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Documentation for Variables Used in The Bell Curve Regression Analyses

Files are saved as Macintosh text files with labels, tab indicating end of field, and CR indicating end of line.
The data files are contained in self-extracting archives. Double-click on the icon to extract the files.
 CY: Calendar year. SY: Survey year. For numeric binary variables, 1=yes, 0=no.
Means, standard deviations, and frequency distributions are provided for purposes of checking that the file has been accurately transferred. These statistics are computed without sample weights; hence standardized variables, which were created using sample weights, do not show a mean of 0 and an SD of 1. 
Note when replicating analyses: 
	The analyses shown in Chapters 512 use sample weights applied to the entire white sample. The parallel analyses reported in Appendix 4 do not use sample weights, and are based on the white cross-sectional sample. 
	The analyses shown in graphs in Chapter 15 and reported in Appendix 6 are all based on the entire white, black, and Latino samples, applying sample weights.
	The analyses reported in Appendix 6 using the HOME index or any of the child assessment indexes include TestYr and the appropriate age category (e.g., PPVTAge for the analysis of PPVT6Bot) as independent variables.  
If you have problems or questions, call Charles Murray at (301) 834-7425, fax the information to (202)…862-7177, or use e-mail address chasmurray@aol.com.

NATION.TXT
12,686 cases, 50 variables
This file includes variables scored for all NLSY subjects, one line per subject.
Variables in the file are in the order listed below. The first 11 (through EdSamples) are the most commonly used variables. From then on, the variables are listed in alphabetical order. 
Core variables:
ID	ID number. 
AFQT80	AFQT score using the 1980 scoring system, excluding invalid scores (R6148, code 67). Not corrected for skew.
Valid cases=11878    Mean=65.29    Std. Dev.=22.13
AFQT89	AFQT score using the 1989 scoring system. Not corrected for skew. See discussion of scoring procedure on p. 570 of The Bell Curve.
Valid cases=11878    Mean=190.26    Std. Dev.=37.95
 zAFQT89	Standard score for the AFQT 1989 scoring system corrected for skew. Assigns z-scores corresponding to the value of AFQT89 centile in a normal distribution, cutting off scores at 3 SDs from the mean. This is the variable used in all the logistic analyses reported in The Bell Curve. 
Valid cases=11878    Mean=-.26    Std. Dev.=1.01
zIQ*Yr89	Age-equated AFQT standard scores corrected for skew. The reference group is the cohort of subjects born in a given subjects birth year. 
Valid cases=11878    Mean=-.27    Std. Dev.=1.01
Wgt90	Sample weight for SY90.
Valid cases=12686    Mean=2645.39    Std. Dev.=2463.79
WASVAB	The sample weight assigned in 1980 to all those who took the AFQT.
Valid cases=11878    Mean=2818.25    Std. Dev.=2282.71
zAge	Standard score for age of the respondent.
Valid cases=12686    Mean=.05    Std. Dev.=.99
zSES	The SES index expressed as a standardized score. Construction of the SES index is described in Appendix 2, pp. 573575. 
Valid cases=11876    Mean=-.36    Std. Dev.=1.06
Race4	Subjects race. Race for Black and Hisp is assigned according to the NLSYs cohort categorization (variable R2147).  The remaining cohort identified by the NLSY as non-black and non-Latino on variable R2147 is split into Other (using variable R96, includes persons of self-identified American Indian, Asian, and Pacific descent), and White, consisting of the rest. 
Black	3174	
Hisp	2002	
Other	569	
White	6941	
Total	12686	
EdSamples	Identifies the two homogeneous-education samples used in Part II. College indicates a person with a FinDegree of BA or BS and 16 years of education as of SY90. HS indicates FinDegree consisting of HS and 12 years of education as of SY90. 
College	1098	
HS	3645	
Total	4743	
Variables in alphabetical order:
1MoNoWk89	Identifies people who worked at least one week in 1989 but less than 48. Excludes people who reported not working because of school in SY89 or SY90. 
0	6107	
1	2632	
Total	8739	
1MoOLF89	Identifies people who were out of the labor force for at least 4 weeks in 1989. Excludes people who reported not working because of school in SY89 or SY90.
0	6636	
1	3005	
Total	9641	
1MoUnemp89 	Identifies people who were unemployed for at least 4 weeks in 1989. Excludes people who reported not working because of school in SY89 or SY90.
0	8621	
1	1358	
Total	9979	
30+Samp	Identifies those whose age at the 1990 interview was œ30. 
0	5850	
1	4586	
Total	10436	
Adult14Bio	Original (biological or adoptive) parents living with respondent at age 14.
Mom	3181	
Mom/Pop	8570	
Neither	534	
Pop	382	
Total	12667	
Adult14Sum	Summary of parental configuration at age 14. Based only on formal marital status (live-in boyfriends or girlfriends dont count). Alternatives are 2Orig (both original parents), Orig/Step (either remarried original parent), UnmarMom (never married mother or a divorced, still unmarried mother), and Other (includes arrangements in which child was living with original father, no stepmother, as well as all arrangements in which neither original parent was present). 
2 Orig	8570	
Orig/Step	1032	
Other	725	
UnmarMom	2340	
Total	12667	
AgeMarry	Age at first marriage.
Valid cases=6962    Mean=22.412    Std. Dev.= 3.489
AllvBA+	Binary variable distinguishing all those who had a bachelors degree or higher as of SY90 from those who had less than a bachelors degree.
0	8554	
1	1745	
Total	10299	
BA AttainSamp 	Used to identify persons who were still enrolled as college undergraduates as of 1 May 1990. Eligible means the subject could be used for the analysis using AllvBA+ as the dependent variable. 
