Basic Monthly Survey Methodology and Documentation Page
Each month your assignment may include:
Examples of demographic data you collect in the middle of the CPS interview
You collect this information in month-in-sample 1 and verify it in month-in-sample 5. You only ask if there are changes in other months, unless information is missing. (You will also need to ask educational attainment in February, July and October.)
The demographic data you collect in the Control section of the instrument provides the BASIC RECORD of each sample unit. Complete it carefully. Except the identification items filled by the office, you are responsible for completing this information during the 1st month of interview.
You ask about ownership of the living quarters during the 1st and 5th months interview if the occupants are home and do not have a usual residence elsewhere. See page C3-6 for instructions on the determining usual place of residence.
You also ask about ownership when you first conduct an interview for:
If a respondent cannot supply the information during the 1st or 5th month, the computer will prompt you to ask it again in the following month's interview.
Living quarters are "Owned or being bought" if the owner or coowner is a household member of the unit even if (s)he still has a mortgage or has not fully paid for the unit.
A condominium or a cooperative unit is "Owned or being bought" only if the owner lives in it.
Living quarters are "Rented for cash" if the occupants pay or have a contract for any money rent (even by persons not living in the unit).
Living quarters are "Occupied without payment of cash rent" if the unit is not "Owned or being bought" and if the money rent is paid or contracted. Person's usually live in these units in exchange for services, or as a gift from a relative or friend not living in the unit.
If occupants pay only for their utilities but do not pay any money rent, report the unit as "Occupied without payment of cash rent".
If a structure contains more than one unit, be sure the respondent understands you are referring to the unit you are interviewing. If you are interviewing a unit on the second floor, and the occupants pay rent to the owner who occupies the first floor, report the second floor unit as "Rented for Cash." If the first floor unit is in sample, report it as "Owned or being bought." Classify rooms in a rooming house or dormitory where the occupants pay room and board or room rent as "Rented for cash."
Classify persons living on military bases who pay rent as " Rented for Cash". Persons living off the base often get these rental payments in the form of a housing allowance included in their earnings. Persons living on the base do not have these payments included in their earnings.
If a person owns a piece of property and rents adjacent property and uses both as a single place, base tenure on the property the sample unit is located on.
For occupied trailers or mobile homes, report tenure for the trailer or mobile home itself. Do not base tenure on the site or land on which it is located. Enter "NA" for vacant trailers or mobile homes.
If tenure changes or if you discover a classification error, change the classification and note it, giving the date and reason for the change.
In some housing projects for the elderly, the residents can "purchase" a unit and pay monthly maintenance fees (including health, recreation, security, etc.) The "purchaser" cannot sell the unit, and upon death, the unit reverts to ownership by the sponsoring organization. No inheritance claim can take place. Treat these units as "owned".
To classify living quarters for interviews and Type A and B noninterviews you must know the definition of a housing unit and an OTHER unit in order to fill these items properly. (Consult your listing manual.)
Determine by observation. Choose "Direct" if the sample unit has direct access or "Through another unit" if it does not have direct access.
If you encounter any problems when classifying sample units, make your determination by referring to your Listing manual and applying the above rules. Record the problem in your FR Notes and send an INTERCOMM on classification problems to your office.
Use the following to help you determine when to consider a unit a housing unit and when to consider a unit an other unit.
HOUSING UNIT OTHER UNIT
House, apartment, FlatHouse, apartment, Quarters not HU in rooming or
Flat. boarding house.
An ordinary house or apartment, an Unit in a boarding house or occupied
apartment over a garage or behind a by a boarder in a combination
store, janitor's quarters in an office rooming and boarding house, or does
building, and housing units in such not meet the housing unit definition
structures as converted barns or sheds. in a rooming house or combination
rooming and boarding house.
HU in nontransient hotel, motel, etc.HU Unit not permanent in transient
in nontransient hotel, motel, etc. hotel, motel, etc.Unit not permanent
in transient hotel,motel, etc.
All separate living quarters in a
nontransient hotel, motel, motor court Unit in a transient hotel, motel,
or YMCA are housing units. (See your motor court, etc., and occupied or
listing manual for definitions of intended for occupancy by transient
nontransient hotels and motels.) guests or is not a housing unit.
HU permanent in transient hotel, motel, Unoccupied tent site or trailer
etc.HU permanent in transient siteUnoccupied tent site or trailer
hotel,motel, etc. site.
Separate living quarters in a transient An unoccupied site for a tent,
hotel, motel, motor court, etc. and trailer, or mobile home.
occupied or intended for occupancy by
permanent guests or resident employees.
HU in rooming houseHU in rooming house. Student quarters in college
dormitoryStudent quarters in college dormitory.
Housing unit in rooming houses, or A sample unit occupied by a student
combination rooming and boarding houses. in a college dormitory.
Mobile home or trailer with no permanent OTHER unitOTHER unit.
room addedMobile home or trailer with no
permanent room added. Any OTHER unit that you can not
classify as one of the types listed
Open or unheated porches or sheds built above. For example, quarters for
onto trailers are not rooms. nurses and quarters in bunkhouses.
Describe the OTHER unit fully your
notes.
Mobile home or trailer with one or more
permanent rooms addedMobile home or
trailer with one or more permanent rooms
added
HU - not specifiedHU not specified.
