Age variable in Finland of MTUS Data

TIME USE
1

Hello,

I am using MTUS data and I include 2009 Finland data in my sample.
I noticed that the document indicates that the age variable in Finland data is a categorical one, but in the data, the range is from 1 to 17. Does it mean that 1 equals the range of 0-5 years, 2 equals the range of 6-10 years, and so on?

Regards,

Hao-Chun

2

Thank you for your question. We recently became aware of this mismatch between documentation and coding of the AGE variable in Finland MTUS data. We plan to correct this issue in the next data release to bring the codes in the file into alignment with the documentation. In the meantime, the data are still usable if you recode them yourself.

In Finland data, the AGE variable is binned into 5-year bins, as described in the comparability section of the variable:

Code : Age range
12 : 10-14
17 : 15-19
22 : 20-24
27 : 25-29
32 : 30-34
37 : 35-39
42 : 40-44
47 : 45-49
52 : 50-54
57 : 55-59
62 : 60-64 (top code for 1979)
67 : 65-69
72 : 70-74
77 : 75-79
82 : 80-84
87 : 85-89
90 : 90 and older (top code for 2008)

Currently, AGE is erroneously coded as a categorical variable with 17 categories numbered 1 through 17, rather than coded as a censored (binned) variable with the codes shown above.

To correct this issue for your own use, simply recode the categories in order according to the comparability tab. “1” should become “12”, 2" should become “17”, “3” should become “22”, and so on. The codes 1 through 17 correspond to the 17 distinct 5-year age groups.

Please follow up with additional questions.

3

Hello Isabel,

Thank you for the great help!

Regards,

Hao-Chun