Other Sources of SPD Information

Other sources of information about SPD include the SPD User Notes and SPD working papers. The SPD Web site includes an extensive bibliography that provides references to SPD-related research and documentation, data dictionaries, and variable metadata documenting all information relevant to variables that appear on the public use microdata files.

Both the data collected in SPD and supporting documentation are available in various forms. They include published estimates based on those data, microdata in several formats, documentation for each of the microdata files, and more general documentation about methodological issues in SPD. This section discusses SPD published estimates, briefly describes the data files and supporting documentation, and provides information on how to obtain them.

SPD User Notess

The SPD User Notes, issued periodically by the Census Bureau, contain updated information for specific microdata files. The User Notes include corrections to the data dictionaries, announcements of errors found in the public use data files after their release, and recommended corrections for those data errors. Analysts obtaining SPD microdata files directly from the Census Bureau will receive all User Notes that have been issued for those files at the time of purchase. Users who obtained files from other sources should contact the Customer Services Branch, Administrative and Customer Services Division, at (301) 763-4636, to request the User Notes that have been issued for the data they plan to use. User Notes are also available here: SPD - Latest News.

Microdata Technical Documentation

Users purchasing SPD microdata files directly from the Census Bureau receive, along with the data files, a package of technical documentation. The technical documentation includes:

A data dictionary, containing information about the file structure and the names, locations, and contents of all variables. The printed version of the data dictionary also includes information about the structure of the machine-readable data dictionary supplied with each file.
A source and accuracy statement, containing detailed information about sample weights and computation of standard errors using Census Bureau generalized variance procedures.
A copy of the questionnaire screens and program code used to collect the information contained in the microdata file for the computer-assisted interviews.

SPD Working Papers

The Census Bureau publishes a series of SPD working papers. Those papers are written by authors inside the Census Bureau and by outside analysts. The series includes research papers based on SPD data or related to the SPD program. SPD working papers can be obtained from the SPD Web site at SPD Publications or ordered from the Customer Services Branch, Administrative and Customer Services Division, at (301) 763-4636.

Variable Metadata

Variable metadata, available in the data dictionary, provide a complete characterization of a variable's content. Variable metadata include all information relevant to variables that appear in the SPD public use microdata files, including the variable name, a description of the variable, the concept label, data type (binary or character), suggested weight variable when applicable, descriptions of all possible values, and other data when applicable. A variable summary will be included for each public use variable. The summary identifies all edits, recodes, and imputations that affect the final edited output variable.

Contact: (dsd.survey.program.dynamics@census.gov)
URL: http://www.census.gov/spd/