Living quarters which meet the housing
unit definition that do not fit into a
category. Include tents, houseboats,
and railroad cars if they meet the
housing unit definition. Describe the
unit fully in your notes.
Classify living quarters by type, not
condition. For example, report vacant
or occupied dilapidated houses that are
housing units and living quarters as
"house, apt., flat."
You create the household roster by showing the relationship flashcard and asking:
"What are the names of all persons living or staying here? Start with the name of the person or one of the persons who (owns/rents) this home."
List all persons who are staying in the sample unit at the time of interview. Also list all persons who usually live there but are temporarily away for reasons such as visiting, traveling in connection with their jobs, attending school, in hospitals, etc. Include children who live in the unit, taking particular care not to overlook infants. Also include lodgers, servants, hired hands, and similar persons who usually live there.
List visitors and other persons who are not household members if they are there at the time of interview and stayed overnight the night before the interview.
1. Reference person (owner/renter of unit)
2. Spouse of reference person
3. Unmarried partner of reference person
4. Unmarried children of reference person or spouse, in order of age beginning with the oldest
5. Married sons and daughters (in order of age) and their families listed in order; son or daughter, spouse, children
6. Other relatives
7. Lodgers and other nonrelated persons
In units composed entirely of unrelated persons, list the reference person and then the rest of the household in the order the respondent gives them.
If, among "other relatives," or persons not related to the reference person, there are any married couples or persons otherwise related, arrange them the same as families of married children.
Do not change entries if the people are not listed in the preferred order given above.
The CPS instrument will collect demographic and labor force information for up to 16 household members. After the sixteenth person the instrument will bring up NROS2B. You will need to enter the number of additional household members in CNT2BG (Figure C11).
It is important that you list adults (persons age 15 or older) first in households with more than 16 household members since they are eligible for labor force.
>Nros2b< ***16 PERSONS IN HOUSEHOLD ROSTER***
AT THIS POINT COUNT ADDITIONAL PEOPLE.
YOU WILL INTERVIEW ONLY THOSE HOUSEHOLD
MEMBERS 15 YEARS OLD OR OLDER WHO ARE LISTED.
Are there any other persons 15 years old
or older now living or staying there? (Who
have not been listed.)
<H> Show household listing again
<1> Yes
<2> No
===>_
>CNT2BG< How many others?
ENTER NUMBER
===>__
Reference person. The first household member mentioned by the respondent, who is the owner or renter of the sample unit. For persons occupying the sample unit without payment of cash rent, the reference person is the first household member listed who is 15 years of age or older.
The relationship data is reported based on self-identification. That is, the respondent selects the appropriate answer from the options given. However, the respondent may ask you to define some of the relationship categories, so he/she is better able to pick the right ones.
The following guidelines should help clarify when to use a few of the most difficult-to-use relationship codes. Figure C12 illustrates the relationship categories.
Use code 22 (Child) for all children of the reference person, including natural-born, adopted, and stepchildren (sons and daughters).
Use code 21 (Unmarried partner) for any person who:
Use code 28 (Housemate/Roommate) for any person who:
Use code 29 (Roomer/Boarder) for any person who:
Persons with relationship codes 21, 28, and 29 above, as well as persons with relationship code 30 (Other nonrelative of the reference person) may or may not have own relatives in the household. In order to determine this, you will ask persons that have a relationship to the reference person of
if they are related to anyone else in the household (the vr-nonrel item). For any of these four categories, the instrument will automatically display the vr-nonrel item.
>RRPscrn<
How is Tom Wilson related to you?
(PREVIOUS ENTRY WAS: )
RELATIONSHIP
<20> Spouse (Husband/Wife)
<21> Unmarried partner
<22> Child
<23> Grandchild
<24> Parent (Mother/Father)
<25> Brother/Sister
<26> Other relative (Aunt, Cousin, Nephew, Mother-in-law, etc.)
<27> Foster child
<28> Housemate/Roommate
<29> Roomer/Boarder
<30> Other nonrelative
The summary table for determining household membership, Table C1 on Page C3-7, provides rules for determining when to count a person as a household member.
Consider the following persons in a sample unit as household members:
Persons, whether present or temporarily absent, whose usual place of residence at the time of interview is the sample unit.
Persons staying in the sample unit who have no usual place of residence elsewhere.
A probe to determine whether the person has a usual place of residence elsewhere will come up for person's who say they do not usually live in the unit. If a respondent still seems unsure of the concept, explain further and probe to determine the correct information.
Usual place of residence. The place where a person usually lives and sleeps. It must be specific living quarters held by the person to which (s)he is free to return at any time. Living quarters rented or loaned to someone else or that are exchanged for other living quarters temporarily, cannot be considered as a usual place of residence during the time these quarters are occupied by someone else.
If a person has a usual residence elsewhere, then (s)he is not a household member. You do not ask any further questions of a person who is not a household member. (Unless you are using this person as a proxy respondent for the household.)
Keep your use of nonhousehold respondents to a minimum. Use a nonhousehold respondent only in the following two cases:
1) If the household members are physically or mentally unable to respond for themselves and the nonhousehold respondent is:
2) If all household members were temporarily absent, and:
Table C1. Determining Household Membership
For example, you arrive at a 3rd monthinsample address and the usual residents, a husband and wife, are not home. However, a relative of theirs answers the door and tells you that the couple is on vacation and won't be back until the following week. You would interview the relative if (s)he is 15 years old or older and is staying in the sample unit. You will be getting information about the usual residents but not about the relative staying in the unit. The relative would have a usual residence elsewhere. You would not interview the relative if (s)he stopped by to pick up the mail and water the plants.
