The collection of retrospective information about the early life of HRS participants began in the core biennial HRS interviews in 1992 and has evolved over time. For example, the initial 1931-1941 HRS cohort provided information about the education of their parents in 1992, childhood geographical location in 1996, and additional background about family context in 1998. From 2008 onward, questions about childhood family context, together with multiple items about childhood health conditions and diagnoses were added. Marital, fertility, and employment histories have also been collected in the core interviews at study entry and repeated over time.
Thus the HRS core interviews provide rich life history data, but additional data collection was necessary to fill in some gaps and enhance information about childhood and early-to-mid adulthood. The Life History Mail Survey (LHMS) adds residential, educational, employment, partnership, and caregiving information prior to age 50.
These sources are listed below. A user guide provides detail on all of these resources.
Data Products
Public Survey Data
Cross-Wave
- Cross-wave 2015-2019 Life History Mail Survey (LHMS): Harmonized and Aggregated Public Data Resource
- Cross-wave 2015-2019 Life History Mail Survey (LHMS): Population Weights
- Cross-Wave Childhood Health and Family Aggregated Data
- Cross-Wave Marital History Aggregated Data
- Cross-wave Lifecourse Experiences of Adversity and Trauma Aggregated Data
2015
2017
2019
- 2019 Spring Life History Mail Survey
- 2019 Fall Life History Mail Survey Long Questionnaire
- 2019 Fall Life History Mail Survey Supplemental Questionnaire
Restricted Data
2015
- 2015 Life History Mail Survey Educational History Data
- 2015 Life History Mail Survey Residential History State Level Data
- 2015 Life History Mail Survey Historically Black College and University Data
2017
- 2017 Fall Life History Mail Survey Educational History Data
- 2017 Fall Life History Mail Survey Residential History State Level Data
- 2017 Spring Life History Mail Survey Educational History Data
- 2017 Spring Life History Mail Survey Residential History State Level Data
- 2017 Fall Life History Mail Survey Occupation and Industry Data
- 2017 Spring Life History Mail Survey Occupation and Industry Data
- 2017 Fall Life History Mail Survey Historically Black College and University Data
- 2017 Spring Life History Mail Survey Historically Black College and University Data
2019
- 2019 Fall Life History Mail Survey Long Questionnaire Occupation and Industry Data
- 2019 Fall Life History Mail Survey Supplemental Questionnaire Occupation and Industry Data
- 2019 Spring Life History Mail Survey Occupation and Industry Data
- 2019 Fall Life History Mail Survey Educational History Data
- 2019 Spring Life History Mail Survey Educational History Data