National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 2027 Pretest
OMB Control Number 1220-xxxx
OMB Expiration Date: N/A
SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 2027 Pretest
OMB CONTROL NO. 1220-XXXX
This Information Collection Request seeks to obtain clearance for the Pretest of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 2027 (NLSY27). The NLSY27 Pretest sample will yield approximately 800 completed interviews with youth aged 11–16 as of December 31, 2025, and approximately 518 interviews with their parents or caregivers. This sample will be screened and recruited from an initial sample of 13,381 housing units selected from purposively chosen survey areas.
The NLSY27 Pretest is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). BLS has overall responsibility for the project. While the NLSY27 Pretest is solely funded by BLS, other agencies such as the Department of Justice may provide funding for Round 1 of the NLSY27. BLS contracts with RTI International to conduct the survey. RTI International is responsible for survey design, data collection, data processing, documentation, and the preparation of data files.
The Pretest is intended to test all survey instruments, protocols and procedures, systems and hardware, and materials for the NLSY27 Round 1 data collection. Many of the questions are similar or identical to questions previously approved by OMB that have been asked in other cohorts of the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) (e.g., NLSY791 and NLSY972). This Pretest will primarily be conducted by in-person interviewers.
JUSTIFICATION
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.
The NLSY27 Pretest will include a purposive sample of youth aged 11–16 as of December 31, 2025, and their parents/caregivers. It will collect data for one extended quarter, or 17 weeks. This Pretest will provide critical information to the BLS to ensure the success of the NLSY27’s first round of collection, and in turn, the success of the future of the NLSY27 over the many subsequent rounds that are anticipated. As the NLSY27 is a new survey of a new generation of youth, BLS and its contractor RTI have conducted and are building on extensive analysis to plan and develop systems, protocols, and procedures that the survey will implement, as well as the content of the questionnaire, including questions that have already been tested and approved in other federal studies, and the look and feel of its outreach materials. This Pretest will enable BLS to examine how well these many survey components perform with the target population, so that any needed adjustments can be made in preparation for Round 1. In addition, the Pretest will include a small amount of experimentation, the results of which will enable BLS to maximize efficiency and minimize respondent burden in the NLSY27.
The mission of the Department of Labor is, among other things, to promote the development of the U.S. labor force and the efficiency of the U.S. labor market. BLS contributes to this mission 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. The charge to BLS to collect data related to the labor force is extremely broad, as reflected in Title 29 U.S.C. Section 1:
“The general design and duties of the Bureau of Labor Statistics shall be to acquire and diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with labor, in the most general and comprehensive sense of that word, and especially upon its relation to capital, the hours of labor, the earnings of laboring men and women, and the means of promoting their material, social, intellectual, and moral prosperity.”
See attachment G.1 for Title 29 U.S.C. Sections 1 and 2.
By conducting the NLSY27, BLS will contribute to the BLS mission described above by aiding in the understanding of labor market outcomes faced by individuals in the pilot stages of career and family development, and by providing the American people with useful information about how youth progress from full-time schooling to the establishment of their families and careers. Indeed, the United States Congress has repeatedly recognized the usefulness of NLS surveys and the additional information that the NLSY27 will bring, starting with the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub.L. 116-94), whose joint explanatory statement mandated that BLS initiate spending on its planning and development. Congress has continued to support the NLSY27 in subsequent appropriations bills, monitoring and reviewing its progress along the way.3
Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.
The proposed collection will produce a range of vital information for BLS to use in developing the NLSY27 survey. Such information includes: response behavior of youth and their families, effectiveness of outreach materials and incentives, comprehension of the questionnaires planned for Round 1, perceived burdens to survey participation and ease of use of the NLSY27 instruments, preferences for different collection modes, and reactions to the protocols and procedures developed for NLSY27 implementation.
Since the importance of collecting these data is inherently tied to the tremendous potential of the NSLY27 itself, some additional description of the ultimate use of NLSY27 data is warranted. Since the 1960s, BLS’s NLS have served as the preeminent research platform for understanding the labor market experiences of youth as they progress from schooling to work, as well as for other evolutions in labor markets over the lifecycle. By following youth longitudinally for 4 or more decades, the NLS allows researchers and policymakers to investigate outcomes that range from sample participants’ education, employment, and family formation to the acquisition of assets, program participation, and health. The NLS program spans multiple cohorts: the NLS Original Cohorts of Mature Women, Young Women, Older Men, and Young Men beginning in 1966; the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), the NLSY 1979 Child and Young Adult (NLSCYA), and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97). Together, they provide a singular asset that helps researchers understand the evolution of the labor market in the United States from the last half of the 20th century to the new millennium and beyond.
With the addition of the NLSY27, BLS will be able to continue and build on this valuable source of data, enabling researchers and policymakers to understand how a new generation of young workers is affected by the current economy and to help evaluate what policies and programs may be necessary to ensure adequate job creation, especially for adolescents and young adults. Since the last NLS cohort was initiated in 1997, many influences such as technological advances, changes in social norms, and the rise of new modes of communication have altered schooling and the structure of the labor market. At the same time, scientists’ understanding of the world has also progressed, heightening awareness of many factors that affect Americans throughout the life course, such as environmental conditions, social structures, and various experiences of early childhood.
BLS envisions that its new youth survey will cover a broad range of topics related to labor market outcomes. Respondents in previous NLS cohorts have been asked a core set of questions that provide extensive information on employment, training, education, sources of income, asset holdings and debts, marital status, fertility, health, attitudes toward work, and occupational and geographical mobility. BLS anticipates that the new youth survey content will cover many of these same topics; an anticipated strength of the survey is its ability to support comparisons with the previous NLS cohorts. However, some questions within these topics may measure features that have emerged since the last NLS cohort, such as the role of technology in school and personal lives, the importance of new technical skills in the workplace, and the growth of gig-based or other nontraditional work. In addition, development of the new cohort may allow the NLS to include topics and measures that are of interest to NLS stakeholders. For example, recognizing the importance of interactions with the criminal system to the labor market experiences of youth, the NLSY97 included a series of new questions on respondents’ criminal behaviors and records. Through continued consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, BLS is giving extensive consideration to how the new youth cohort can serve the data needs of other agencies, in addition to the Department of Labor.
BLS also plans to include short cognitive assessments for both the youth and the responding parent in Round 1 of the NLSY27. The youth and their responding parent or caregiver will answer the Behavioral Rating Index of Executive Function (BRIEF2)4 (youth) or BRIEF2A5 (parent) assessment questions. Executive functions are cognitive processes that help people set and carry out goals. These cognitive skills are used to solve problems, achieve goals, and manage emotions. As such, they help explain school and labor market outcomes.67 A unique feature of the earlier NLSY79 and NLSY97 surveys is the availability of scores from cognitive assessments administered to the majority of the youth. The test scores are widely used by researchers to control for the skill level of respondents at the time they enter the survey. A search of the NLS bibliography finds that over 500 journal articles, book chapters, and dissertations have used these assessments in the research. Research topics include studies of employer learning about workers’ skills in the workplace, the returns to education, and the effects of cognitive test scores on wages, unemployment, occupational choice, and job shifts.
One very productive area of research involves using the cognitive assessments of both the mothers in the NLSY79 and their children in the NLSY79 Child and Young Adult surveys. Researchers have used the mother’s and their children’s test scores to investigate numerous topics related to children’s and young adult’s cognitive development. One very important line of research is by Nobel Prize winner James Heckman, who, with other authors, has a series of influential research papers about the optimal timing of investments in children and young adults to shape their cognitive and noncognitive skills.
Having measures of youth’s cognitive skills in the NLSY27 can enable researchers to study how early skill measures affect youth’s subsequent educational and labor market outcomes. The ability to control for a parent’s cognitive test score adds an important layer to these studies, as researchers can control for parent cognitive skills as well as other family background characteristics in their analyses.
The NLS have accumulated more than 10,000 pieces of scholarly work, among which there are 5,323 journal articles, 1,479 PhD dissertations, 315 book chapters, and nearly 500 reports authored by U.S. government agencies or thinktanks8. The rate of utilization of the NLS has increased over time. According to Cooksey,9 the NLS accumulated 2,892 citations in journal articles from its inception to August 2015. By December 2024, the number of journal articles has nearly doubled. This ongoing growth demonstrates the many research questions that can be explored with the surveys.