If you have any doubt about the acceptability of a nonhousehold respondent, contact your supervisor prior to conducting the interview.
You must maintain the confidentiality that you promised the respondent and have sworn to uphold when interviewing a nonhousehold respondent. Therefore, you may not provide the nonhousehold respondent with any other information which was given by household members during previous interviews. This includes information on household composition, marital status, education, income, etc.
Do not consider a person's vacant living quarters that (s)he offers for rent or sale during his/her absence as his/her usual place of residence while (s)he is away.
Some families have two or more homes and may spend part of the time in each. For such cases, the residence is the place in which the person spends the largest part of the calendar year. Only one unit can be the usual residence. For example, the Browns own a home in the city and live there most of the year. They spend their summer vacation at their beach cottage. They do not rent either house in their absence. You will need to verify that these people usually live at this household. (Figure C13.)
>VERURE< VERIFY OR ASK:
Is this your usual place of residence?
<1> Yes
<2> No
<3> No, but PROXY respondent
===>_
Use the following to help determine how to classify the second home.
Conduct an Interview
If the city home is in sample and occupied at the time of interview.
Classify as Type B"vacant regular."
The summer beach cottage if it is in sample, but not occupied at the time of interview.
Classify as Type B"Occupied by URE."
The summer beach cottage if it is in sample and occupied at the time of interview.
Classify as Type A"Temporarily absent."
The city home if it is in sample, but the occupants are away at the time of interview.
Special Situations
Retired persons often maintain a winter home in Florida and spend the rest of the year in a home they have occupied for much of their lives. They may consider the older home their main residence.
If they spend more time in their older home but the Florida address is in sample, do not interview them there.
If they spend more time in their Florida home, interview them there if it is in sample even though they do not consider this their usual residence.
If a person has two or more concurrent residences and sleeps part of the week in each, interview him/her in the unit in which (s)he sleeps the greater part of the week. If the time is split evenly between them, interview the person where you find him/her.
Report children whose divorced parents have joint custody of them and who live 50 percent of the time with each parent in the household where you find them. Otherwise, report them in the household where they live most of the time.
Crew members of a vessel are household members at their homes, regardless of the length of their trips. Do not consider whether they are at home or on the vessel at the time of your visit if they have no usual place of residence elsewhere.
A mail address alone does not constitute a usual place of residence. Usual residents may also include:
You ask household membership for the reference person and verify the household roster each month. Any person can change his/her household status during the time in sample. Delete someone who leaves the household from the roster. You will need to indicate if they moved out or died. If a new member moves into the household you will add them to the roster and ask the demographic items for that person.
You ask sample units not located in a special place the following:
"Do all the persons in this household live or eat together?"
In certain situations, you may list persons on the household roster who occupy living quarters that are separate from the sample unit. This may occur when unrelated persons or two or more primary family groups are household members. The purpose of this question is to be sure that all household members listed actually live or eat together as one household.
You may also ask these households:
"Does any other household on the property live or eat with this household?"
You may determine this by observation if no other living quarters are present on the property.
As a result of mergers, structural conversions and other types of alterations, the address may not be enough to adequately define the sample unit. Some of these situations will be apparent before you begin the interview. For example, garages and mobile homes located on the same property as the sample unit may be used as overflow sleeping quarters.
Property includes:
For cooperative and condominium units, include only the structure (or other type of living quarters) containing the sample unit and the ground on which it stands.
You will ask date of birth in the first month's interview and when you add new members to the household roster. Get the exact date of birth. If you cannot get the exact date, enter the approximate date. If you get only the year (for example, 1913), enter "D" for month and day.
You will enter parents' line number for all individuals in the household whose parent(s) is (are) members of the household. Use relationship to reference person and your knowledge of the family structure within the household to complete this item.
If both parents are household members, enter the line number of the first parent listed in the household roster. It does not matter if the first listed person is a stepparent, even if a natural parent is also in the household. If neither parent is a household member, enter 0.
Below is a list of people to include and exclude as parents when determining parent's line number.
Include:
Exclude:
Take special care when dealing with relationships between individuals where the parent is not obvious but is present. You will usually find these cases in households containing individuals with relationships of mother (father)inlaw or grandparents. In most cases, these individuals will be a parent of at least one other individual within the household. Be sure to explore all possible parent/child relationships for individuals listed as mother (father)inlaw or grandparent.
You can usually determine marital status without asking, from the name and relationship entries. Ask if there is any doubt. You ask marital status in the first month's interview. You do not ask for children under age 15.
Include persons who state they have a commonlaw marriage as married. Exclude "separated" persons or persons who have parted because of marital discord as defined in Figure C14 below.
Figure C14. Marital Status Codes
1. Spouse present
2. Spouse absent. In most cases, the correct code will be obvious. However, if there is some confusion, then apply the following rules:
3. Widowed
4. Divorced
5. Separated. Include those married persons who are legally separated, or who have parted because of marital discord but have not yet obtained a divorce.
