DOI: 10.3886/icpsr29644
title: Current Population Survey, November 2008: Civic Engagement Supplement
title: Archival Version

description: This data collection is comprised of responses from two sets of survey questionnaires, the basic Current Population Survey (CPS) and a survey administered as a supplement to the November 2008 CPS questionnaire on the topic of Civic Engagement. The Corporation for National and Community Service sponsored the November supplemental questions.The CPS, administered monthly, collects labor force data about the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 years old or older living in the United States. Moreover, the CPS provides current estimates of the economic status and activities of this population which includes estimates of total employment (both farm and nonfarm), nonfarm self-employed persons, domestics, and unpaid helpers in nonfarm family enterprises, wage and salaried employees, and estimates of total unemployment. Data from the CPS are provided for the week prior to the administration of the survey.All persons eligible for the basic CPS survey were also eligible for the supplement survey. Self or proxy responses were allowed for the supplement, that is a single respondent could provide answers for themselves or provide answers for all eligible household members, provided the respondent him/herself was a household member 15 years of age or older.The supplement questions sought to measure the level of civic engagement of individuals in the United States. Civic engagement is a broad concept that can be defined by one's level of or involvement in: empowerment and political action; groups and networks; trust and solidarity; information and communication; and social cohesion and inclusion. The supplement questions specifically related to people's level of communication with their friends and family, involvement and level of participation in their communities as well as organized groups, extent of political action and knowledge, extent of connections with other community members, and how often individuals get news and information from various media sources.Demographic variables include age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, veteran status, educational background, occupation, industry, and income.
description: The data contain eight weight variables: Household Weight -- HWHHWGT -- Used for tallying household characteristics.Family Weight -- PWFMWGT -- Used only for tallying family characteristics.Longitudinal Weight -- PWLGWGT -- Found only on adult records matched from month to month (used for gross flows analysis). Outgoing Rotation Weight -- PWORWGT -- Used for tallying information collected only in outgoing rotations. Final Weight -- PWSSWGT -- Used for most tabulations, controlled to independent estimates for (1) States; (2) Origin, Sex, and Age; and (3) Age, Race, and Sex. Veteran's Weight -- PWVETWGT -- Used for tallying veteran's data only.Composited Final Weight -- PWCMPWGT -- Used to create BLS's published labor force statistics. Supplement Non-Response Weight -- PWNRWGT -- Used when constructing estimates from supplement items. Users are strongly encouraged to refer to the User Guide for detailed information on how to use the weights, as well as how they were derived.
description: A multistage probability sample, based on the results of the most recent decennial census with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, was selected to represent the universe of approximately 54,000 households.
description: Datasets: DS1: Current Population Survey, November 2008: Civic Engagement Supplement
description: The basic CPS universe consists of all persons aged 15 years and older in the civilian noninstitutional population living in households in the United States. The November 2008 Civic Engagement supplement universe represented the full CPS sample comprised of all civilian persons 15 years of age or older.
description: computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI); computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)Users are strongly encouraged to refer the User Guide (produced by the Principal Investigators), which contains the questionnaire for the supplement, as well as additional detailed technical documentation regarding the study design, sampling frame used, and response rates.The data were re-released at the request of the supplement sponsor, the Corporation for National and Community Service. The supplement non-response weight variable, PWNRWGT, underwent a non-response bias adjustment and replaced the previous weight variable of the same name. The data in this collection were processed using the re-released data.Additional universe statements for each variable are defined in the basic or supplement record layouts found in Attachment 6 and 7, respectively, of the User Guide.ICPSR removed all FILLER and PADDING variables from the data. As a result, the column locations in any ICPSR-released data product (e.g., codebook and setup files) will have column locations that are not consistent with locations described in the User Guide.