The range of research and public policy questions is extensive and has facilitated new inquiries. These include approaches to study empirically school-to-work shifts and career evolutions;10 investigate job search and matching;11 12model human capital formation processes;13 estimate lifetime returns to human capital accumulation;14 uncover the serial covariance of labor income;15 and learn how family structure influences life outcomes16.
The most recent BLS news release on NLSY comes from the NLSY97 data collection and was published on April 2, 2024; the news release can be found online here: Labor Market Experience, Education, Partner Status, and Health for those Born 1980-1984 Summary - 2023 A01 Results (bls.gov). In addition to BLS publications, analyses have been conducted in recent years by other agencies of the Executive Branch, the Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Budget Office. The surveys also are used extensively by researchers in a variety of academic fields. A comprehensive bibliography of journal articles, dissertations, and other research that have examined data from all National Longitudinal Surveys cohorts is available at http://www.nlsbibliography.org/.
In addition to collecting information from this pretest sample to support effective fielding of Round 1 of the NLSY27, BLS also proposes to contact the pretest sample members after the pretest is concluded, in anticipation of inviting them in the future to participate in pretests for additional NSLY27 rounds. The details of such interim contact, which depend on NLS’ experiences during the round 1 pretest, will be submitted as a non-substantive change to this OMB package.
Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also, describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
The NLSY27 Pretest will use multiple, integrated systems and hardware that will automate processes and reduce burden. Exhibit 1 describes these systems:
Exhibit 1. NLSY27 Pretest Data Collection Systems
Project management staff will use the Survey Management System (SMS), an advanced, user-friendly tool for managing multimode data collection projects. The SMS will be tailored for the NLSY27 to manage and monitor screening, consent/permission/assent, recruitment, and data collection activities for paper, web, computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), and in-person modes. Paradata, including the number of contact attempts and contact outcomes, will be used throughout all aspects of data collection to manage and monitor data quality. The survey’s screeners and interviews will use a mixed mode approach employing these secure technologies to solicit high quality responses from a high proportion of the sample.
Households will be invited to respond to the Eligibility Screener (Attachment F.1.1, F.1.2, and F.1.3) via the web portal (Attachment E), telephone, or mail, with non-response follow-ups conducted in-person (Attachment D.6). To allow for online or web screening, all survey invitation mailings will include a QR code, URL, and unique login credentials to access the Eligibility Screener, and a NLSY27 Helpdesk support line for survey questions and access issues. Adult respondents will access the NLSY27 web portal, enter their access code, and be routed to complete the Eligibility Screener. Sample members will also be able to call the NLSY27 Help Desk (Attachment C.1 and Attachment C.2) to complete the Eligibility Screener by phone. No outbound calls will be initiated for the purpose of completing the Eligibility Screener, unless a respondent leaves a voicemail and/or requests a return call.
Respondents who complete the Eligibility Screener via the web portal and report eligible youth in their household will be asked if they are a parent/caregiver; if so, they will be prompted to continue to complete the Household Screener (Attachment F.2.1 and F.2.2) via web through the NLSY27 Portal. If the respondent is not a parent/caregiver, they will be prompted to provide the name, telephone number, and email address of a parent/caregiver in the household. If an email address is provided, more information about the survey and an access code to complete the Household Screener will be emailed to the identified parent/caregiver (Attachment B.1). Upon completion of the web Household Screener respondents will be asked to provide their email address, telephone number, and the best time to visit their home to complete the Youth Interviews and Parent/caregiver Surveys.
Households who complete the Eligibility Screener via phone or paper and report eligible youth in the household will be assigned to a face-to-face interviewer (FI) for an in-person visit to complete the Household Screener. If the phone or paper Eligibility Screener respondent is not a parent/caregiver, they will be asked to provide the parent/caregiver’s name, email address, and telephone number. If an email is provided, the FI may use it for email outreach to schedule a time to complete the Household Screener. If an email is not provided, an FI will make an in-person visit to try and complete the Youth Interviews and Parent/Caregiver survey.
Youth interviews (Attachment F.3) will primarily be conducted in-person. During these face-to-face interviews, conducted in respondents’ homes, each interviewer will have a tablet, laptop, and smartphone, all of which will have wi-fi connectivity embedded in the device. Parts of the interviews containing sensitive questions will be administered using audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) on the interviewers’ tablets. The ACASI technology permits respondents to complete sensitive portions of the interview in privacy. Providing the respondent with methodology that improves privacy and confidentiality makes reporting of potentially embarrassing, stigmatizing, or illegal behaviors (e.g., drug use, mental health issues) less threatening and enhances response validity and reduces item non-response rates.
The ACASI portion of the youth interview (for both in-person and video interviews) will include text alerting the youth that the upcoming questions are best answered in a private setting, followed by a question to youth asking if they feel as though they have enough privacy to answer the questions without anyone seeing their screen. In addition to selecting a response, youth will be prompted to say “Yes” or “No” aloud, to alert the interviewer. If the youth responds “Yes,” he/she will be prompted by the interviewer to click the “continue” button. If the youth responds “No,” the interviewer will discontinue the ACASI portion of the interview and attempt to regain privacy for the interview. If privacy can be regained, youth will resume the ACASI portion of the interview and be prompted once again to answer “Yes” or “No,” based on whether they have enough privacy to complete the interview. If privacy is unable to be regained and/or maintained, the interviewer will discontinue the interview.
The remainder of the youth interviews will be administered by the FI using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). Wi-Fi connectivity will be necessary for critical data to be transferred from screening instruments to the Parent/Caregiver Survey and the Youth Interview.
Interviewers will use a tablet to conduct eligibility screening, household screening, and the consenting process parent permission (Attachment D.13), and youth assent (Attachment D.14). The same tablet will be used to conduct the in-person youth interview(s) (Attachment F.3). The parent/caregiver will use a project-assigned laptop to complete the parent consent (Attachment D.12) and the self-administered Parent/Caregiver Survey (Attachment F.4). To ensure the parent/caregiver is the person completing the survey in-person, a check-box is included on the consent to confirm that they are the parent or legal guardian of the youth and can make decisions about whether the youth can participate in the research. For web, the parent/caregiver will receive their unique code in an email addressed to the selected parent/caregiver (Attachment B.1). Interviewers will use their assigned project smartphone to promote efficient communication with data collection supervisors and respondents, avoid comingling of project-related information with personal smartphones, and boost confidentiality and privacy protections.
Each respondent will be encouraged to complete the interview with an interviewer in the respondent’s home. However, due to the busy schedules of parents and youth, we expect sample members will not always be available to complete the interview while the interviewer is in the home. The Pretest will include an experiment to test offering alternative survey modes to reduce burden on respondents: (1) a youth video interview, and (2) a web Parent/Caregiver Survey. If a video appointment is scheduled for the youth, the parent/caregivers will provide the interviewer with an email address for the virtual meeting invitation. If the interviewer is talking to the selected parent/caregiver and they indicate they are unable to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey while the interviewer is in the home, the interviewer will inform the selected parent/caregiver (P/C) they will receive an email and access code to complete the survey by web. If the selected P/C indicates they would prefer to complete the survey in-person via the interviewer laptop, the interviewer will schedule a time to return to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey.
Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item A.2 above.
BLS does not know of a national longitudinal survey covering this age group that explores a comparable breadth of substantive topics, including employment and characteristics of jobs, education, training, aptitudes, health, fertility, marital history, income and assets, participation in government programs, attitudes, criminal and delinquent behavior, household environment, and military experiences.
As noted above, previous NLSY cohorts such as the NLSY79 and the NLSY97 have collected similar types of data, but for earlier generations. As the sample members for the NLSY97 are now in their 40s, the information collected from them could be a poor reflection of the key experiences and influences affecting today’s youth. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) pertains to a similar age range as the NLSY97. Members of the Add Health were in Grades 7-12 when enrolled in 1994-1995, making them approximately 30 years older when the NLSY27 cohort begins. One source of information about today’s youth is the Panel Study on Income Dynamics (PSID), which interviews the children of the original 18,000 PSID participants in its Child Development Supplement (CDS); as the original CDS has gotten older, PSID has continued to follow them in its the Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS). These surveys, while providing valuable information that can be linked to the main PSID survey, are not nationally representative samples, nor do they have the sample size or frequency of collection that characterize the NLSY27 (the CDS currently has 4,333 participants aged 0-17 that are interviewed every 5 years, while TAS has 2,595 participants aged 18-28 that are interviewed every 2 years). Because of their sample construction (as children of a previous sample), they do not represent well a specific age cohort like the NLSY27.
