DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38417
title: National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT), United States, 2020-2022
title: Archival Version

description: The National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT) is a population-based study of couples in America that contains representative samples of racial and ethnic diverse and sexual and gender diverse individuals. NCHAT entered the field on September 1, 2020, and data collection completed in April 2021. A follow-up survey (Wave 2) was fielded in 2022. The Wave 1 sample includes 3,642 main respondents. The sample frame included adults in the United States who ranged in age from 20-60 years old, who were married or cohabiting, and who were able to read English or Spanish. About 1,515 partners participated. NCHAT sample participants were recruited through the Gallup Panel. About 9 percent of the sample was non-Latinx Black, 6 percent non-Latinx Asian, 5 percent non-Latinx Multirace, 16 percent Latinx, and 1 percent another racial or ethnic identity. Approximately 55 percent of the sample identified as heterosexual, 20 percent as gay or lesbian, 10 percent as bisexual, and 15 percent as another sexual identity or multiple sexual identities. The sample was about evenly split between men and women, and almost 3 percent identified as another gender identity. 27 percent of couples were the same gender, and 4 percent were non-binary. About 75 percent were married and the remainder were cohabiting. The average age was 45. 65 percent of the sample had no children. One-third of the sample was in an interracial couple. 10 percent were born outside the US. Survey, time diary, experience sampling method, and geospatial data were collected. NCHAT is uniquely suited to address COVID, stress, family functioning, and physical and mental health and includes an abundance of contextual and acute measures of race and racism, sexism, and heterosexism.
description: The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of co-habiting partners, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining relationship functioning, emotion regulation, discrimination, racial trauma, physical health, psychological well-being, health behaviors, stressors, and time use.
description: The National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT) Wave 1 sample participants were drawn from the Gallup Panel and the Gallup Recontact sample. Both sample sources are probability-based and are representative of the United States adult population. The survey was administered to respondents and their partners. At the end of the survey for the primary respondents, the respondents were informed they would be sent an email with instructions for inviting their partners. Within a few hours of completing the survey, the partner invitation was sent to the primary respondent.
Once the main survey was completed, respondents were invited to participate in the time-diary. Respondents were randomly assigned to a time-diary day. The diary covered a 24-hour time period, starting at 4 am on the assigned diary day. The time-diary day was approximately 10 to 14 days after the date the main survey was completed. This allowed time to give respondents advance notice of their day and to increase the chances of being able to assign the primary and partner respondents to the same time-diary day. A time-diary was counted as complete if they entered at least five activities and 180 minutes. (Not all of these cases were weighted. Please see the weighting section for more details about cases that received a weight).
In 2022, Gallup fielded the National Couples' Health and Time Follow-Up Study. All primary and partner respondents who completed NCHAT were invited to participate, and a total of 2,723 primary and 755 partners completed this second wave of NCHAT.
description: Variables include many survey questions covering a range of topics related to family functioning, including a household roster, partner history, physical and mental wellbeing, health behaviors, discrimination, as well as demographic variables such as race, education, gender, income, employment status, children, and state of residence.
description: Wave 1 Weight Variables


<b>WEIGHT_MAINRESPONDENT</b> is the constructed weight variable to be used for analysis of the main respondent file. This weight should be used when analyzing data from primary respondents and will generate nationally representative estimates of individuals aged 20 to 60 who are living or cohabiting with a partner. This weight can also be used to generate representative estimates when analyzing sub-groups, such as individuals who are in a same-gender or different-gender couple, or individuals who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual.


<b>WEIGHT_COUPLE</b> is the constructed weight variable to be used for analysis of couple level data from primary respondents and their partners. This weight should be used when analyzing the dyadic data (primary and partner responses). Cases from the primary respondents and partner respondents should not be treated as individual cases and combined to create a larger sample of individual adults. Weights are not valid for this purpose. Further, this type of analysis would require accounting for clustering within couples and potentially highly correlated responses (intraclass correlation). It is recommended that researchers do not take this approach.


Wave 2 Weight Variables


<b>FOLLOWUP_WEIGHT_ADULT</b> is the constructed weight variable to be used for analysis of the main respondent file. This weight should be used when analyzing data from primary respondents and will generate nationally representative estimates of individuals aged 20 to 60 who are living or cohabiting with a partner. This weight can also be used to generate representative estimates when analyzing sub-groups, such as individuals who are in a same-gender or different-gender couple, or individuals who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual.