Eligible	12230	
InSchl/NoD	456	
Total	12686	
BornWhere	Country of birth. 0=US, 1=elsewhere. 
0	11811	
1	874	
Total	12685	
Div5Yrs	Did the marriage end in divorce during the first five years? Limited to marriages that occurred prior to 1986. 
0	4005	
1	971	
Total	4976
DOB 	Birthdate, expressed in years.
Valid cases= 12686    Mean=60.84    Std. Dev.=2.26
Emp<>568	Subject was not in the military, or not working because unable to work or in school in either SY89 or SY90 (R30743, 34010).
1	9639	
Total	9639	
Emp<>Schl	Subject did not respond not working because in school in either SY89 or SY90 (R30743, 34010). 
1	10078	
Total	10078	
EverWed	Had the subject ever been married as of SY90? 
0	3345	
1	6971	
Total	10316	
FinDegree	Assignment of highest degree ever attained by SY90, discarding cases in which the reported years of education were markedly incommensurate with the reported degree. See discussion in Appendix 2, pp. 575576. LTHS: Less Than High School; ProfDeg: PhD, law degree, medical degree; Assoc: Associates Degree. HS indicates a high school diploma achieved by the normal route, excluding all GEDs.
Assoc	608	
BA	1422	
GED	1151	
HS	5062	
LTHS	1733	
MA	243	
ProfDeg	80	
Total	10299	
GEDvHSGrad 	Binary variable distinguishing GEDs from all who got a HS diploma through the normal route (including those who went on to further education). Persons with neither a GED or HS diploma are not coded. 
GED	1151	
HSGrad	7415	
Total	8566	
Health89	Prevent: subject prevented from working in CY89. Limit: subject limited in amount or type of work in CY89. None: no health limitations on work in CY89. 
Limit	445	
None	9882	
Prevent	278	
Total	10605	
HiIQOcc	Classified 1 if subject is a civilian and his/her occupation is one of the high IQ occupations as defined in chapter 2, 0 if the person reports some other occupation.
0	8546	
1	403	
Total	8949	
IntAge90	Age at time of 1990 interview, in whole years.
25	285	
26	1382	
27	1405	
28	1420	
29	1358	
30	1385	
31	1197	
32	1212	
33	792	
Total	10436	
Jail	Those ever interviewed in jail, excluding those who were not interviewed in jail but are not part of the 1990 sample. Note: the other measure of crime in chapter 11, those in the top decile of self-reported crime as of the 1979 interview, was based on the white male distribution and computed only for white males (because of known large ethnic differences in self-report behavior) and is not included in this data file. 
0	10052	
1	430	
Total	10482	
KInc89 	Total net family income in CY89 expressed in 1990 dollars, using CPI.
Valid cases=8688    Mean=33866.27    Std. Dev.=26994.14
KWage89	Total salary and wages for the respondent in CY1989 expressed in 1990 dollars.
Valid cases=10200    Mean=16320.27    Std. Dev.=16308.31
LTHSvAll	Binary variable distinguishing those without either a HS diploma or GED from all others with a GED, HS diploma, or more advanced degree. 
AllOther	8566	
LTHS	1733	
Total	10299	
LTHSvGED	Binary variable distinguishing those without either a HS diploma or GED from all others with a GED. Those who got their HS diploma through the normal route are not coded. 
GED	1151	
LTHS	1733	
Total	2884	
LTHSvHSGrad 	Binary variable distinguishing those without a HS diploma from all who got a HS diploma through the normal route (including those who went on to further education). Persons with a GED are not coded.
HSGrad	7415	
LTHS	1733	
Total	9148	
MarDate1	Date of first marriage, in years.
Valid cases=6962    Mean=83.208    Std. Dev.=3.861
MCV Index	The Middle Class Values Index, scored 1 and 0 as described in chapter 12. Single people and men in school or unable to work in 1989 or 1990 who otherwise would have scored 1 are treated as missing. 
0	5420	
1	2939	
Total	8359	
Occ90Type	Type of occupation in 1990, using the 1970 census occupational categories. 
Clerical	1698
Craft	1061	
Farm	96	
Labor	530	
Mgr	989	
NA	1459	
Operatv	929	
Prof/Tech	1417	
Sales	415	
Service	1444	
Transpt	356	
Total	10394	
Pov89	Subjects family was below the poverty line in calendar year 1989
0	7316	
1	1372	
Total	8688	
RelAtt	Attendance at religious services. Wkly+ indicates more than once per week. 
1/mo	1175	
1/wk	2728	
2-3/mo	1537	
Infreq	3501	
None	2543	
Wkly+	1185	
Total	12669
Sample	The original samples for the NLSY.
Military	1280	
Supplement	5295	
XSection	6111	
Total	12686	
Sex	Gender. 
Female	6283	
Male	6403	
Total	12686	
UnempSamp	Denotes civilians who were in the labor force throughout 1989 and did not respond not working because in school in either SY89 or SY90 (R30743, 34010).
1	5959	
Total	5959	
Wed90	Marital status as of SY90. Modification relies on the Fertility file characterization, but uses the cross-sectional information to identify separated and widowed persons. 
Married	5367	
NevMar	3345	
Sep/Div	1523	
Widow	45	
Total	10280	
WedBy30	Was the respondent married prior to the age of 30?
1 Yes	3268	
2 No	1261	
Total	4529
Work89	Weeks worked in CY89.
Valid cases=10436    Mean=38.53    Std. Dev.=19.49
YrRndWrkr	Work89=52, with KWage89 greater than 0.
1	5217	
Total	5217	
zEd90	Standard score for the years of education as of SY90. 
Valid cases=10358    Mean=-.16    Std. Dev.=1.02