DOI: 10.3886/icpsr04608.v1
title: Current Population Survey, March/April 2004 Match Files: Child Support Supplement
title: Version 1

description: This data collection is comprised of responses from the March and April installments of the 2004 Current Population Survey (CPS). Both the March and April surveys used two sets of questions, the basic CPS and a separate supplement for each month. The CPS, administered monthly, is a labor force survey providing current estimates of the economic status and activities of the population of the United States. Specifically, the CPS provides 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. In addition to the basic CPS questions, respondents were asked supplemental questions in March about the economic situation of persons and families for the previous year. The same housing units interviewed in March were contacted again to be interviewed in April. In these housing units, all women aged 15 years and older, who had children, were asked the April CPS supplemental questions, which concerned child support. The March supplement data were matched to April supplement data for households that were in the sample in both March and April 2004. In March 2004, there were 4,816 household members eligible, of which 1,463 required imputation of child support data. Information regarding child support was collected to determine the size and distribution of the population with children affected by divorce or separation, or other relationship status change. Moreover, the data were collected to better understand the characteristics of persons requiring child support, and to help develop and maintain programs designed to assist in obtaining child support. These data highlight alimony and child support arrangements made at the time of separation or divorce, amount of payments actually received, and value and type of any property settlement. This collection also contains data covering nine noncash income sources: food stamps, school lunch program, employer-provided group health insurance plan, employer-provided pension plan, personal health insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS), and energy assistance. The collection also contains data covering training and assistance received under welfare reform programs, such as job readiness training, child care services, or job skill training. Demographic variables include age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, veteran status, educational attainment, occupation, and income. Data on employment and income refer to the preceding year, although other demographic data refer to the time at which the survey was administered.
description: A single weight is produced for the Child Support Supplement. Weights were also created for the March and April basic CPS. Users are strongly encouraged to refer to the User Guide for additional information concerning the creation and use of the weight variables.
description: A multistage probability sample was used for the housing unit.
description: Datasets: DS1: Current Population Survey, March/April 2004 Match Files: Child Support Supplement
description: The civilian noninstitutional population of the United States living in housing units, and members of the Armed Forces living in civilian housing units on a military base or in a household not on a military base.
description: computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI); computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)These data are distributed exactly as they arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed the data. Users should contact the principal investigators if further information is desired.In this hierarchical dataset, there are three record types: Household, with approximately 125 variables, Family, with approximately 75 variables, and Person, with approximately 680 variables.The file is sorted by Census state code (HG-ST60), then by MSA/PMSA code (HG-MSAC).Users are strongly encouraged to read the User Guide, which contains the questionnaires for the supplements and additional technical documentation.