Hello,
I have a question about the ipums USA bpld codes 46500 and 46590. Why are there two residual categories for USSR? Does 46500 just contain Russia after a particular sample while code 46590 remains the sole residual category?
I checked the number of observations under both 46500 and 46590 codes - in the 1980 5% sample, code 46590 is the predominant one with 14,900 observations while code 46500 only has 35 observations. In the 1990 5% sample, there are no observations under code 46590 while 46500 has 15,148. In the 2000 5% and ACS 5 year samples, code 46590 has relatively few observations (between 1500-2500) while code 46500 continues to have over 15,000 observations.
Thank you!
BPL is a harmonized variable created by IPUMS that facilitates analyses of places of birth that are consistent across samples despite changes in codes in the source data that may reflect shifting political boundaries and differing degrees of detail. This can sometimes result in coding that is consistent, but a bit tricky to interpret. We offer the original coding for birthplace used to assign codes in BPL in sample-specific source variables (e.g., US1990B_POB, US1980B_BIRTHPL). You might consider adding source variables to your data extract and cross tabulating them with BPL(D) in order to get a better sense of how birthplaces were harmonized. The specific case that you have asked about reflects the complexity of capturing this measure over time amidst changing political boundaries; I will address the specific codes you mentioned and briefly describe how they fit together.
The basis for the coding structure of these specific codes reflects that the Russian SFSR, though the most populous constituent part of the USSR, is separately identified as a birthplace in the Census microdata for the first time in 1980 (as opposed to Ukraine, Belarus, or the Baltics); it is NOT identified in 1990, but Russia is identified in 2000-onwards.
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BPLD = 46500 (“Other USSR/Russia”) identifies respondents who reported being born in Russia, the Russian SFSR, or – based on their reported birthplace – were most likely born there (“Other USSR”).
- Because those born in the Russian SFSR were not directly identified until 1980, the majority of persons who are coded as being born in the USSR, but not in one of the other identified republics, were born in the Russian SFSR. IPUMS therefore codes any responses of the Soviet Union as a birthplace (with no additional specification) to this code for samples collected during the Soviet Union’s existence (1920-1990). The only exception is in 1980, as explained below.
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BPLD = 46590 (“USSR, n.s./n.e.c.”) identifies respondents who reported being born in the Soviet Union and not in Russia or the Russian SFSR.
- This is only possible in samples where Russia or the Russian SFSR is identified as a separate birthplace from the Soviet Union (1980, 2000-onwards).
1980 is the only year during the Soviet Union’s existence where persons could be coded as being born in the Russian SFSR or the Soviet Union (or another constituent part of the USSR). However, I’m surprised to see how few cases are assigned BPLD = 46500 (“Other USSR/Russia”) as opposed to BPLD = 46590 (“USSR, n.s./n.e.c.”) in this sample. I will share a note with my colleagues to see if it may make sense to recode persons who reported their birthplace as “USSR n.e.c.” in this sample to BPLD = 46500 (“Other USSR/Russia”).