Data on Health and Well-being of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Other Native Americans, Data Catalog

Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)

[ Main Page of Report | Contents of Report ]

Sponsor:	The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)’s original funding agency was the Office of Economic Opportunity of the United States Department of Commerce. The study’s major funding source is now the National Science Foundation. Substantial additional funding has been provided by: the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the United States Department of Health and Human Services; the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture; the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; the United States Department of Labor; and the Center on Philanthropy at the Indiana University-Purdue University.
Description:	The PSID, begun in 1968, is a longitudinal study of a representative sample of U.S. individuals (men, women, and children) and the family units in which they reside. Its emphasis is on economics, but it also includes sociological and psychological measures.
Relevant Policy Issues:	Income Status, Unemployment Rates, Economic Assistance Program Participation Rates, Economic Opportunity, Measures of Well-being for Families/households, Measures of Well-being for Children, Measures of Well-being for Elders, and Housing Ownership.
Data Type(s):	Survey
Unit of Analysis:	Individual
Identification of AI/AN/NA:	Instructions for reporting race are as follows: “In order to get an idea of the different races and ethnic groups that participate in the study, I would like to ask you about your background. Are you:” White Black Native American (NA) Asian Pacific Islander Another race Up to four choices were recorded.
AI/AN/NA Population in Data Set:	There are 7,822 families in the full 2003 data set. The unweighted count for NA male heads of households of these families is 136 (41 are NA alone and 95 are NA and other races). The unweighted count for wives of heads of households in the 2003 wave of the PSID is 39 (24 are NA alone and 15 are NA and other races). (Pacific Islanders are combined with Asians into a single group, so no separate count of this group is possible.)
Geographic Scope:	The geographic scope of the study is national. The public release files contain geographic information such as region, state of residence, size of largest city in the county of residence, and the Beale rural-urban code. The Beale rural-urban code includes the following categories: Fringe counties of metropolitan areas of 1 million population or more Counties in metropolitan areas of 250,000 to 1 million population Counties in metropolitan areas of less than 250,000 population Urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to metropolitan area Urban population of 20,000 or more, not adjacent to a metropolitan area Urban population of less than 20,000, adjacent to a metropolitan area Urban population of less than 20,000, not adjacent to a metropolitan area Completely rural, adjacent to a metropolitan area Completely rural, not adjacent to a metropolitan area The data allow geographic analysis at all these levels.
Date or Frequency:	Between 1968 and 1997, PSID data were collected every year. Starting in 1999, the PSID collected data biennially (i.e., every other year). All waves of data 1968-2003 are available on the website. The 2005 data will be released by December 31, 2006. The next wave of the PSID will be conducted in 2007.
Data Collection Methodology:	The PSID was collected in face-to-face interviews using paper and pencil questionnaires between 1968 and 1972. Thereafter, the majority of interviews were conducted over the telephone. In 1993, the PSID introduced the use of computer assisted telephone interviewing. In the 1999 wave, 97.5 percent of the interviews were conducted over the phone, and all interviews were conducted using computer-based instruments.
Participation:	Optional, with incentives
Response Rate:	Since 1969, annual response rates have ranged between 96.9 and 98.5 percent.
Sampling Methodology:	The initial sample for the PSID consisted of two independent samples: a cross-sectional, national sample (based on stratified multistage selection of the civilian noninstitutional population of the U.S.) and a national sample of low-income families. Both samples are probability samples. However, when the two samples are combined the result is a sample with unequal selection probabilities, and as a result compensatory weighting is needed in estimation.
Strengths:	Data are collected on key policy issues, including economic status and child well-being. There are multiple years of data available. Documentation of the content and implementation of the PSID is comprehensive and available on-line.
Limitations:	There are a very small number of AI/AN/NA respondents. Asians and Pacific Islanders are collapsed into a single result category in all PSID data sets.
Access Requirements and Use Restrictions:	Data set is available to the public at no cost.
Contact Information:	The data set is available from the following website: http://simba.isr.umich.edu/. For general assistance, contact: PSID Staff The Panel Study of Income Dynamics Institute for Social Research PO Box 1248 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248 psidhelp@isr.umich.edu

Where to?

Main Page of Report | Contents of Report

Home Pages:
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)