DOI: 10.3886/icpsr04377
title: Current Population Survey, March/April 1988 Match Files: Alimony and Child Support
title: Archival Version

description: This data collection is comprised of responses from the
 March and April installments of the 1988 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. About 39,000 of the
 housing units interviewed in March were interviewed again in April. In
 these housing units, all women aged 15 and older, who had
 children, were asked the April CPS supplemental questions. These
 questions concerned child support and alimony payments. Of the 42,867
 women found eligible in March, 36,647 of these women matched women
 interviewed in April. For the remaining 6,220 women interviewed in
 March, the child support and alimony information was imputed.
 Information regarding child support and alimony was 
 collected to determine the size and distribution of the female 
 population with children affected by divorce or separation. Moreover, 
 the data were collected to better understand the characteristics of 
 persons requiring child support and alimony, 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, employer-provided pension plan, personal health
 insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, the Civilian Health and Medical Program
 of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) and energy assistance. Demographic
 variables include age, sex, race, 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: For all CPS data files a single weight was prepared and used
 to compute the monthly labor force status estimates. An additional
 weight was prepared to roughly correspond to wage and salary workers.
 The difference in content of the March CPS supplement required the
 presentation of a household weight, a family weight, and a March
 supplement weight. Users are strongly encouraged to refer to the user
 guide for additional information concerning the weights used in this
collection.
description: A multistage probability sample was used for the housing
unit.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Current Population Survey, March/April 1988 Match Files: Alimony and Child Support
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: telephone interview(1) 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. (2) In this hierarchical dataset, there are
 three record type: Household, with approximately 60 variables, Family,
 with approximately 80 variables, and Person, with approximately 220
 variables. (3) The file is sorted by Census state code, then by SMSA
 rank code. (4) Users are strongly encouraged to read the User Guide,
 which contains the questionnaires for the supplements and additional
technical documentation.