6. Never married. Include a person whose only marriage has been annulled and people living together who make no mention of a commonlaw marriage.
The instrument will prompt you to fill this item for individuals who are "Married, spouse present". The spouse does not have to be eligible for a CPS interview for you to enter his/her line number here. This would occur where a husband or wife is on active duty in the Armed Forces.
All household members (male and female) age 17 or older are eligible for the Armed Forces status questions (Figure C15).
When you ask if a person has ever served on active duty, always specify, "United States Armed Forces." You may find persons who have served in the Armed Forces of foreign countries.
Each of the military services have two components, a regular component and a reserve component.
Active Duty. Always consider members of the regular Armed Forces, whether currently on active duty or now retired, as having served on active duty.
Reserves. Members of reserve components may or may not have served on active duty, since they may be called to active duty by military order. Exclude as active duty the 46 month training period served by all reserve members.
Use Table C2 to help you determine if a person is on active duty.
You ask all persons who have served on active duty when they served. If a person served any time during the four major conflicts of this century enter the most recent wartime service, regardless of any peacetime service reported.
>AFWHEscrn<
IF NECESSARY: Previously I was
told that you served on active
duty of the U. S. Armed Forces.
When did you serve?
<1> Vietnam Era(Aug '64Apr '75)
<2> Korean War(Jun '50Jan '55)
<3> WW II(Sep '40Jul '47)
<4> WW I(Apr '17Nov '18)
<5> Other service(All other)
<6> Nonveteran
===>_
Periods of service are listed based on age. Therefore, the instrument will not display any periods of service for a 26 year old.
Enter the code for the most recent wartime service, regardless of any peacetime service. For persons who served in a period other than those noted above, enter the code for "Other Service". The "Other Service" code also covers service in:
You ask household members between age 1764 who were Armed Forces members during the Korean War or later and household members now in the military service of a foreign nation if they are currently serving in the armed forces.
In this item we include current military service of a foreign nation.
Table C2. Determining Active Duty Status
Type of Duty Active
Duty
Now serving in or has ever been on active duty in the:
U.S. Army
U.S. Navy YES
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Coast Guard
In Reserve branch of any of the above organizations on active YES
duty status for several months, except for training only.
U.S. Public Health Service commissioned officers assigned to
any branch of the Armed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.) YES
Members of the National Guard in Federal Service (when all or
part of their service was during a period when their unit was
blanketed into the regular forces by Presidential Order). YES
Exclude the six months of active duty served by all National
Guard members as part of their training.
Cadets in a United States Military academiesmilitary academy
(West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and the Coast YES
Guard Academy.)
Persons whose only service was in the Coast Guard Temporary NO
ReserveCoast Guard Temporary Reserve.
Employees of: Merchant Marine
Maritime Commission NO
American Field Service
Civilian employees of the Department of Defense. NO
Persons whose only active service was in a National Guard or
Reserve unit that served for any or all of the following
reasons should not be included:
For training purposes only. NO
Not blanketed into the regular forces by Presidential order.
Called into action to help in a local disaster, For example,
floods, tornados,
riots, etc.
Interview and report those cases which you cannot resolve.
During the 1st month's interview you ask each household member 15 years old and over for the highest degree they have obtained or level of school that they have completed (Figure C16). You re-ask educational attainment in MIS- 5, February, July, and October even if there is no change. Use Table C3 on page
C3-14 to classify difficult responses.
A person received Regular schooling if (s)he attended day or night school in any of the following for grades:
>EDUCAscrn<
What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received?
PREVIOUS ENTRY WAS:
<31> Less than 1st grade <43> Bachelor's degree
<32> 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade (for example: BA, AB, BS)
<33> 5th or 6th grade <44> Master's degree (for example:
<34> 7th or 8th grade MA, MS, MEng, Med, MSW, MBA)
<35> 9th grade <45> Professional School Degree (For
<36> 10th grade example: MD,DDS,DVM,LLB,JD)
<37> 11th grade <46> Doctorate degree
<38> 12th grade NO DIPLOMA (for example: PhD, EdD)
<39> HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE high school DIPLOMA or the equivalent (for example: GED)
<40> Some college but no degree
<41> Associate degree in college Occupational/vocational program
<42> Associate degree in college Academic program
>__
Table C3. Educational Attainment
Determining
Educational
Attainment
Situation Description
Less than first The first category, "Less than 1st grade", refers to persons
grade who attended, but did not complete a year of school as well
as persons who have completed only kindergarten or nursery
school, or who have never attended school at all.
A person who only completed the first grade is coded the same
as a person whose highest grade of school completed is the
second, third, or fourth. Fifth and sixth (code 33) and
seventh or eighth (code 34) are similarly grouped.
12th grade If the person completed the 12th grade but did not receive a
diploma or high school equivalency credentials (such as GED),
and did not attend college, select 12th grade, NO DIPLOMA.
Enter 39, high school graduate, for persons who graduated
from high school, persons who received a high school diploma,
and persons who achieved "high school equivalency
credentials" if they have not attended college.
Also enter 39 for persons who completed vocational, business,
technical, or training courses after graduating from high
school, but which are not creditable towards a college
degree.