The repeated and updated collection of NLSY information permits consideration of employment, education, and family issues in ways not possible with any other available dataset. The combination of (1) longitudinal data beginning in adolescence; (2) a focus on youth and young adults; (3) national representation; (4) large minority samples; and (5) detailed availability of education, employment and training, demographic, health, child outcome, and social-
psychological variables make this dataset and its utility for social science policy research on youth issues unique.
If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
The NLSY27 Pretest is a survey of individuals in household and family units. It does not involve small organizations.
Describe the consequence to federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
The goal of the NLSY27 Pretest is to test all data collection instruments in all modes that will be used in the NLSY27 Round 1 data collection, systems and hardware used for case management, survey procedures and protocols, outreach and recruitment of respondents, and respondent materials. These data will inform the cost-efficiency and effectiveness of the Round 1 data collection procedures in the new NLS cohort.
One experiment will be conducted during Pretest, which has burden implications. The Pretest will include an experimental condition that offers video interviewing to youth participants early in the data collection schedule. Through this experiment, BLS will determine how allowing video interviewing versus in-person interviewing impacts response rates, timing of response, quality of the data collected, and whether video interviewing decreases non-response follow-up and thereby decreases data collection costs. For youth who complete the interview via video, their responding parent or caregiver will be offered the opportunity to complete their questionnaire via the web.
Without the NLSY27 Pretest, BLS would be significantly less able to optimize staffing and identify and resolve inefficient survey procedures for administration of the NLSY27 Round 1 and beyond. Not collecting it would risk increases in the cost of the NLSY27 to taxpayers, the burden incurred by survey respondents, and the usefulness of collected NLSY27 data to its users.
Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:
requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly.
requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;
requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;
in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;
requiring the use of statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;
that includes a pledge of confidentially that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or
requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentially to the extent permitted by law.
BLS and RTI have incorporated questions on race and ethnicity in the NLSY27 Pretest instruments that are consistent with OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15); BLS and RTI have researched these questions, without any testing, in preparation for adding these questions to the NSLY27 Pretest instruments. These questions follow the minimum reporting categories for screening instruments to minimize respondent burden. The screening instruments are intended to be completed quickly by adult members of selected housing units to determine eligibility. Detailed race and ethnicity are not used in determining eligibility, so BLS and RTI determined the minimum categories would be more appropriate for the screening instruments. The youth questionnaire collects detailed data on race and ethnicity beyond the minimum categories, as required by SPD 15.
If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.
Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.
Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years -- even if the collection-of-information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.
No comments were received as a result of the Federal Register notice published in 90 FR 17262 on April 24, 2025.
BLS performed NLSY27 outreach with the following federal departments and agencies: Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Child Health and Development, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Social Security Administration, Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy, DOL Employment and Training Administration, and the DOL Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Outreach centered on maximizing the scientific value of the unique data to be collected in the NLSY27 cohort, preventing duplicate data collections across agencies, and ensuring appropriate response to the congressional mandate.
The following individuals have provided expert consultation in the development of the content of the NLSY27 questionnaires:
Bowling Green State University:
Dr. Susan Brown
Dr. Wendy Manning
Duke University:
Dr. Lisa Gennetian
Georgetown University:
Dr. Leticia Bode
Dr. Rebecca Ryan
Dr. Lisa Singh
Rice University:
Dr. Flavio Cunha
RTI International:
Dr. Arnie Aldridge
Dr. Deborah Dawes
Dr. Mike Planty
Smith College:
Dr. Lucie Schmidt
University of Chicago:
Dr. Joe Hotz
Dr. Ariel Kalil
University of Kansas:
Dr. Misty Heggeness
University of Michigan:
Dr. Pam Davis-Kean
University of Pennsylvania:
Dr. Ken Wolpin (Emeritus)
University of Wisconsin:
Dr. Katherine Magnuson
W.E. Upjohn Institute:
Dr. Susan Houseman
BLS consulted with several outside experts to help inform NLSY27, as described in excerpts from the NLSY27 Advisory Reports below:
As part of the planning process for a new NLSY27 cohort, the NLS has sought recommendations from outside experts on measurement objectives and prospective content. In fiscal year 2022 external contractors (contract #1605C5-21-P-00020) conducted a needs assessment for a new cohort consisting of stakeholder and user outreach, a retrospective analysis of prior uses of NLSY data, and a review of possible alternative data sources. They also convened four content panels to make recommendations regarding the content of specific sections for the NLSY27 questionnaire during the earlier rounds: family and early childhood retrospectives, K-12 education and cognition, health and environmental outcomes, and assessment tools of the Department of Defense (including the ASVAB).
In fiscal year 2023 external contractors (contract #1605C5-22-Q-00065) convened two additional content panels: delinquency, victimization, and interactions with the criminal justice system, and employment and work arrangements. The NLS has now received reports from contractors from these activities. The reports provide advice about several foundational NLSY27 topics:
Fiscal Year 2020:
Conference - Shaping a New NLSY Cohort: Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)
Fiscal Year 2022:
Report on the Content and Measurement Objectives for the NLSY27: Provides recommendations on content and measurements objectives for a new NLSY27 cohort based on stakeholder outreach activities, a retrospective analysis of prior use of NLSY data, and a detailed evaluation of potential alternative data sources.
Retrospective Analysis Report: Assesses strengths of previous NLSY cohorts according to research usage and impact, identifies less well-used variables in previous NLSY97 cohort, and compares NLSY to other large longitudinal surveys.
Retrospective Analysis Report Appendices:
Evaluation of Potential Alternative Data Sources: Assesses alternative data sources that could be integrated into the NLSY27 to improve the accuracy of survey data collected, reduce respondent burden, or expand the scope of the survey content.
Summary report from four Content Panels: Provides summary of key recommendations of the four content panels and implications of recommendations for the design of the NLSY27.
Reports from four Content Panels:
Fiscal Year 2023:
Reports from two Content Panels:
Fiscal Year 2024:
Note that while these reports are recommendations to BLS from informed sources not all suggestions will be implemented.17
Explain any decision to provide any payments or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
Incentives are one of the most effective ways to encourage survey participation, retain respondents, and increase participation in future rounds in a longitudinal study like the NLSY27 while controlling costs.18, 19, 20, 21 For the NLSY27 Pretest, BLS will offer monetary incentives at each stage of data collection (including outreach, screening, and interviewing), in anticipation of using a similar incentive structure in the first round of the NLSY27. The incentives to be offered comprise four types, each of which has been shown to be effective in other contexts:
Enrollment or prepaid incentives are provided before survey completion.22
Base incentives are provided to all respondents upon completion of the survey.23
Enhanced incentives are additional incentives offered to reluctant respondents, especially those who are members of low-responding groups. They may also be referred to as non-response follow-up (NRFU) incentives.24
Non-monetary incentives, such as a community service certificate, can be a cost-effective tool used to gain the cooperation of youth who attend schools requiring community service hours for graduation.25
In addition to the examples of success for these types of incentives in the survey literature as cited above, BLS can draw on several pieces of evidence gathered while conducting the NLSY79 and NLSY97 that support the use of base and enhanced monetary incentives.
Base incentives: Over multiple years of data collection, the NLSY79 and the NLSY97 have employed varying amounts of base incentives to promote response. In Round 19 (2000) of the NLSY79 and Rounds 10–11 (2006-7) of the NLSY97, BLS conducted experiments to test whether higher amounts of base incentives can elicit significant increases in response rates.26 In both cases, higher incentive amounts proved to be cost-effective in raising response.
