I am trying to identify CPS/ASEC respondents who received Pell Grants. I am using the variable SRCEDUC but I am a bit confused about the codes of this variable:
The code breakdown has seven categories but does not list Pell Grants explicitly.
The description lists four distinct categories and mentions Pell Grants belong to the first.
The questionnaire lists five categories and indicates that Pell Grants belong to the second.
Which of the variable codes (1 to 7) should I use to identify Pell Grant recipients?
While there is a specific response option for reporting Pell Grants, unfortunately there is not a variable reporting this information included in the public use file.
The variable SRCEDUC combines information from three separate variables in the ASEC:
- UH_EDTYP1_A1 reports whether someone received government assistance for education (such as Pell Grants, but excluding loans and VA education benefits).
- UH_EDTYP2_A1 reports whether someone received assistance in the form of scholarships/grants from their school.
- UH_EDTYP3_A1 reports whether someone received assistance from any other source (except family members) to pay for their education.
These variables are also linked to in the unharmonized variables tab for SRCEDUC. The seven codes for SRCEDUC (excluding the NIU code) refer to all possible combinations of responses to these three questions. A combination of SRCEDUC codes 1, 4, 5, and 7 will identify all respondents who received any government assistance (excluding loans and VA education benefits) to pay for their education expenses. Note that government assistance is not restricted to assistance from the federal government and may also include assistance from state governments.
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Thanks @Ivan_Strahof for your answer!