National longitudinal study of the class of 1972

The National Longitudinal Study is an ongoing study of the persons who were high school seniors in 1972. Initial interviews were conducted with persons selected from a stratified sample of all private, public, and parochial high schools. Schools in low income areas and those with high black enrollments were oversampled. A total of 1,318 schools were selected, and eighteen students within each school were chosen. Over 22,000 seniors participated in the first wave. Four follow-up waves have been conducted: 1973, 1974, 1976, and 1979. These follow-ups were conducted using a combination of mail surveys and personal and telephone interviews. Intensive tracing activities have yielded high response rates: 83 percent of the 1972 sample and 85 percent of the first follow-up sample participated in the 1979 wave. A fifth follow-up is planned for 1985. The purpose of the study is to follow the educational and occupational careers of young people in relation to high school and family backgrounds. The files include data on each student covering ability, socioeconomic status, home background, community environment, ethnicity, significant others, current activity at time of survey, educational attainment, school experiences, school performance, work status, work performance and satisfaction, goal orientatons, marriage and the family, and military experience.