Tickamyer, Ann R.
Latimer, Sharon Melissa
Longitudinal Data for Rural Poverty Research
In: Rural People, Data and Policy: Information Systems for the 21st Century. J. Christenson, et al., eds. Boulder CO: Westview Press, 1991
Cohort(s): NLS General
Publisher: Perseus Books Group
Keyword(s): Longitudinal Data Sets; Longitudinal Surveys; NLS Description; Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID); Poverty; Rural Areas; Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP);

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Three of the longitudinal data sets most commonly used to study socioeconomic characteristics of individuals and households are reviewed to assess their suitability for research on rural poverty. The National Longitudinal Surveys, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, and the Survey of Income and Program Participation are described, compared, and evaluated. Concepts important for investigating spatial variation in poverty and related socioeconomic characteristics are discussed and examined for each data base and salient literature cited.

Wenk, Deeann L.
Hardesty, Constance L.
Effects of Residence, Family Background and Household Structure on the Educational Attainment of Young Adults
In: Investing in People: The Human Capital Needs of Rural America. L.S. Beaulieu and D. Mulkey, eds. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Perseus Books Group
Keyword(s): Educational Attainment; Family Background; Geographical Variation; High School Completion/Graduates; Household Structure; Regions; Residence; Rural/Urban Differences; Schooling; Urban and Regional Planning;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Despite overall rises in the U.S., educational levels have been persistently lower in rural areas and in the south than in urban areas and the north. This study uses a modified status attainment approach to explore the influence of residence on high school completion and college attendance. Two questions are posed: (1) Does residence have an important effect on educational attainment after controlling for individual characteristics, family background and household structure? (2) Do the effects of family background and household structure vary by residence? A subsample of 3,854 men and women aged 14 to 22 in 1979 taken from the NLSY is used for analysis. Residence is measured as north/south and urban/rural residence at the time of expected high school graduation. The results indicate that the effects of family background account for the negative effects of living in the rural south on educational attainment. The within region analysis shows few differences suggesting that rural youth are just as able as other youth to utilize family resources to their advantage.