Enhanced incentives: Both the NLSY79 and the NLSY97 have been implementing this type of incentive for the last several rounds of data collection in the form of a “Final Push” incentive offered to all sample members who have not completed an interview after most of the interview period has elapsed and most of the completions have been obtained, and an “Enhanced Final Push” incentive offered to demographic groups whose response is especially lagging. BLS has conducted experiments to evaluate the efficacy of these incentives (“Final Push” was tested in Round 29 of the NLSY79; “Enhanced Final Push" was tested in Round 20 of the NLSY97). In both cases, the evidence showed that the incentives were effective. These results reinforced similarly positive results of an enhanced incentive experiment carried out in Round 19 (2000) of the NLSY79.27
The specific incentives to be offered in the NLSY27 Pretest are summarized in Table 1. They include:
A prepaid incentive of $1 to be included in the lead letter envelope sent to each sampled address to encourage households to open the envelope and learn about the survey.
Base incentives of $5 for each of the 2 short screening surveys to support robustness in the effort to identify representative samples.
Base incentives of $50 each for completion of the youth and parent/caregiver surveys.
An enhanced incentive of $25 to be offered to a portion of reluctant youth responders (e.g. respondents who are historically difficult to survey) to achieve a nationally representative sample of youth.
RTI plans to identify this group of reluctant youth responders by appending the Census Bureau’s Low Response Score28 29to each sampled address. Youth who reside at sampled addresses with the highest Low Response Scores (meaning they are less likely to respond) will be offered the enhanced incentive of $25.
An additional enhanced incentive of $10 to be offered to youth non-respondents.
A non-monetary incentive of a community service certificate worth 5 hours of service to be offered to youth participants.
Table 1: NLSY27 Incentive Structure
Incentive |
Amount |
Type |
Disbursement Method |
Prepaid |
$1 |
Cash |
|
Eligibility Screener |
$5 |
Cash for in-person, PAPI, or CATI Gift card for web, PAPI or CATI |
In-person, email/text*, mail** |
Household Screener |
$5 |
Cash for in-person Gift card for web |
In-person, email/text* |
Youth Interview |
$50 |
Cash or gift card |
In-person, email/text*, mail** |
Youth Non-Response Follow-Up Incentive |
$10 |
Cash or gift card |
In-person, email/text*, mail** |
Reluctant Youth Respondent Interview |
$25 |
Cash or gift card |
In-person, email/text*, mail** |
Parent/Caregiver Survey |
$50 ($25 additional for each youth in multi-youth households***) |
Cash or gift card |
In-person, email/text*, mail** |
Non-Monetary Incentive: Youth Community Service Certificate |
5 hours |
Certificate |
NLSY27 Web Portal |
*Electronic gift cards will be provided to the respondents. Respondents will have the option to choose from a catalog that includes popular stores and Mastercard. The gift cards will have an age requirement of 18 or older to use the gift card mall. Therefore, the project will ask whether the Youth wants to receive a cash incentive, or an electronic gift card sent to their parent’s email address or cell phone. If an electronic gift card is preferred, the project will request the parent’s email address or cell phone for delivery of electronic gift cards to youth.
**Mailed cash incentives will be offered to: (1) screener participants who complete the Eligibility Screener (ES) via paper/mail or CATI, (2) youth participants who complete their interview via video, and (3) parents/caregivers/legal guardians who complete their survey via the web.
***The additional $25 is for the additional burden parents/caregivers incurred to answer the survey for each child selected.
Table 2 provides estimates of the costs incurred by offering these incentives, based on estimates of take-up among each incentive type.
Table 2: NLSY27 Incentive Amounts
Incentive Type |
Amount |
Quantity |
Total |
Prepaid |
$1 |
13,381 |
$13,381 |
Eligibility Screener |
$5 |
6,088 |
$30,440 |
Household Screener |
$5 |
670 |
$3,350 |
Youth Interview |
$50 |
800 |
$40,000 |
Youth Non-response Follow-up |
$10 |
200 |
$2,000 |
"Reluctant" Youth Interview |
$25 |
400 |
$10,000 |
Parent/caregiver Survey |
$50 |
518 |
$25,900 |
Additional P/C incentive for multiple youth |
$25 |
224 |
$5,600 |
Youth Community Service Certificate |
5 hours |
800 |
|
An extensive review of other OMB-approved data collection efforts involving youth that are either longitudinal or panel studies demonstrates that the NLSY27 incentive structure is in keeping with the practices followed by several other, high-quality surveys. Table 3 provides a summary of reference studies. Of the studies listed in Table 3, the NLSY97, PSID, and ECLS-B have similar survey lengths and base incentive amounts. Some studies in Table 3 show smaller base incentives, but these align with a shorter survey length (e.g., Ask U.S. Panel and ExPECTT 3). NHANES has base incentives by age group, with the youngest group (less than 12 years old) receiving $40, 12–15-year-olds receiving $60, and those 16 years and older receiving $125 for a 30–60-minute survey. For the older age groups in NHANES, they are receiving a higher base incentive than the proposed NLSY27 for a shorter survey length.
Table 3: Reference Studies |
|||||||||
Studies |
Background |
Incentives |
Comparison Notes to NLYS27 |
||||||
Funder |
Sample Size |
Sample Age |
Year of Enrollment |
Enrollment or Prepaid Incentives |
Base Incentive & Burden |
Enhanced |
Non-monetary Incentive |
||
NLSY79 |
BLS |
9,964 |
Initial enrollment at 14-22 Current: 59- 67 |
Initial: 1979 Current: 2020 |
n/a
|
$70 |
$30 and $50 |
Small, in-kind gifts of ~$12 value |
Most recent rounds offer higher incentive amount than NLSY27 |
NLSY97 |
BLS |
6,713 |
Initial: 12-18 Current: 36-42 |
Initial: 1997 Current: 2021 |
$10, $15, or $20 (experiment) |
$50 |
$25 and $50 |
Small, in-kind gifts of ~$10 value such as a cup of coffee, reusable cup, or a pen |
Originally offered $10. Most recent rounds offer the same incentive amount as NLSY27. |
Ask U.S. Panel |
U.S. Census Bureau |
1,700 |
18+ |
2022 |
$5 |
$20
(~20 minutes) |
NRFU: $5 screener |
n/a |
Shorter survey length. Base incentive offers approximately $1 per minute of completion, which is higher than NLSY27. |
The Real Cost Campaign Outcomes Evaluation Study: Cohort 3 (ExPECTT 3) |
U.S. FDA |
6,000 |
11-20 |
2023 |
$1 |
$30 (30 minutes) |
n/a |
n/a |
Shorter survey length. Base incentive offers approximately $1 per minute of completion, which is higher than NLSY27. |
National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) |
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) |
~10,000 |
13-17
|
2001-2004 |
n/a |
$50 |
n/a |
n/a |
Enrollment was over 20 years ago. Longer administration time. Smaller incentive than NLSY in comparison. Congressionally mandated. |
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) |
CDC |
5,000 |
Minors |
2021-2023 |
n/a |
$40,
<12 y.o. |
n/a |
Parent allowance towards childcare for time spent doing examination |
Youth incentive comparable to NLSY27; adult incentives higher than NLSY27. |
National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) |
DHHS |
5,000 |
15-49 |
2022 |
$2 |
$60
|
NRFU: $5 screener and additional $40 |
n/a |
Slightly higher than NLSY27. Incentive was previously $40; increased to $60. |
The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, Wave III (NSCAW III) |
ACF |
3,298 families |
0-17.5 |
2017-2020 |
n/a |
$50
caregiver (~100 mins) |
n/a |
n/a |
Vulnerable population (individuals with lived Child Welfare System experience). Greater length of time than NLSY27. Smaller incentive amount per minute of completion. |
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) (historical) |
U.S. Census Bureau |
40,500 |
15+ |
2023 |
Unknown |
$40* (~1 hour) |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Nationally representative longitudinal survey. Similar completion time and lower incentive. Started in 1983. |
Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) |
National Science Foundation |
9,000 family units |
All ages |
1968, 1997, & 2017 |
n/a |
$75-150
|
n/a |
n/a |
Longest
running longitudinal Household survey in the world. Covers topics
on employment, income, wealth, expenditures. |
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-B) |
U.S.
Department of |
10,688 |
birth - ~5 |
2001 |
See non-monetary incentive |
$50 |
n/a |
Bib with study logo; a colorful board book; a magnet in advance package |
Similar
length survey; same incentive amount as NLSY27. |
*Incentive amounts reflect the most recent round of data collection.
