DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36386.v1
title: Current Population Survey, November 2014: Voting and Registration Supplement
title: Version 1

description: This data collection is comprised of responses from two sets of survey questionnaires, the basic Current Population Survey (CPS) and a survey on the topic of voting and registration in the United States, which was administered as a supplement to the November 2014 CPS questionnaire. The Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division of the Census Bureau sponsored the supplemental questions for November.
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. Data from the CPS are provided for the week prior to the survey.
The voting and registration supplement data are collected every two years to monitor trends in the voting and nonvoting behavior of United States citizens in terms of their different demographic and economic characteristics. The supplement was designed to be a proxy response supplement, meaning a single respondent could provide answers for all eligible household members. The supplement questions were asked of all persons who were both United States citizens and 18 years of age or older. The CPS instrument determined who was eligible for the voting and registration supplement through the use of check items that referred to basic CPS items, including age and citizenship.
Respondents were queried on whether they were registered to vote in the November 4, 2014, election, main reasons for not being registered to vote, main reasons for not voting, whether they voted in person or by mail, and method used to register to vote. Demographic variables include age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, veteran status, educational attainment, occupation, and income.
description: The data contain seven weight variables:

1. Household Weight -- HWHHWGT -- Used for tallying household characteristics.
2. Family Weight -- PWFMWGT -- Used only for tallying family characteristics.
3. Longitudinal Weight -- PWLGWGT -- Found only on adult records matched from month to month (used for gross flows analysis).
4. Outgoing Rotation Weight -- PWORWGT -- Used for tallying information collected only in outgoing rotations.
5. Final Weight -- PWSSWGT -- Used for most tabulations (particularly if tabulating just labor force items), controlled to independent estimates for (1) States; (2) Origin, Sex, and Age; and (3) Age, Race, and Sex.
6. Veteran's Weight -- PWVETWGT -- Used for tallying veteran's data only. Controlled to estimates of veterans supplied by VA.
7. Composited Final Weight -- PWCMPWGT -- Used to create BLS's published labor force statistics.
There is no supplement weight associated with the November 2014 Voting and Registration supplement. Use the basic final CPS weight -- PWSSWGT -- for tallying the supplement items.
For additional information regarding weights, please refer to Attachment 2 in the Technical Documentation.
description: A multistage probability sample based on the results of the 2010 decennial Census was used in identifying the housing unit. For more detailed information regarding sample design, please refer to Attachment 2 in the Technical Documentation.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Current Population Survey, November 2014: Voting and Registration Supplement
description: All persons in the civilian noninstitutional population of the United States living in households. Smallest Geographic Unit: city
description: computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI); computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)Additional information on the Current Population Surveys can be found by visiting the Current Population Survey Web site.