DOI: 10.3886/icpsr06227
title: Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of the Lifestyles and Values of Youth, 1976-1992: Concatenated Core File
title: Archival Version

description: This data collection contains the "core" variables for
the first 17 years of this annual survey that explores changes in the
important values, behaviors, and lifestyle orientations of
contemporary American youth. Personal and family characteristics,
political and religious beliefs, school performance and educational
goals, and type and degree of drug usage are some of the topics
explored in the core variables. Each year, a large, nationally
representative sample of high school seniors in the United States is
asked to respond to these core questions, as well as to an average of
200 additional questions not included in this dataset.
description: The data file contains a weight variable, V8. It was originally varied by school but was modified to protect respondent confidentiality. Users should use the weight variable for all analyses, the results of which will differ slightly from published data tables that used original data.
description: Response Rates: The student response rate has been between 77 percent and 86 percent for the years between 1976 to 1992.
description: Multistage area probability sample design involving three
selection stages: (1) geographic areas or primary sampling units
(PSUs), (2) schools (or linked groups of schools) within PSUs, and (3)
students within sampled schools. Of the 72 PSUs, 8 were selected with
certainty and 62 were selected with probability proportionate to size
based on the size of the senior class. In schools with more than 400
seniors, a random sample of seniors or classes was drawn. In schools
with less than 400 seniors, all seniors were asked to participate.
Each school was asked to participate for two years, so that each year
one-half of the sample is replaced. Schools refusing participation
were replaced with similar schools in terms of geographic location,
size, and type of school (e.g., public, private/Catholic,
private/non-Catholic). The participation rate among schools has been
between 66 and 80 percent since the inception of the study.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of the Lifestyles and Values of Youth, 1976-1992: Concatenated Core File
description: High school seniors in the contiguous United States.
description: on-site questionnaireConducted by the University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, Survey Research Center.Percentage distributions provided in the codebook
were generated using full weights, which are not available on the
public use files. Therefore, these results cannot be replicated using
the public use files. The differences between results produced using
the full weights and those produced using the sampling weights
available on the public use files are estimated to be below 1
percent.To protect the confidentiality of respondents, all
variables that could be used to identify individuals have been
collapsed or recoded on the public use files. These modifications
should not affect analytic uses of the public use files.MTF does not release detailed geography codes in its public use files because of the disclosure risk it would cause. The MTF sample is drawn to generate representative samples of the four Census Bureau regions of the country (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West), but it does not generate representative samples of smaller geographic areas such as states, counties, or cities. For additional information about data that is withheld from the public use files please contact MTF directly at mtfinformation@umich.edu.