Additional context is provided on select OMB-approved studies below.
Ask U.S.
The Ask U.S. Panel, sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau, is a nationally representative survey panel for tracking public opinion on a variety of topics of interest to numerous federal agencies and their partners, and for conducting experimentation on alternative question wording and methodological approaches. Ask U.S. offers the following incentive structure:
Initial Invitation: $5 prepaid incentive sent with the initial invitation to complete a household roster (~5 minutes)
Early Bird: A $5 early bird incentive for completing the household roster within 1 week of the survey invitation mailing; early bird incentives encourage more timely responses, reducing the need for and costs associated with non-response follow-up (NRFU)
NRFU Household Roster: $5 for household roster completion
Baseline Questionnaire: $20 baseline incentive (~20 minutes)
Topical Surveys: $10 for each topical survey (~15-minute average)
The Ask U.S. Panel offered a prepaid incentive of $5, where NLSY27 is offering a lower prepaid incentive of $1. The Ask US Panel and NLSY27 have a comparable incentive of $5 for completion of the household roster/eligibility/household screener. It is important to note that the Ask U.S. Panel Baseline Questionnaire took only ~20 minutes to complete, for which respondents received a $20 incentive. The NLSY27 survey will take 60–90 minutes to complete, which warrants a higher incentive.
The Ask U.S. Panel Pretest offered respondent who completed the baseline survey the option of cash, check, physical gift card, or electronic gift card. Overall, respondents’ preferred method of payment were physical incentives instead of digital – with cash requested by 62.7% of respondents, 9.3% requesting a physical gift card, and 7.9% requesting an electronic gift card30.
The Ask U.S. study developed a panel incentive structure by reviewing existing longitudinal surveys and panels and adjusted commensurate with burden.
ExPECTT 3
The Real Cost Campaign Outcomes Evaluation Study: Cohort 3 (ExPECTT 3) supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) efforts to assess campaign effectiveness. The main study consists of a baseline survey and three follow-up surveys. Baseline surveys are administered to youth aged 11–20. Surveys of youth are conducted in the United States to measure the effectiveness of FDA’s “The Real Cost” campaign.
The pre-incentive for the ExPECTT3 survey is the same amount of $1 as planned for in NLSY27. The ExPECTT3 incentive for youth interview completion is $30 versus $50 for NLSY27 youth interview completion. Given the completion time of the NLSY27 youth interview is 60–90 minutes versus 30 minutes for the ExPECTT3 youth survey, the increased $20 is warranted.
National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A)
The NCS-A was completed in 2001-2003 and recruited youth aged 13–17. The NCS-A offered $50 to adolescents and $50 to parents for completion of the self-administered questionnaire (SAQ). This is approximately double the amount (in real terms) as the youth interview completion incentive to be offered in NLSY27. From: Design and field procedures in the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCSA) (nih.gov).
NHANES
NHANES uses a household sample for the first stage, but then samples minors in every eligible household. In 2021-2023, minors younger than age 12 received $40, those aged 12–15 received $60, and those aged 16 and older received $85. (NOTE: The incentive for all people aged 16 and older was later raised to $125 to increase response rates.) The estimated survey administration time is 30–60 minutes per selected participant; the adult participants survey can be lengthier since they are responding for themselves and are eligible for more questions. Additional incentives were offered for completing other study activities beyond the initial interview (e.g., $25 for dietary telephone interviews) The incentives offered for NHANES youth interview completion are comparable to those to be offered in NLSY27. NHANES interview completion incentives are higher for adults than that planned for NLSY27. From:
Vital and Health Statistics, Series 1, Number 66 (cdc.gov).
NSFG
NSFG samples people aged 15–49 and offers $60 to all selected participants (minor interviews last about 45 minutes; adult female interviews last about 75 minutes; and adult male interviews last about 60 minutes). The NSFG incentive for completed interviews is comparable (slightly higher) for both youth and adults to that planned for NLSY27.
Summary
As outlined, these OMB-approved federal studies that interview youth and parents with 1-hour interview administration times use comparable incentive amounts to those planned for the NLSY27. Providing incentives for each stage and ask on the NLSY27 is best methodological practice, encourages responses, and decreases field costs. Further, the planned incentive structure will pave the way for prospective NLSY27 cohort engagement and retention.
Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
The information that NLSY27 respondents provide is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA). CIPSEA31 is referenced in the Data Use and Protections Form that respondents receive (Attachment D.15).
CIPSEA safeguards the confidentiality of individually identifiable information acquired under a pledge of confidentiality for exclusively statistical purposes by controlling access to, and uses made of, such information. CIPSEA includes fines and penalties for any knowing and willful disclosure of individually identifiable information by an officer, employee, or agent of the BLS.
The following are the assurances of confidentiality included in the Data Use and Authorization form that will accompany the consent forms:
“We want to reassure you that your privacy is protected by law. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (44 U.S.C. 3572) and other applicable federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your consent. As required by the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, federal information systems are protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity screening of transmitted data.
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 2027 (NLSY27) Research Panel is a federal survey, authorized under Title 29, Section 2, of the United States Code. Participation in the NLSY27 Research Panel is voluntary and if the person does not participate, the BLS will not contact the person in the future and will not retain any of their information.
Data will be compiled in a way so that no individual participants are identified. BLS and its contractor, RTI International (RTI), will use data from this survey to conduct research to improve the NLSY27.”
BLS policy on the confidential nature of respondent identifiable information (RII) states that “RII acquired or maintained by the BLS for exclusively statistical purposes and under a pledge of confidentiality shall be treated in a manner that ensures the information will be used only for statistical purposes and will be accessible only to authorized individuals with a need-to-know.”
By signing a BLS Agent Agreement, all authorized agents employed by BLS, the prime contractor and associated subcontractors pledge to comply with the Privacy Act, CIPSEA, other applicable federal laws, and the BLS confidentiality policy. No interviewer or other staff member is allowed to see any case data unless the BLS Agent Agreement, BLS Confidentiality Training certification, and Department of Labor Rule of Conduct training certification are on file and kept up-to-date. Respondents will be provided information on these assurances of confidentiality in a folder of information that includes the consent forms with information about uses of the data, confidentiality, and burden.
NLS contractors have safeguards to provide for the security of NLS data and the protection of the privacy of individuals in the sampled cohorts. Safeguards for the security of NLSY27 data include the following:
Data Transmissions: To maintain confidentiality during data collection, multiple layers of security will be implemented. All electronic data will be encrypted from end to end, so only the authorized receiver can decrypt and access the data regardless of the data collection method. For laptop-enabled data collection, all devices will have data encryption modules satisfying current Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140 security standards, and stringent access control policies will be implemented, including two-factor authentication, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access the laptop data.
During data collection, all personal identifiers will be substituted with unique identification numbers, rendering it impossible for intruders to associate the data with individual respondents. Encrypted transmission mechanisms that rely on Microsoft’s current FIPS 140–certified encryption will be employed. For added security, full-drive encryption, which encrypts the entire drive, ensuring sensitive data remains protected, even if the device is compromised, will be employed. This encryption not only bolsters security, but also packages data into a compressed archive. Although this archive works with standard compression utilities, it requires a specialized, private utility for extraction.
Each data transmission from any NLSY27-authorized device will be further fortified with Secure Sockets Layer encryption, harmonizing with current FIPS 140 guidelines. After these data have been transmitted and receipt confirmed in the centralized SMS, they will be permanently deleted from the data collection devices. The NLSY27 SMS is specifically engineered to separate respondent identities from their associated data, and the correlation of the two is limited to select staff operating in RTI’s FIPS-moderate environment. When the RTI team accesses BLS data, they employ hosted virtual desktops to connect to the project servers, a strategy that retains the data within the secure network, preventing removal of confidential data from the servers. Additionally, RTI has adopted Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) for encrypted data exchanges. Built on the Secure Socket Shell protocol, SFTP encrypts commands and data, making it a trusted choice for managing remote files and ensuring data confidentiality.
Data Storage: All electronic project files and databases that contain personally identifiable information (PII) will be stored on RTI’s FIPS-moderate network, with data access set via user permissions and Microsoft Windows security systems. Data scanned in from paper screeners will also be stored on the FIPS-moderate network, and the paper forms will be stored in locked file cabinets.
