Hello,
I am looking at the CPS survey, and it seems there are 3 separate variables that all ask the same question. If someone responds that they are looking for work, they are asked “what are all the things you have been doing to look for work?” There are three slight variations of this same question, which correspond to variables LKPS, LKDK, and LKM. Are these variables essentially the same? Or do they correspond to different lead in questions (for example, does one correspond to an employed person saying they are looking for work)? I cannot find any documentation that makes this clear.
It looks like you are looking at the Labor Force questionnaire provided on the Census website. There is an additional documentation manual provided which contains much more detail about the questions and potential responses. A general discussion of LKM begins on page C4-17, however, looks like the differences can be summarized as follows:
People will be asked to report all of the job search methods they used in question LKM.
If a respondent answers “don’t know” or “nothing,” an additional question (LKDK) is asked in the hopes obtaining further information.
If a respondent provides only passive job search methods, then an additional question (LKPS) is asked to obtain more information.
Thank you very much for the clarification and the manual! Extremely helpful.