DOI: 10.3886/icpsr06227.v1
title: Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of the Lifestyles and Values of Youth, 1976-1992: Concatenated Core File
title: Version 1

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: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: Performed consistency checks.; Standardized missing values.; Created online analysis version with question text.; Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes..
description: Response Rates: The student response rate has been between 77 percent and 86 percent for the years between 1976 to 1992.
description: Datasets: 
 
 DS1: Monitoring the Future (12th Grade Survey - Concatenated Core Data), 1976 - 1992
description: Monitoring the Future (MTF) Series
description: on-site questionnaire 
Conducted 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.
description: High school seniors in the contiguous United States.
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.