RTI performs nightly backups of the databases, and project file shares and backup media are securely encrypted. Access to RTI facilities is strictly controlled to protect staff, business invitees, contractors, visitors, and data and resources. RTI Corporate Security protects all entry and exit points with a keyless card-controlled access system. Safeguards include cameras, monitoring by guards, and isolating selected information systems and system components in secured areas. There are no publicly accessible areas within data center facilities.
Project staff will use hosted virtual desktops to connect to the RTI servers when accessing BLS data that contain PII or Protected Health Information (PHI). Controls are in place to prevent confidential data from being removed from the servers.
All Microsoft Windows and Linux servers managed by RTI’s Global Technology Solutions (GTS) are scanned daily. Client reports are produced monthly, with GTS reports produced daily. Public-facing websites are scanned monthly unless a more frequent basis is requested. Vulnerabilities are remediated following RTI’s change management process. A help desk ticket is opened, and a request for remediation is made based on severity.
To assure compliance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2022 (FISMA) and adequately monitoring all cybersecurity risks to NLS assets and data, in addition to regular self-assessments, the NLS system undergoes a full NIST 800-53 audit every 3 years using an outside independent cybersecurity auditing firm.
Several procedures ensure that respondent’s rights are protected during in-person data collection. First, Face-to-Face Interviewers (FIs) will be thoroughly trained in methods for maximizing a respondent’s understanding of the government’s commitment to confidentiality. FIs make every attempt to secure an interview setting in the respondent’s home that is as private as possible, particularly when the respondent is a youth.
Upon arrival at the household, the FI will introduce themselves and the study to a household member by either reading the CAPI screener introductory (Attachment F.1.1 and Attachment F.2.1) text displayed on the screen or using their own words. Any off-script introductions must include all four of these requirements (1) FI name, (2) representative of RTI International, (3) sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and (4) mention the lead letter. The FI will also have a generic copy of the lead letter to present to the household member.
Study materials and procedures ensure that respondents rights are protected and that those rights and procedures are understood by both the parent/caregiver and the youth. Each household in which the parent/caregiver completes the Household Screener and have selected youth will be provided a pocket folder with survey information. The pocket folder will include a brochure for adults with frequently asked questions (FAQs) (Attachment D.1), a youth FAQ brochure (Attachment D.2), a “You are Selected” handout(Attachment D.11), an appointment/contact card with contact information for the survey (e.g., the Helpdesk) (Attachment D.4), a copy of the parent permission for youth consent form (Attachment D.13), a copy of the youth assent form (Attachment D.14), a copy of the parent/caregiver consent form (Attachment D.12), and a copy of the data use and protections form (Attachment D.15). This pocket folder will be handed to the parent/caregiver or adult household member by the interviewer or mailed to the household if the interviewer is unable to deliver in-person. Ideally, the interviewer will leave the pocket folder during their first in-person visit to the household. If the interviewer is unable to interact with the household in-person and a youth video interview has been scheduled, the household will be mailed a pocket folder. Third, if the household member refuses to engage with the in-person interviewer, a pocket folder will be mailed with a refusal letter (Attachment A.8). If the household has not received the pocket folder by Week 8, a folder will be included with the final reminder letter sent to the household.
The brochure for adults (Attachment D.1), youth brochure (Attachment D.2), parent permission for youth consent form (Attachment D.13), youth assent form (Attachment D.14), and parent/caregiver consent form (Attachment D.12) located in the pocket folder will state that responses will be kept confidential and the respondent’s identity will never be connected to the answers provided in the survey.
FIs will ask the parent/caregiver if the selected youth is available to complete their interview. If available, FIs will make every attempt to secure an interview setting in the respondent’s home that is as private as possible. After setting up the tablet, FIs will play the parent permission for youth consent (Attachment D.13) video. If permission is obtained, the parent/caregiver will be asked to provide contact information. Upon completion, the FI will ask to speak to the youth and request youth assent (Attachment D.14) and at least one parent, guardian, or another adult must remain present in the home throughout the interview.
In addition, the interview process, by design, includes techniques to afford privacy for the respondent. The ACASI portion of the questionnaire maximizes privacy and confidentiality by giving control of the sensitive questionnaire sections directly to the respondent. A pair of prepackaged earbuds will be provided to each youth respondent to complete the ACASI portion of the interview. The ACASI methodology allows the respondent to listen to questions through headphones and/or to read the questions on the tablet screen and then key his or her own responses into the tablet via the screen. At the end of the ACASI portion, the respondent’s answers are locked so no one, including the FI, can see the responses until after the data are processed and aggregated by RTI in a FIPS-Moderate environment.
Protection of the privacy of individuals is accomplished through the following steps:
Consent for participating in data collection is obtained via parent permission and youth assent for the Youth Interview and via parent/caregiver consent for the Parent/Caregiver Survey. Consents and permissions are completed only after the interviewer ensures the respondent has been provided a copy of the appropriate BLS confidentiality information and understands that participation is voluntary. Consent will be provided to participants in printed format as well as through a video that will be shown on the interviewer’s tablet, laptop, or via shared screen or web link in the instance of video interviews. Participants will not be allowed to fast-forward/skip through the consent videos. Video consent will be shown to all participants, which ensures consistent administration of the consent. Interviewers will be trained to answer questions from the participant regarding the consent. If the participant has additional questions after the interviewer leaves the home, the participant may contact the NLSY27 Helpdesk or email address provided on the survey materials.
Information identifying respondents is separated from the survey data and placed into a nonpublic database. Respondents are then linked to data through unique identification numbers.
Other data files, which include variables on respondents’ state, county, metropolitan statistical area, ZIP code, Census tract of residence, and certain other characteristics, are available only to researchers who undergo a review process established by BLS and sign an agreement with BLS that establishes specific requirements to protect respondent confidentiality. This includes requiring data users to sign agreements that establish them as agents of BLS who are bound by the confidentiality guidelines of the agency. These agreements require that any results or information obtained as a result of research using the NLS data will be published only in summary or statistical form so that individuals who participated in the survey cannot be identified. These confidential data are not released to researchers without express written permission from NLS and are not available on the public use internet site.
Questions of a more sensitive nature are administered using a self-administered format, so the interviewer does not need to read the questions aloud, and the respondent enters their answers directly into the tablet (in-person) or personal device (video interviews) thus minimizing the chance that anyone else in household would know what questions are asked or how they are answered.
The BLS Division of Management Systems serves as the primary reviewer of the study protocols and materials, ensuring respondent protection is at the forefront. In addition, the Contractor’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) approves the protocols and consent forms for the NLSY27 Pretest prior to any respondent contact. The IRB’s primary concern is protecting respondents’ rights, one of which is maintaining the confidentiality of respondent information. By obtaining IRB approval for the NLSY27 Pretest procedures and materials, BLS has additional assurance that respondent confidentiality will be maintained.
Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.
There are several broad sets of questions in the NLSY27 data collection instruments that may be considered sensitive to youth or adult participants. We address each of these categories separately below.
Anti-Social Behavior: The educational and labor force trajectory of individuals is strongly affected by their involvement in delinquent and risk-taking behaviors, criminal activity, and alcohol and drug use. There is widespread interest in collecting data on such behaviors, including their impact on educational attainment, job search, employment, and earnings. The challenge is to obtain accurate information on activities that are socially unacceptable or even illegal. Questions on these activities were asked in the self-administered portions of the NLSY97 for its first 17 rounds and asked by interviewers directly for the 90%–95% of interviews conducted by telephone in all subsequent rounds. Items on use of alcohol, tobacco products, and marijuana have been updated and will be included in the NLSY27 Pretest.
Criminal Justice: The longitudinal collection of arrests, convictions, and incarceration permits examination of the effects of these events on employment activity. Through Round 18, the NLSY97 collected data on criminal activity, permitting the study of whether and how patterns of criminal activity relate to patterns of employment. Using data on both self-reported behavior and official disciplinary and court actions allows NLSY97 users to separate the effects of criminal activity that led to an arrest or other legal action from criminal activity that remained unpunished. The NLSY27 Pretest will include items about engagement in criminal activities, such as destruction of property and theft, in the self-administered portion of the Youth Interview instrument. This instrument also asks youth respondents about their interactions with the justice system, including arrests, criminal charges, and incarceration.