<b>FOLLOWUP_WEIGHT_COUPLE</b> is the constructed weight variable to be used for analysis of couple level data from primary respondents and their partners. This weight should be used when analyzing the dyadic data (primary and partner responses). Cases from the primary respondents and partner respondents should not be treated as individual cases and combined to create a larger sample of individual adults. Weights are not valid for this purpose. Further, this type of analysis would require accounting for clustering within couples and potentially highly correlated responses (intraclass correlation). It is recommended that researchers do not take this approach.
description: Response Rates: The Wave 1 survey achieved an overall response rate of 28 percent for primary respondents. The Wave 1 time-diary was sent to all respondents who completed the main survey and had a participation rate of 75 percent. The Wave 2 follow-up study was sent to all respondents who completed NCHAT and had an overall response rate of 67 percent.
description: Presence of Common Scales: 
"General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)" Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006 May 22;166(10):1092-7. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092. PMID: 16717171.
"Cantril Ladder Scale" Gallup. (2012). Understanding how Gallup uses the Cantril Scale. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/poll/122453/understanding-gallup-uses-cantril-scale.aspx
"CES-D" Hann, D., Winter, K., & Jacobsen, P. (1999) Measurement of depressive symptoms in cancer patients. Evaluation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 46, 437-443.
"Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-32)" Funk, J.L., & Rogge, R.D. (2007). Testing the Ruler with Item Response Theory: Increasing Precision of Measurement for Relationship Satisfaction with the Couples Satisfaction Index. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 572-583.
description: The Wave 1 sample includes 3,642 main respondents. The sample frame included adults in the United States who ranged in age from 20-60 years old, who were married or cohabiting, and who were able to read English or Spanish. About 1,515 partners participated. The National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT) sample participants were recruited through the Gallup Panel. About 9 percent of the sample was non-Latinx Black, 6 percent non-Latinx Asian, 5 percent non-Latinx Multirace, 16 percent Latinx, and 1 percent another racial or ethnic identity. Approximately 55 percent of the sample identified as heterosexual, 20 percent as gay or lesbian, 10 percent as bisexual, and 15 percent as another sexual identity or multiple sexual identities. The sample was about evenly split between men and women, and almost 3 percent identified as another gender identity. Twenty-seven percent of couples were the same gender, and 4 percent were non-binary. About 75 percent were married and the remainder were cohabiting. The average age was 45. Sixty-five percent of the sample had no children. One-third of the sample was in an interracial couple. Ten percent were born outside the United States.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Public-Use NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data
DS2: Restricted-Use NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data
DS3: Public-Use Main Respondent Time Diary Data
DS4: Restricted-Use Main Respondent Time Diary Data
DS5: NCHAT Partner Survey Data
DS6: Partner Time Diary Data
DS7: Public-Use Wave 2 NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data
DS8: Restricted-Use Wave 2 NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data
DS9: Wave 2 NCHAT Partner Survey Data
description: Adults in the United States who ranged in age from 20-60 years old, who were married or cohabiting, and who were able to read English or Spanish. Smallest Geographic Unit: State
description: web-based surveyFor additional information on the National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT), please visit the National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT) website.The Public-Use NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data (DS1) has 3 fewer cases (3,639) compared to the Restricted-Use NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data (DS2) (3,642). The Principal Investigators removed the 3 cases prior to giving the data to ICPSR.The Public-Use Wave 2 NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data (DS7) has 2 fewer cases (2,721) compared to the Restricted-Use Wave 2 NCHAT Main Respondent Survey Data (DS8) (2,723).
These cases were removed from the public data at the request of the Principal Investigators.The IPUMS Contextual Determinants of Health Series is made available for merging with the NCHAT data by approved restricted data researchers. All other researchers can access the IPUMS CDOH data via the IPUMS CDOH website.DS5 NCHAT Partner Survey Data, DS6 Partner Time Diary Data, and DS9 Wave 2 NCHAT Partner Survey Data are available with restricted access through ICPSR's Virtual Data Enclave (VDE).