I need the Supplement Interview Status variable (FL_665). From a previous post ( Supplement Interview Status (FL_665) ) I was able to find the variables (uh_suprec_a1 and _a2), but I can’t actually find the variable on the website. The links still work in that original post, so I was able to add them to a cart, but I’m wondering why they don’t show up in any variable searches.
Thanks.
UH_SUPREC_A1 and UH_SUPREC_A2 are examples of IPUMS unharmonized variables; these variables come directly from the source data in the CPS Public Use File (PUF). IPUMS CPS uses the source data to create harmonized variables that are consistent across samples. Using these two unharmonized variables as a case study, the *A1 variable uses different codes than the *A2 variable. The harmonization process takes these equivalent variables across samples and creates a single new variable by matching corresponding codes together. However in this case, no harmonized variable has been created that integrates the two ASEC interview status codes.
The IPUMS CPS website is designed primarily for researchers to obtain harmonized variables. The unharmonized variables are provided for reference as well as for cases such as this where a corresponding harmonized variable has not been created.
There are three main ways to search for unharmonized variables:
From the variable section menu, select the “Unharmonized Variables” bubble. You can then use the drop-down menus as you would for finding harmonized variables.
From the variable search menu, make sure to check the “Include Unharmonized Variables” box.
If an unharmonized variable has a harmonized counterpart, you can find it in that variable’s documentation (see the Unharmonized Variables tab for MISH below as an example).
Thank you. One follow-up question. Is there a comparable variable for 1990 and before?
