Hi there,
I have a couple of questions about the CPS-ASEC variable SCHLCOLL
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The question asks if a person is attending high school or attending college or university - is ‘graduate school‘ included in the college or university category here?
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‘College or high school students who were currently on holiday or seasonal vacation were to answer yes, but those not taking classes during summer vacation were to answer no‘ - does it mean summer vacation is the only exception, i.e. students who are currently on spring vacation should always answer yes no matter whether they are taking classes right now or not?
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the universe of this variable is those who are not in the armed forces and within some certain age ranges (which vary across time). Nevertheless, I notice that in 1988, 1994 and 2011, there are some people who both meet the age requirement and civilian pop requirement but still have SCHLCOLL = 0 (indicating NIU).
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When compared against the ACS variable GRADEATT, I find that among the civilian non-institutional population aged 16–24, CPS-ASEC (SCHLCOLL) reports a slightly higher share of high school attendance, whereas ACS (GRADEATT) shows a higher share of college-or-above attendance. I am aware of the difference in the two variables’ reference periods, but I am still puzzled as to why the differences in the shares move in opposite directions.
Thanks for all the help!
I will do my best to answer your questions based on my review of the documentation and general familiarity with the data. I have worked to flag where I was able to find explicit documentation on the subject as opposed to where I am making assumptions.
SCHLCOLL does not differentiate between those enrolled in college or university. Instead, students in these post-secondary education programs are coded based on whether they were enrolled full time or part time. SCHLCOLL = 3 identifies those who are enrolled in “college or university full time” while SCHOLCOLL = 4 identifies those who are enrolled in “college or university part time” (see the codes tab). While I wasn’t able to find any guidance that specifically references graduate school for this variable, I would assume that graduate school students are understood as being enrolled in a “college or university” and are then coded depending on whether they are full time or part time.
The CPS questionnaire asks respondents whether in the previous week they were “enrolled in a high school, college, or university”. Students who were enrolled, but on a holiday or seasonal break during the reference week (typically the week containing the 12th of the month) are still considered enrolled. As you note, summer break is the only exception where a student who reports being enrolled and not attending any classes would be coded as not being enrolled.
In general, the universe that IPUMS CPS reports for variables matches those provided by the Census Bureau, there are occasionally cases that do not align with the original, provided universe for the variable. We provide the original CPS codebooks for reference to users who want to examine such cases further and document large and systematic deviations from the provided universe if we become aware of such discrepancies.
The ACS and CPS differ in their methodologies, so I would not expect estimates from the two to line up perfectly. In addition to different reference periods, the surveys have different sampling strategies. The ACS is a questionnaire that respondents fill out on their own, while the CPS is typically administered through an in-person to phone interview. The continuous collection of ACS data as well as the three month reference period in GRADEATT may also significantly ameliorate challenges in interpreting the effects of summer breaks between academic years.
Thanks for the explanation, Ivan. We really appreciate it!