Equivalency Enter 39 for person's who pass a high school equivalency test
testsEquivalency or finish high school while in the Armed Forces.
tests
Post-graduate Persons may attend "postgraduate" high school courses after
high completing high school. This is not the same as attending
schoolPost-gradu college. Enter 39, High school graduate, for these people.
ate high school
College For persons who have attended college but have not received a
degree, select 40, some college but no degree.
Select 41, Associates degree in college -
Occupational/vocational program, if the highest degree was an
associate degree in a program that prepared the person for a
specific occupation. Such course work may, but need not, be
creditable towards a Bachelor's degree.
Select 42, Associates degree in college - Academic program,
if the highest degree was an associate degree primarily in
the arts and sciences and transferable to a bachelor's degree
program.
Graduate or Make sure you can distinguish the difference between
professional professional degrees (law, medical, dental, etc.), master's
schoolGraduate level degrees (MA, MBA, MSW, etc..), and doctoral degrees
professional (PhD, EdD).
school
Select 45, professional school degree, if the highest degree
was earned in such fields as medicine, dentistry,
chiropractic medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine,
pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, law or theology. Do
not include vocational training for a trade such as barber
college or cosmetology, secretarial, trade, or bartending
school.
Still in Report the highest level completed or degree received for
schoolStill in those currently enrolled.
school
Special Try to get a regular school equivalency from the household
schoolsSpecial respondent. The respondent may not be able or may be
schools reluctant to give a regular school equivalency for a student
(such as in a special school. As a last resort, try to get this
schools for the information from the local school district. When contacting
handicapped) the school district use only the school name and number of
years completed in that special school. Never use the
student's name when discussing grade equivalencies with
school officials. This would breach our confidentiality
requirement.
Special Obtain the equivalent school year in the regular American
situations school system for persons who obtained a formal education
through any of the following methods:
Foreign schools
Ungraded schools
Night schools or instruction by tutors (if such counted
toward instruction in the regular
school system)
Level of education measured by "readers"; first reader is
roughly equivalent to first
grade in elementary school, second reader to second grade,
etc.
"Normal" or professional schools; in some areas, persons
enter "normal" schools after
completing elementary school; elsewhere, after 2 years of
high school; in other
places, after 4 years of high school or even some college.
If you cannot determine if a person received "regular" schooling or you cannot determine the highest degree or year, explain this in detail in your notes.
Regular schooling. That which advances a person toward an elementary, or high school diploma or a college, university, or professional degree.
Count schooling in other than regular schools only if the credits obtained are acceptable in the regular school system.
Do not count any of the following as regular schooling, unless they are part of a regular school and count toward promotion in regular school.
You must ask race in all cases even when it may seem obvious. Studies show significant differences in the recording of race categories between asking race and observing it. What may seem obvious to you may not be what the respondent considers himself/herself.
Mis-recorded cases may have a serious impact on the quality of the final data. Also, some households contain persons of different races. Assuming all household or family members are the same race as the respondent is not valid.
You ask race for each household member. Hand the respondent the Race Flashcard and ask the question as worded. Follow the procedures in Figure C17, (page C3-17) for responses not on the flashcard and when the respondent reports multiple races. Specify the exact response for problem cases in your notes. If you need further information, you may be able to get it during your next contact with the household.
In the majority of cases, the respondent will simply choose the race of all household members from one of the categories on the Flashcard.
Race. The Bureau of the Census bases race on selfidentification by respondents. It does not reflect clearcut definitions of biological stock or conform to any scientific definition. In the CPS, you ask individuals to report the race with which (s)he most closely identifies.
If the respondent refuses to answer race, enter <R> for refusal. In succeeding months of interview, enter their race at the >CHANGE< screen by observation if the person(s) is present.
Figure C17. Diagram of Procedures for Recording Race
Origin or descent. The national or cultural group a person is descended from and is determined by the nationality or lineage of a person's ancestors. There is no rule on how many generations to consider. A respondent may report origin based on the origin of a parent, grandparent, or a farremoved ancestor.
Origin or descent is not necessarily related to race. A person of any race may be of any origin. Hand the respondent the Origin or Descent Flashcard and ask the question as worded once for the entire household. Be certain you have the correct flashcard. Use the procedures in Figure C18 to help you determine origin or descent.
Some respondents may not identify with their ancestor's foreign birthplace or nationality group and may report "American." Explain that you are referring to the nationality group of the person or his/her ancestors before their arrival in the United States. If the person still insists that (s)he is "American", accept the response and enter code "30" (another group not listed).
Central or South American Hispanic Countries:
Record responses of "La Raza" as Mexican. Record response of "Boricua" as Puerto Rican.
Examples of responses classified "other Hispanic" (code 17)
If you suspect that a response is Hispanic or part Hispanic and is not one of those listed above, probe.
Figure C18. Diagram of Procedures for Recording Ethnic Origin, #1
It is extremely important to keep these to a minimum.
Probe or try to contact a more knowledgeable respondent before accepting a "Don't Know" response. Only enter "D" if:
Figure C18. Diagram of Procedures for Recording Ethnic Origin, #2
You ask for the Social Security Number of all household members age 15 or older during December, January, February, and March.
We do not let other agencies match their data to the CPS file. Sworn employees of the Census Bureau in Washington, D.C. process the data.
If the respondent is reluctant to give the
information in spite of your explanation, do not press the matter.
If a person has no Social Security number, record the railroad retirement number if the person has one.