Mental Health: The literature linking mental health with various outcomes of interest to the NLSY27, including labor force participation, is well-established32, 33, 34. Rounds 19 and 20 of the NLSY97 included questions on how many times the respondent has been treated for emotional, mental, or psychiatric problems and how many times the respondent missed work or activities because of such problems in the past year, as well as the seven-item Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale (CESD), a screening instrument for depression, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener-7 (GAD-7), a screening instrument for anxiety. NLSY27 proposes to use the same CESD-7, the lower-burden GAD 2-item screener, and a few high-level questions about general mental health and mental health services utilization.
Income, Assets, and Program Participation: The questionnaire asks Parent/Caregiver Survey respondents about sampled youth’s income from wages. It also asks about household income from all sources using a detailed list of income sources such as wages, self-employment income, receipt of child support, interest or dividend payments, and income from rental properties.
In addition to income, Parent/Caregiver Survey respondents are asked about current asset holdings. Questions include the market value of any residence or business, whether the respondent paid property taxes in the previous year, and the amount owed on motor vehicles. Other questions ask about the respondent’s current checking and savings account balances, the value of various assets such as houses, stocks or certificates of deposit, and the amount of any loans of at least $1,000 that the respondent received in the past calendar year. Rounds 1–13 from the NLSY97 questionnaires collected month-by-month participation status information for several government programs. These questions have been reduced so that NLSY27 youth are only asked about periods of unemployment insurance in Round 1. Parents or caregivers are also asked to report receipt of governmental assistance, including housing vouchers, food assistance, transportation or energy assistance, and other cash and non-cash assistance.
Personal Identity and Attitudes: The identities that individuals hold shape how they present themselves and interact with other individuals and social systems. Consistent with other national surveys, the NLSY27 will ask sampled youth their race (consistent with SPD-15) and religious affiliation.
Private Experiences: Parent or caregivers and youth will also be asked about a few topics that are considered private. For example, youth 15 to 17 years of age will also be asked about their experiences with pregnancy, which can impact educational and employment decisions. Respondents will also be asked about “adverse childhood experiences,” such as neglect and aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety and stability, such as growing up in a household with substance use problems, mental health problems, or instability due to parental separation or parental incarceration. These topics interact closely with mental and physical health and have important implications for educational and employment trajectories and are therefore important to the goals of the NLSY27.
As noted in section A.10, consent is obtained from all youth respondent’s parents or guardians as well as youth assent. All consent forms clearly explain the level of detail within the youth interview. The Parent/Legal Guardian permission form and the Youth Assent form is the same for youth of all ages. The personal and sensitive nature of some of the questions in the youth interview is explained within the parental permission and youth assent. Both parents and youth will receive the information necessary to make an informed decision as to whether to participate. Once parental consent is obtained, every attempt is made to ensure the actual interview is conducted without parental observation or intervention, though at least one parent, guardian or another adult must remain present elsewhere in the home throughout the interview. Privacy instructions are provided at the beginning of the Youth Interview for the FI to read and enforce. In the self-administered portion of the youth interview, the respondent enters his or her answers directly into the tablet. The FI does not see these answers. Only youth 15 and older will be asked health (for females only) and criminal activity questions in the Youth Self-Administered Questionnaire module. At the beginning of the SAQ module, language will be presented to youth, acknowledging that some questions might make respondents feel uncomfortable and reminding them that their participation is voluntary. This includes a sentence with a toll-free number to call if the youth respondent becomes upset while answering these questions.
Respondents are free to refuse to answer any survey question, including the sensitive questions described previously. However, NLSY’s experience has been that participants recognize the importance of these questions and rarely refuse to answer.
Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:
Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desirable. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance. General, estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.
If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form
Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here. Instead, this cost should be included in Item 14.
The NLSY27 Pretest will seek to interview youth and parents/caregivers selected from purposively chosen survey areas. NLSY27 will attempt to contact 13,381 households, with the expectation that 6,088 of these households will complete a screening instrument to determine if any youth in the eligible age range reside in the housing unit. The assumption is that 1,218 of the households who complete the screening for eligibility will include eligible youth and these households will complete a more detailed screening instrument that (1) rosters all members of household; (2) confirms the exact date of birth for all potentially eligible youth; and (3) identifies the most appropriate parent, other legal guardian, or other caregiver to complete the Parent/caregiver Survey. Among these 1,218 households, the expectation is that one or more youth will be selected for 895 households, and this will yield 800 completed youth pretest interviews and 518 parent/caregiver surveys. The content of the interview will be substantively like the first round of the OMB-approved NLSY97 survey, with some language updates and some changes to the number of items related to each topic, including adding and removing questions across the different topics. Verification calls will be conducted for 10% of Eligibility Screeners and Household Screeners completed in-person.
Table 4. Estimated Annualized Respondent Cost and Hour Burden
Activity |
Number of Respondents |
Number of Responses per Respondent |
Total Responses |
Average Burden (Hours) |
Total Burden (Hours) |
Hourly Wage Rate |
Total Burden Cost |
Eligibility Screener |
6,088 |
1 |
6,088 |
0.083 |
505 |
$20.04 |
$10,120 |
Household Screener |
1,218 |
1 |
1,218 |
0.166 |
202 |
$20.04 |
$4,048 |
Youth Interview
|
800 |
1 |
800 |
1.5 |
1,200
|
$7.25 |
$8,700 |
Parent/Caregiver Survey |
518 |
1.39 |
720 |
1.0 |
720 |
$20.04 |
$14,429 |
Verification Calls |
292 |
1 |
292 |
0.083 |
24 |
$20.04 |
$481 |
Total |
6,088* |
|
9,118 |
|
2,651 |
|
$37,778 |
* Household Screener, Youth Interview, Parent/Caregiver Survey, Verification Calls are a subset of those screened for eligibility.
The total response burden for the survey is 2,651 hours. The total annualized cost to respondents, based on burden hours, the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for youth respondents, and the median hourly wage rate from the Current Population Survey as of 2024 of $20.037 ($20.04) per hour for adult respondents is $37,778, rounded to the nearest dollar.
Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14).
The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of service component. The estimates should take into account costs associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information. Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred. Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, drilling, and testing equipment; and record storage facilities.
If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost burdens and explain the reasons for the variance. The cost of purchasing or contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day pre-OMB submission public comment process, and use existing economic or regulatory impact analysis associated with the rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.
Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government, or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private practices.
Respondents for this survey will not incur any capital and start-up costs; respondents will not incur any operation and maintenance or purchase of service costs.
Provide estimates of the annualized cost to the Federal Government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information. Agencies also may aggregate cost estimates from Items 12, 13, and 14 into a single table.
The NLSY27 pretest is part of the overall activities for the new cohort, which is funded at approximately $14 million in FY 2025. This cost includes survey management, IT security, data collection activities including incentive payments, and data file creation.
Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.
This is the first data collection of the NLSY27. The estimated burden for this collection is 2,651 hours. Therefore, there have been no changes or adjustments. To the extent feasible, question items are repeated from the NLSY97 OMB-approved instruments have been re-used to permit labor market comparisons of the NLSY27 to earlier NLS cohorts.
For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulations, and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.
This information collection will not be published.
If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
The OMB number and expiration date will be provided on the initial respondent letters, consent forms (parent consent, parent permission, and youth assent) the instruments, and on the login page of the web portal.
Explain each exception to the certification statement.
There are no exceptions to the “Certificate for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions” statement.
