VAR CF0101 RESPONDENT AGE

VAR CF0101    RESPONDENT AGE                                                  
              COLUMNS 87   - 88                                               
              NUMERIC                                                         
              MD EQ 0

        1964-1976:  What is your date of birth?                               
                                                                              
        1978-1982:  What is the month and year of your birth?                 
                                                                              
        1984-later: What is the month, day and year of your birth?            
                                                                              
        RESPONDENT'S AGE IN YEARS                                             
        -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                              
        USE WEIGHT VARIABLE VCF0009/VCF0009A/VCF0009B.                        
                                                                              
        Except for 1968, in years of presidential elections this variable     
        was a pre-election var.  (In 1984, month, year of birth and age were  
        present in both the pre and post.  The pre version is represented     
        here.)                                                                
                                                                              
        Beginning in 1964, the age variables in the original NES datasets     
        were created by computing R's age from his/her given date of birth    
        (beginning in 1988, when birthdate was not available, age as given    
        for household listing by R/informant was used instead).  The age      
        calculation used in these original NES datasets determined age at     
        date of interview  in 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1980-1994; it        
        represented age on November 1  of the year of interview in 1976 and   
        1978.  In 1974, age on election day  of the year of interview was     
        calculated.  For 1964, no documentation is extant describing exact    
        calculation made.                                                     
                                                                              
        Prior to 1964, instead of age calculated using R's birthdate, age     
        as given by R/informant (this information may have come from the      
        coversheet) was represented in the original age variables which have  
        been incorporated here.                                               
                                                                              
        The 1948 and 1954 age vars were in the form of age groups and could   
        not be included in VCF0101 (see VCF0102).                             
                                                                              
        Personal data forms were completed for no-pre cases in 1960: data     
        from these forms were incorporated into the (pre) age var listed      
        here for 1960.                                                        
                                                                              
        In 1992, birthdate was not asked in short-form interviews:  for       
        'panel' short-form cases, 2 years were added to the age (if           
        determined) that appeared in the 1990 study; for short-form 'new'     
        cross-section cases, age was pulled from the coversheet.              
                                                                              
               17-96. Age as coded (1992:  91 is 91 or older)                 
               97. 97 years old (1952, 1974, 1996 and later: or older)        
               98. 98 years old (1958-1962, 1966, 1968: or older)             
               99. 99 years old (1976-1990,1994: or older)                    
                                                                              
               00. NA; DK; RF; INAP, no pre IW (1952); question not used      
                   (1948,1954)                                                
                                                                              
        1952:  520142     1956:  560295     1958:  580174                     
        1960:  600122     1962:  620009     1964:  640187                     
        1966:  660192     1968:  680533     1970:  700398(type 0)             
        1972:  720294     1974:  742406     1976:  763369                     
        1978:  780504     1980:  800408     1982:  820535                     
        1984:  840429     1986:  860595     1988:  880417                     
        1990:  900552     1992:  923903     1994:  941203                     
        1996:  960605     1998:  980572                                       
                                                                              
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