The CHANGE screen comes up at the end of the demographic questions section of the interview. For new households, it shows the demographic data that you just entered.
For later interviews, it shows the demographic data passed forward from the previous month's interview.
The CHANGE screen summarizes key data items for all members of the household, and permits you to correct entries by selecting the person and item from the display. In months-in-sample 2 through 4 and 6 through 8 you will ask if any household member has had a change in marital status. (See Figure C19 on page C3-22.)
You can access the CHANGE screen from anywhere in the interview by hitting the SHIFT key and the F1 function key.
In the first column, an X indicates the current respondent. Next is the line number for each person, followed by the person's name. The remaining columns show all the following information:
MEM - household membership
RELATION - relationship to the reference
person
PAR - line number of parent
SEX AGE MAR - sex, age, and marital status
SPOUSE - line number of spouse
AF-NOW - in the armed forces now
ED - years of education completed
To correct someone's information, enter the person's line number. A list of correction options appears and prompts you to select an item to change. After you make that correction, the instrument prompts you to see if there are more corrections for that person.
When you answer there are no more corrections for that person, you return to the CHANGE screen again, in case there are corrections for other persons.
You can select another line number to make corrections for another household member. You can press <A> to add someone to the household, or press <C> to change the respondent. The interview continues when you determine that there are no more changes to be made and press <P> to proceed.
Figure C19. Change Screen
>CHANGE< ***** DO NOT USE F1 FROM THIS SCREEN *****
Since last month, has any household member had any
changes in his or her Marital Status?
** DO NOT READ ** ENTER CHANGES NEEDED FOR ITEMS DISPLAYED BELOW
CURRENT RESPONDENT:
R LN NAME ME RELATION PR SX AGE MAR SP AFN ED RC OR SSN
<P> All correct
<A> ADD Person NOT LISTED above
Enter LINE NUMBER to CHANGE something above
<116>
===>__
Income. The total money income of the reference person plus that of all his/her relatives age 15 and over, who are currently household members.
You ask for the total family income received in the preceding 12 months the first time you interview a household and update it in the first interview of the second 4 month period. See Figure C20.
Use the following guidelines when asking the income question:
Income tax records may help the respondent compare the last calendar year's taxable income with the income in the immediate preceding period. Make sure you get the total income figure for the preceding 12 months.
The respondent may be more cooperative if (s)he feels you are not prying too much into their business. One way to do this is to say, "Which code on this card represents the total combined income ..."
People may be more comfortable giving a code rather than an income range. Try this if you are experiencing a lot of refusals on this item. Remember, you must ask all questions exactly as worded!
>FAMINscrn<
(I am going to read a list of income categories.) Which category represents the total combined income of all members of this FAMILY during the past 12 months. This includes money from jobs, net income from business, farm or rent, pensions, dividends, interest, social security payments and any other money income received by members of this FAMILY who are 15 years of age or older?
<1> Less than $5,000 <8> 25,000 to 29,999
<2> 5,000 to 7,499 <9> 30,000 to 34,999
<3> 7,500 to 9,999 <10> 35,000 to 39,999
<4> 10,000 to 12,499 <11> 40,000 to 49,999
<5> 12,500 to 14,999 <12> 50,000 to 59,999
<6> 15,000 to 19,999 <13> 60,000 to 74,999
<7> 20,000 to 24,999 <14> $75,000 or more
When no one in the family had income, or the respondent reports a "loss" or "broke even" as the total family income, choose "Less than $5,000" (same as if the total income was between $1 and $4,999). Before accepting an answer of "No income", be sure the respondent understands all of the things we count as income.
In difficult cases, you may have to help the respondent. Find out who worked during the last 12 months, how much they made a week, etc.
Find out who operated a business or farm or received any pension, dividends, etc. Avoid Don't Knows in this item if at all possible.
Table C4. Determining What is Counted as Income
Count
Determining Income as
income
Wages and salaryWages and salary. (Before deductions for
withholding taxes, Social Security, bonds, union dues, etc. YES
Include commissions, tips, Armed Forces pay, cash bonuses, etc.)
Net incomeNet income from a person's own unincorporated
business, professional practice, or farm. (The gross receipts of YES
the enterprise minus the business expenses.)
Armed Forces AllowancesArmed Forces Allowances. Include all
allowances received as part of the Armed Forces member's
paycheck (for example, COLA, Cost of Living Allowance; HOLA, YES
Housing Allowance; BAQ, Basic Allowance for Quarters; and BAS,
Basic Allowance for Separate Rations). Do not include an
allowance in the form of free housing or meals.
Other income payments such as Pensionspensions,
Dividendsdividends, Interestinterest, Unemployment or worker's YES
compensationunemployment or worker's compensation, Social
SecuritySocial Security, Veterans' paymentsveterans' payments,
rents received from owned property (minus operating costs),
public assistance payments, regular gifts of money from friends
or relatives not living in the household, alimony, child
support, and other periodic money income other than earnings.
Income from a household member who is a relative of the YES
reference person that is temporarily absent.
Income in kindIncome in kind. Room and board, free meals in
restaurants, value of crops produced by a farmer but consumed by NO
his/her family etc.
Insurance paymentsInsurance payments or Lump-sum NO
inheritanceslumpsum inheritances.
Occasional gifts of moneyOccasional gifts of money from persons
not living in the household or any exchanges of money between NO
relatives living in the same household.
