DOI: 10.3886/icpsr04380.v1
title: Current Population Survey, March/April 1992 Match Files: Alimony and Child Support
title: Version 1

description: This data collection is comprised of responses from the
 March and April installments of the 1992 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 53,000 of the
 housing units interviewed in March were interviewed again in April. In
 these housing units, all women aged 15 years and older, who had
 children, were asked the April CPS supplemental questions. These
 questions concerned child support and alimony payments. Of the 84,000
 women found eligible in March, 80,000 of these women matched women
 interviewed in April. For the remaining 4,000 women interviewed in
 March the child support and alimony information was imputed.
 Information regarding child support and alimony were 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: There is one supplement weight variable (A_SUPWGT) present
 in the file. 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 1992 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: face-to-face 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) The User Guide states that there are
 108,970 records. The correct record count is 208,730. (3) In this
 hierarchical dataset, there are three record types: Household, with
 approximately 130 variables, Family, with approximately 70 variables,
 and Person, with approximately 420 variables. (4) The file is sorted
 by Census state code, then by MSA/PMSA rank code. (5) Users are
 strongly encouraged to read the User Guide, which contains the
 questionnaires for the supplements and additional technical
documentation.