLSY79 and associated Child and Young Adult surveys requires information to be collected from the same individuals over many years in order to trace their education, training, work experience, fertility, income, and program participation. One of the goals of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to produce and disseminate timely, accurate, and relevant information about the U.S. labor force. The BLS contributes to this goal by gathering information about the labor force and labor market and disseminating it to policymakers and the public so that participants in those markets can make more informed, and thus more efficient, choices. Research based on the NLSY79 contributes to the formation of national policy in the areas of education, training, employment programs, and school-to-work transitions.

The latest form for National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 expires 2023-08-31 and can be found here.