 The 1994 Study of American Families (SAF)
A New Resource for Sibling-based Research
April 1997
HTTP://DPLS.DACC.WISC.EDU/SAF
In 1994, Robert M. Hauser and Robert D. Mare fielded a topical module
for the General Social Survey
(GSS) that focused on the role of families in the transmission and
maintenance of socioeconomic inequality. Specifically, the module supplemented
the usual GSS socioeconomic variables by collecting information about
- GSS respondents' first occupations,
- GSS respondents' mother's occupations when respondents were young,
and
- GSS respondents' first spouses (if married more than once).
- In addition, the topical module included a second short test of
cognitive ability, an abstract reasoning module from the Weschler
Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS).
Finally, the 1994 GSS topical module obtained identifying information
for one randomly selected sibling for each of the 2,992 GSS respondents
who had at least one living sibling above the age of 25. Using this
information about siblings' addresses and telephone numbers, the Study
of American Families (SAF) then conducted a telephone interview
with 1,155 of those siblings, asking essentially the same questions
that were asked of 1994 GSS respondents in person. The SAF went beyond
the GSS interview, however, by collecting information about a second
selected sibling (in addition to the GSS respondent) and by asking about
the educational and occupational attainments of a much larger number
of relatives. Support for the SAF came from the Sociology Program of
the National Science Foundation.
The outline below describes the content of the public-use data file.
The data will consist of seven "modules," one each pertaining
to:
- SAF respondents;
- SAF respondents' parents;
- SAF respondents' spouses and spouses' families;
- SAF respondents' children;
- SAF respondents' siblings (including the GSS respondent);
- SAF respondents' most and least economically successful
living relatives; and
- recodes of occupations in the 1994 GSS.
MODULE I: RESPONDENT
- RESPONDENT
- SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
MARITAL HISTORY
EDUCATION
MILITARY, EMPLOYMENT, AND UNEMPLOYMENT HISTORIES
FIRST FULL-TIME CIVILIAN OCCUPATION
CURRENT OR LAST OCCUPATION
EARNINGS
ABILITY TEST SCORES
SOCIAL CONTACTS AND EXPOSURE TO MEDIA
ATTITUDES REGARDING WORK AND FINANCIAL SITUATIONS
ATTITUDES REGARDING CHILDREN
ATTITUDES REGARDING RACIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL TOLERANCE
ATTITUDES REGARDING POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY
ATTITUDES REGARDING MARRIAGE AND GENDER ISSUES
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- RESPONDENT'S MOTHER
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
OCCUPATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S FATHER
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
OCCUPATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S FATHER'S SIBLING
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
OCCUPATION
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- RESPONDENT'S FIRST SPOUSE
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S FIRST SPOUSE'S FATHER
- EDUCATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S FIRST SPOUSE'S MOTHER
- EDUCATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S CURRENT SPOUSE
- SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
CURRENT OR LAST OCCUPATION
EARNINGS
-
- RESPONDENT'S CURRENT/LAST SPOUSE'S MOTHER OR FEMALE
SUBSTITUTE
- EDUCATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S CURRENT/LAST SPOUSE'S FATHER OR MALE SUBSTITUTE
- EDUCATION
OCCUPATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S CURRENT/LAST SPOUSE'S SIBSHIP INFORMATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S CURRENT/LAST SPOUSE'S SELECTED SIBLING
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
OCCUPATION
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- RESPONDENT'S CHILDREN
- GENDER OF CHILDREN
CHILDREN'S YEAR OF BIRTH
CHILDREN'S RELATION TO RESPONDENT
ARE CHILDREN ALIVE?
EDUCATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S FIRST SELECTED CHILD
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
OCCUPATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S SECOND SELECTED CHILD
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
OCCUPATION
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- RESPONDENT'S SIBLINGS
- GENDER OF SIBLINGS
YEAR OF BIRTH OF SIBLINGS
SIBLINGS' RELATION TO RESPONDENT
ARE SIBLINGS ALIVE?
-
- RESPONDENT'S FIRST SELECTED SIBLING (THE GSS RESPONDENT)
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT AND MILITARY SERVICE
OCCUPATION
-
- RESPONDENT'S SECOND SELECTED SIBLING
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT AND MILITARY SERVICE
OCCUPATION
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- MOST ECONOMICALLY SUCCESSFUL LIVING RELATIVE
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
OCCUPATION
-
- LEAST ECONOMICALLY SUCCESSFUL LIVING RELATIVE
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
OCCUPATION
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- RECODES
- GSS RESPONDENT'S CURRENT OR LAST OCCUPATION
GSS RESPONDENT'S FIRST FULL-TIME OCCUPATION
GSS RESPONDENT'S MOTHER'S OCCUPATION
GSS RESPONDENT'S FATHER'S OCCUPATION
GSS RESPONDENT'S SELECTED SIBLING'S OCCUPATION
GSS RESPONDENT'S SELECTED CHILD'S OCCUPATION
GSS RESPONDENT'S SPOUSE'S OCCUPATION
GSS RESPONDENT'S SPOUSE'S HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD'S OCCUPATION
- Top of page
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Email: disc@mailplus.wisc.edu
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