Attachments
Published 60-day Federal Register Notice
Public Comments to the 60-Day Federal Register Notice
Response to the Public Comments to the 60-Day Federal Register Notice
Mail Recruitment (A)
Attachment A.1: Week -4 Lead Letter (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.2: Week -3 Postcard (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.3: Week -2 Second Letter PAPI (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.4: Week -1 Final Reminder Thank You Postcard (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.5: Week 6 Non-Response Letters (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.6: Week 8 Final Reminder Letters (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.7: Incentive Letter PAPI and Phone Screener (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.8: Refusal Letters (English and Spanish)
Attachment A.9: Thank You Card (English and Spanish)
Email/Text (B)
Attachment B.1: Mass and Interviewer Emails (English and Spanish)
Attachment B.2: Incentive Email Electronic Incentives (English and Spanish)
Attachment B.3: Text Messages (English and Spanish)
Help Desk/CATI (C)
Attachment C.1: CATI Introduction Script (English and Spanish)
Attachment C.2: Helpdesk Email and Voicemail (English and Spanish)
Attachment C.3: Telephone Verification Script, Screener (English and Spanish)
Attachment C.4: Telephone Verification Script, Youth (English and Spanish)
Field Data Collection (D)
Attachment D.1: Brochure Adult (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.2: Brochure Youth (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.3: Community Service Certificate (English Only)
Attachment D.4: Contact Appointment Card (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.5: Data Security Card (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.6: Face-to-Face Interviewer Phone Call Talking Points (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.7: Incentive Receipt Parent (English Only)
Attachment D.8: Incentive Receipt Youth (English Only)
Attachment D.9: Sorry I Missed You Doorhanger (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.10: Spanish Card
Attachment D.11: You are Selected Handout (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.12: Parent/Caregiver Consent (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.13: Parent Permission (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.14: Youth Assent (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.15: NLSY27 Data Use and Protections Form (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.16: Parent/Caregiver Video Consent Script (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.17: Parent Permission Video Consent Script (English and Spanish)
Attachment D.18: Youth Assent Video Consent Script (English and Spanish)
Web Portal (E)
Attachment E: Website: NLSY27 Survey Portal Text (English and Spanish)
Data Collection Instruments (F)
Attachment F.1.1: Eligibility Screener CAPI (English and Spanish)
Attachment F.1.2: Eligibility Screener PAPI (English and Spanish)
Attachment F.1.3: Eligibility Screener Web-CATI (English and Spanish)
Attachment F.2.1: Household Screener CAPI (English and Spanish)
Attachment F.2.2: Household Screener Web (English and Spanish)
Attachment F.3: Youth Instrument (English and Spanish)
Attachment F.4: Parent/Caregiver Survey (English and Spanish)
Attachment F.5: FI Debriefing Questions (English Only)
Other (G)
Attachment G.1: Title 29 U.S.C. Sections 1 and 2
Attachment G.2: Subject Matter Experts
1 OMB Control #1220-0109: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 - OMB 1220-0109
2 OMB Control # 1220-0157: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 - OMB 1220-0157
3 Some excerpts:
Joint Explanatory Statement 2020: “BLS is directed to support the following critical investments: . . . Initiate spending on the planning and development of a new National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) cohort. BLS shall brief the Committees on the annual costs and a five-year plan for implementing the new NLSY cohort within 90 days of enactment of this Act.”
House Report 2020: “The Committee recognizes the importance of the NLSY, which has provided valuable information about youth labor market trends for decades, and the Committee supports the establishment of a new NLSY cohort. The Committee is aware that the NLSY79 and NLSY97 cohorts cannot provide information about teens and youth adults currently under the age of 25, as they are entering the labor market, leaving critical gaps in data about the new generation of young workers. The Committee is concerned that without a new cohort a gap of historical time series will be created and the U.S. will lack an understanding of how this new generation’s actions and choices are affected by our changing economy.”
Joint Explanatory Statement 2021: “The Committee continues to recognize the importance of the NLSY, which has provided valuable information about labor market trends for decades. The Committee recommendation includes sufficient funding for the purposes of continuing to plan and develop the new NLSY cohort established by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116–94).”
House Report 2022: “The Committee is supportive of BLS’ plan for the planning, development, and implementation of a new NLSY cohort and provides sufficient resources to implement this plan without delay.”
Joint Explanatory Statement 2023: “BLS shall complete all necessary work in fiscal year 2023 for the new cohort that was outlined in its five-year plan and shall not use any allocated resources for NLSY in this agreement for any other purpose.”
4 BRIEF2: https://www.parinc.com/products/BRIEF-2
5 https://www.parinc.com/products/BRIEF2A
6 Heckman, J. J., Stixrud, J., & Urzua, S. (2006). The effects of cognitive and noncognitive abilities on labor market outcomes and social behavior. Journal of Labor economics, 24(3), 411-482.
7 Zelazo, P.D., Blair, C.B., and Willoughby, M.T. (2016). Executive Function: Implications for Education (NCER 2017-2000) Washington, DC: National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
9 Cooksey, E. C. (2018). Using the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (NLSY) to conduct life course analyses. In N. Halfon, C. Forrest, R. Lerner, & E. Faustman (Eds.), Handbook of Life Course Health Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47143-3_23
10 Keane, Michael P., & Wolpin, Kenneth I. (1997). The career decisions of young men. Journal of Political Economy, 105(3), 473-522. https://doi.org/10.1086/26208 0
11 Lise, J., Meghir, C., & Robin, J.-M. (2016). Matching, sorting and wages. Review of Economic Dynamics, 19, 63-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.red.2015.11.004
12 Lise, Jeremy and Fabien Postel-Vivay. "Multidimensional Skills, Sorting, and Human Capital Accumulation." American Economic Review 110,8 (August 2020): 2328-2376.
13 Cunha, F., Heckman, J., & Schennach, S. (2010). Estimating the technology of cognitive and noncognitive skill formation. Econometrica, 78(3), 883-931. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA6551
14 Cunha, F. (2004). Separating uncertainty from heterogeneity in life cycle earnings. Oxford Economic Papers, 57(2), 191-261. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpi019
15 Abowd, J. M., & Card, D. (1989). On the covariance structure of earnings and hours changes. Econometrica, 57(2). https://doi.org/10.2307/1912561
16 Bernardi, Fabrizio, Diederik Boertien and Koen Geven. "Childhood Family Structure and the Accumulation of Wealth Across the Life Course." Journal of Marriage and Family 81,1 (February 2019): 230-247.
18 Abowd, J. M., & Card, D. (1989). On the covariance structure of earnings and hours changes. Econometrica, 57(2). https://doi.org
/10.2307/1912561 ps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9844858/"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9844858/
22 See, e.g., Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method. John Wiley & Sons.
23 See, e.g., Singer, E., & Ye, C. (2013). The use and effects of incentives in surveys. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 645(1), 112-141. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23479084.pdf); and Hsu, J. W., Schmeiser, M. D., Haggerty, C., & Nelson, S. (2017). The effect of large monetary incentives on survey completion: Evidence from a randomized experiment with the survey of consumer finances. Public Opinion Quarterly, 81(3), 736-747.
(https://academic.oup.com/poq/article-abstract/81/3/736/3798583?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=true)
24 See, e.g., McGonagle, K. A., & Freedman, V. A. (2017). The effects of a delayed incentive on response rates, response mode, data quality, and sample bias in a nationally representative mixed mode study. Field methods, 29(3), 221-237.
25 See, e.g., Willimack, D., Schuman, H., Pennell, B.-E., & Lepkowski, J. (1995). Effects of a prepaid non-monetary incentive on response rates and response quality in a face-to-face survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 59, 78–92.
(https://cdn.isr.umich.edu/pubFiles/historicPublications/Effectsofaprepaid_6482_.PDF)
26 “Respondent Incentives in the National Longitudinal Surveys: Evidence from Design Variations” unpublished BLS report.
27 Ibid.
28 Erdman, C. & Bates, N. (2017). The Low Response Score (LRS) A Metric to Locate, Predict, and Manage Hard-to-Survey Populations. Public Opinion Quarterly, 81(1), 144-156.
29 Lewis, T., & McMichael, J. (2023). Using the Census Planning Database to Generate Differential Expected Yield Rates to Self-administered Mail Surveys. Field Methods, 35(2), 160-165. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X221074764
31 https://www.bls.gov/bls/cipsea.pdf
32 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). NLSY26_family_background.pdf. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://www.bls.gov/nls/pdf/NLSY26_family_background.pdf
33 Wallace, R. (2022). K-12 Schooling and Cognition Content Panel Report. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/nls/pdf/NLSY26_K-12.pdf
34 Vida, R., Brownlie, E., Beitchman, J.H., et al. (2009). Emerging adult outcomes of adolescent psychiatric and substance use disorders. Addictive Behaviors, 34(10), 800-805
NLSY27 Pretest OMB Part A Draft
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| Author | Domanico, Rose |
| File Created | 2025:11:15 02:49:57Z |