Money received from selling one's own house, car, or other NO
personal property.
Withdrawals of savings from banks.Withdrawals of savings from NO
banks.
Tax refundsTax refunds. NO
Income from nonrelatives of the reference person who are NO
household members.
Income of a relative who has permanently left the household. NO
Be sure the respondent knows whose income you want to include; name them if necessary.
In January 1994, we started asking the country-of-birth or "nativity" items in CPS. We ask the nativity items because, when used in conjunction with other administrative data on immigration and emigration, the nativity items result in more accurate statistics regarding the labor force supply and demand. Also, we ask the nativity items in order to learn more about our population's characteristics, specifically:
We do not ask for nativity data to identify illegal immigrants. Note that we ask whether a person is a citizen, and that we do not ask whether he/she is legal or not (that is, has a green card or some other legal residence status). Like all other CPS data, the nativity data are confidential and will be made public only in the form of statistical totals.
We only ask the nativity items for month-in-sample 1 households or replacement households, or for other households where the nativity items were skipped or reported as "Don't know" for one or more persons. If in any of these instances you find that a respondent is reluctant to provide the nativity data, encourage them to do so reminding them that the data are:
For each household member, you will ask where he/she was born (NAT1 illustrated in Figure C21), and where his/her mother and father were born (MNAT1 and FNAT1, respectively). Do not read the list of countries to the respondent.
>NAT1< In what country were you born?
<1> United States <2> Puerto Rico <3> Outlying Area of the U. S. (American Samoa, Guam,
U. S. Virgin Islands, Northern Marianas, Other U. S. Territory)
<4> Canada <17> Guyana <30> Nicaragua
<5> Cambodia <18> Haiti <31> Peru
<6> China <19> Honduras <32> Philippines
<7> Colombia <20> Hong Kong <33> Poland
<8> Cuba <21> Hungary <34> Portugal
<9> Dominican Republic <22> India <35> Russia
<10> Ecuador <23> Iran <36> Scotland
<11> El Salvador <24> Ireland/Eire <37> Korea/South Korea
<12> England <25> Italy <38> Taiwan
<13> France <26> Jamaica <39> Thailand
<14> Germany <27> Japan <40> Trinidad & Tobago
<15> Greece <28> Laos <41> Vietnam
<16> Guatemala <29> Mexico <42> Yugoslavia
ENTER <M> FOR MORE COUNTRIES
NOTE: MNAT1 and FNAT1 would have the same answer categories as NAT. MNAT1 would ask "In what country was your mother born?"; whereas FNAT1 would ask "In what country was your father born?"
If the country of birth reported is not among the countries listed on the main nativity screen (NAT1), enter an <M> for "more" screens with country codes (NAT2, NAT3, and NAT4 illustrated in C21a-C21c, respectively). These additional screens list another 65 country-specific codes
and 10 less specific codes that cover all world regions. If you cannot find the specific country reported in any of the first three screens, you can enter the code for the appropriate world region or the code for "Elsewhere" (555) in NAT4 as a last resort.
>NAT2< Other Countries for Nativity
<200> Afghanistan <103> Belgium <415> Egypt
<375> Argentina <300> Bermuda <417> Ethiopia
<185> Armenia <376> Bolivia <507> Fiji
<102> Austria <377> Brazil <108> Finland
<501> Australia <205> Burma <421> Ghana
<130> Azores <378> Chile <138> Great Britain
<333> Bahamas <311> Costa Rica <340> Grenada
<202> Bangladesh <155> Czech Republic <126> Holland
<334> Barbados <105> Czechoslovakia <211> Indonesia
<310> Belize <106> Denmark
<338> Dominica
ENTER <M> FOR MORE COUNTRIES
===>
>NAT3< Other Countries for Nativity
<213> Iraq <440> Nigeria <449> South Africa
<214> Israel <142> Northern Ireland <134> Spain
<216> Jordan <127> Norway <136> Sweden
<427> Kenya <229> Pakistan <137> Switzerland
<183> Latvia <253> Palestine <237> Syria
<222> Lebanon <317> Panama <240> Turkey
<184> Lithuania <132> Romania <195> Ukraine
<224> Malaysia <233> Saudi Arabia <387> Uruguay
<436> Morocco <234> Singapore <180> USSR
<126> Netherlands <156> Slovakia/SlovakRep. <388> Venezuela
<514> New Zealand
ENTER <M> FOR MORE COUNTRIES
===>
>NAT4< Other Countries for Nativity
<353> Caribbean <148> Europe <245> Asia
<318> Central America <252> Middle East <527> Pacific Islands
<389> South America <468> North Africa
<304> North America <462> Other Africa <555> Elsewhere
===>
For example, if a respondent is unsure as to the specific country where his/her mother was born and reports "Central America" as his/her mother's place of birth on MNAT1, you would enter precode <M> on that screen. At MNAT2, you would enter <M> again because that screen does not include Central America in the answer categories. At MNAT3, you would enter <M> again for the same reason. Finally at MNAT4, you would enter 318, which is the precode for Central America.
Depending on the entries to the person's country-of-birth questions and those of his/her parents, you may or may not have to ask any more nativity questions for that person. If the person's country of birth is the U.S., you will collect country-of-birth data for his/her parents and then skip to the next household member. If the person's place of birth is Puerto Rico or an Outlying Area of the U.S., you will collect country-of-birth data for his/her parents and then skip to the INUSY item (illustrated in Figure C24).
