# MARST collected at CPS8
**URL:** https://forum.ipums.org/t/marst-collected-at-cps8/3512
**Category:** TIME USE
**Created:** [May 7, 2020, 9:59am UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/marst-collected-at-cps8/3512 "2020-05-07T09:59:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Amit\_Lazarus](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Amit_Lazarus)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2020, 9:59am UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/marst-collected-at-cps8/3512/1 "2020-05-07T09:59:35Z")
Hey IPUMS user forum,
Reading the description of the [marital status](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/MARST#codes_section) variable of ATUS, it seems that this information was drawn from the last CPS interview (might explain some of the discrepancies between [MARST](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/MARST#codes_section) and [SPOUSEPRES](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/SPOUSEPRES#codes_section)). Is this correct? If so, why doesn’t this variable, and others like it (e.g., [BPL](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/BPL#codes_section) and [CITIZEN](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/CITIZEN#description_section)), have a \_CPS8 suffix? I understand there are no equivalent variables collected at the ATUS interview but that is also true for other variables that do have the suffix (e.g., [UNION\_CPS8](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/UNION_CPS8#description_section)). Are there any differences between suffixed and non-suffixed variables that come from the CPS8 data?
Thank you very much for your time and help,
Amit Lazarus.
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### Author:  [@JeffBloem](https://forum.ipums.org/u/JeffBloem)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/marst-collected-at-cps8/3512/2 "2020-05-07T14:43:18Z")
Your understanding is correct. The information recorded in [MARST](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/MARST#description_section) comes from the last CPS interview. The reason that this variable name does not have a “\_CPS8” suffix is because there is no corresponding marital status variable in the ATUS questionnaire to differentiate. Note that [SPOUSEPRES](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/SPOUSEPRES#description_section) identifies a slightly different concept than MARST. The MARST variable identifies an individual’s marital status and the spouse could be present or absent. SPOUSEPRES simply identifies the presence of a spouse within the household.