If the person's country of birth is something OTHER THAN the U.S., Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Outlying Area, you will collect country-of-birth data for his/her parents, and then you may or may not ask citizenship questions about the person. If the person's parents both were born in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Outlying Area, you will skip the citizenship questions and go to INUSY to ask for their year of entry to the U. S. Otherwise, you will go to CITIZN-scr.
>CITIZN-scr<
(Are/Is) (name/you) a CITIZEN of the United States?
<1> Yes
<2> No, not a citizen
===>_
You will ask items CITYA and CITYB for each person who is reported as a citizen of the U.S. in CITIZN-scr. Items CITYA and CITYB are illustrated in Figure C23.
>CITYA-scr<
(Were/Was (name/you) born a
citizen of the United States?
<1> Yes
<2> No
===>_
--------------------------------
>CITYB-scr<
Did (name/you) become a citizen
of the United States through
naturalization?
<1> Yes
<2> No
===>_
The following questions determine which year a person moved to the United States. They are only asked of persons whose country of birth in NAT1 was something other than United States.
>INUSY-scr<
When did (name/you) come to live in the United States?
(ENTER <B> IF BEFORE 1900) ENTER <N> IF RESPONDENT REPORTS THE NUMBER OF YEARS AGO INSTEAD OF THE ACTUAL YEAR.
ENTER YEAR (BIRTH YEAR/00-94)
===>19
>INUSN< **DO NOT READ
TO RESPONDENT**
ENTER THE NUMBER OF YEARS REPORTED
ENTER <M> FOR MISTAKE IF NO NUMBER REPORTED
===>
If a person reports the number of years ago in INUSY, the instrument will do two things. First, it will verify that this number is not greater than the age of the person. If there is a problem you will be prompted to ask again. Second, it will calculate the actual year the person came to live in the U.S. and have you verify this with the respondent. (See Figures C25a and C25b.)
>ERINUS< THAT WOULD BE
19(current year-INUSN)
AND THAT IS BEFORE (name) WAS BORN.
<B> BACK TO INUSN
>INUSPR<
That would be
19(current year-INUSN).
Is that correct?
<1> Yes
<2> No
There are edits built into the demographic questions that you ask of each household member to ensure that we get consistent demographic information. A number of the edits that you may encounter follow.
If the individual is the reference person's spouse, the instrument fills the individual's line number into the reference person's SPOUSE variable, and the reference person's line number into the individual's SPOUSE variable. The instrument will also fill their respective MARITL variables with a 1 (i.e., married spouse present).
If the household roster does not include a spouse for the reference person, the instrument will fill a 0 in the reference person's SPOUSE variable. It will also omit the first answer category (i.e., married spouse present) when displaying the MARITL screen for the reference person.
If the individual is the reference person's child, the instrument will fill the reference person's line number into the individual's PARENT variable. The PARENT screen will not be displayed for this individual.
If the individual is the reference person's parent, the instrument will fill the individual's line number into the reference person's PARENT variable. The PARENT screen will not be displayed for the reference person.
If the household roster does not include a parent for the reference person, the instrument will fill a 0 in the reference person's PARENT variable. The PARENT screen will not be displayed for the reference person.
If the individual is the reference person's brother/sister, the instrument will fill the reference person's parent line number into the individual's PARENT variable. The PARENT screen for the individual will not be displayed; instead, a "VERIFY" screen will be displayed to ensure that the individual's parent line number is correct. If the answer is "No," the instrument will bring up a place for you to fill the individual's parent line number and correct the individual's PARENT variable.
For each household member, the instrument will ensure that PARENT is not equal to his/her own line number. If PARENT is equal to his/her own line number, you will be prompted to correct parent line number.
For each household member with a SPOUSE, the instrument will ensure that SPOUSE is not equal to his/her own line number, nor to his/her own PARENT (if any). If SPOUSE is equal to either of these, you will be prompted to correct the spouse line number.
For each household member with a SPOUSE, the instrument will ensure that SPOUSE is not equal to any other person's SPOUSE. If it is, you will be prompted to correct spouse line number.
The instrument will not display the SPOUSE screen for both spouses in a married couple. Once it obtains SPOUSE for the first spouse on the roster, it will fill the first spouse's line number into the second spouse's SPOUSE variable.
The instrument will prompt you for the correct response if the EDUCA entry fails any of the following range checks:
If, after probing, the answer does not change, the instrument will accept the entry as valid.
Before allocating any spouses line number, the instrument will verify that there are opposing sex entries for each spouse.
The instrument will prompt you to probe before it allows you to lower an educational level reported in a previous month in sample.
The instrument will not allow more than two parents (RRP=6) for each reference person.
For months-in-sample 2-8,the instrument will include a general probe at the CHANGE screen to detect any changes that may occur from month to month in connection with the following variables:
For any household member reported as a nonrelative of the reference person, the instrument will identify the relatives (if any). Currently, the business questions in the labor force part of the instrument are displayed only for the primary family. The instrument will now display those screens for non-related subfamilies as well.
For anyone reporting that they are the reference person's sibling (RRP=7), the instrument will present a probe to determine if they indeed have the same parent as the reference person.
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