Survey of Income and Program Participation (S I P P ......Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP): Overview, Reengineering, and Self-Sufficiency Research Matthew Marlay,

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP): Overview,

Reengineering, and Self-Sufficiency Research

Matthew Marlay, Ph.D., U.S. Census Bureau

Ashley Edwards, U.S. Census Bureau

Zakia Redd, Moderator

Thursday, July 30, 2015

2:00PM ET

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Speakers

• Matthew Marlay, Ph.D., U.S. Census Bureau (Speaker)

• Ashley Edwards, U.S. Census Bureau (Speaker)

• Zakia Redd, Child Trends & SSRC (Moderator)

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Introduction to SIPP

Matthew Marlay, Ph.D.

Assistant Survey Director for Content and Evaluation

Survey of Income and Program Participation, US Census Bureau

Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse - Webinar

July 30, 2015

[email protected] - [email protected] -http://www.census.gov/sipp

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.census.gov/sipp

Webinar Key Topics What is SIPP?

What kind of content is in SIPP?

What are the recent changes?

Where and how do I access SIPP data?

Considerations when using SIPP data

Using SIPP data – Ashley Edwards, US Census

Bureau

The SIPP Nationally representative, longitudinal, multi-stage stratified

sample

Continuous data in 3-4 year panels from the 1980s through present

Sample: Civilian, non-institutionalized U.S. households

Mission: “Provide a nationally representative sample to evaluate: - Annual and sub-annual dynamics of income - Movements into and out of government transfer programs - Family and social context of individuals and households - Interactions between these items”

Several slides and content are thanks to

Professor H. Luke Shaefer University of Michigan School of Social Work

National Poverty Center

The SIPP

Originally designed to compensate for the limitations of the Current Population Survey (CPS)

CPS ASEC (March Supplement) uses a very long recall period with traditional question design Not good at measuring irregular/ odd sources of income

High levels of under-reporting of program participation

Doesn’t capture changes in family structure

SIPP was designed to have a (much) shorter recall period to collect monthly dynamics

The SIPP SIPP is meant to provide better estimates of income and

public program participation

Offers the most detailed income and comprehensive program participation variables of the major nationally representative surveys

1984-2008 Panel content collected in separate sections

Core (asked every wave)

Topical Module (substantive sections collected periodically)

2014 Panel content collected in integrated instrument

Summary: 1984 – 2014 SIPP Panels

Panel (a)

Date of First Interview Date of Last Interview

Number of Wave 1 Eligible Households

Number of Waves Short Waves (b)

1984 Oct. 1983 Jul. 1986 20897 9 2,8

1985 Feb. 1985 Aug. 1987 14306 8 2

1986 Feb. 1986 Apr. 1988 12425 7 3

1987 Feb. 1987 May 1989 12527 7

1988 Feb. 1988 Jan. 1990 12725 6

1989 Feb. 1989 Jan. 1990 12867 3

1990 Feb. 1990 Sep. 1992 19800 8

1991 Feb. 1991 Sep. 1993 15626 8

1992 Feb. 1992 May 1995 21577 10

1993 Feb. 1993 Jan. 1996 21823 9

1996 Apr. 1996 Mar. 2000 40188 12

2001 Feb. 2001 Jan. 2004 50500 9

2004 Feb. 2004 Jan. 2008 51379 12 9,10,11,12

2008 Sep. 2008 Dec. 2013 52031 16 16

2014 Feb. 2014 May. 2017 (planned) 52000 4

(a) No new panels in 1994 and 1995. (b) Short waves contained reduced sample either through dropped rotations or sample reduction. Source: SIPP Quality Profile, 3rd Ed. (U.S. Census Bureau, 1998a)

What’s included in the SIPP?

The core monthly files include: Demographics: race & ethnicity, age, sex, household/family

structure & relationships, state identifiers, education, armed forces status, marital status, student status

Income: Person/family/household earned income, total income, property income, “other income” unit-specific poverty thresholds, receipt of severance pay

Employment: Employed, unemployment, NILF, Data on up to 2 jobs/month, industry, occupation, class of worker (public/private), firm size, union membership, tenure, hourly/salaried, employer-based health insurance

What’s included in the SIPP? The core monthly files include: Program participation: Unemployment Insurance, AFDC/TANF, social security, SSI, SSD, workers’ comp, child support, food stamps, public housing, energy assistance, public (and private) health insurance, free/reduced lunch, veterans payments, pell grants receipt, other federal grant program receipt

Most program participation variables include both receipt (0,1) and the amount of benefit

THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST! http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/programs-

surveys/sipp/tech-documentation/data-dictionaries/2008/SIPP%202008%20Panel%20Waves%2001-10%20-%20Core%20Data%20Dictionary.pdf

http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/programs-surveys/sipp/tech-documentation/data-dictionaries/2008/SIPP 2008 Panel Waves 01-10 - Core Data Dictionary.pdf

What’s included in the SIPP? Topical Modules: Extra questions added to the core once

per year/panel in particular waves. These include point-in-time/annualized variables on things such as: Fertility history Migration history Material hardship measures (such as food security) Assets and liabilities Medical expenses/utilization of health care Work schedule

THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST! http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sipp/tech-

documentation/topical-modules.html

http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sipp/tech-documentation/topical-modules.html

The SIPP Redesign The Census Bureau has recently redesigned the

SIPP

Reduce costs

Reduce respondent burden

Improve data processing system

Modernize instrument

Expand/improve use of administrative records

The 2014 SIPP uses an annual recall, but with an event history calendar

Changes for SIPP 2014 SIPP 2014 SIPP CLASSIC

Instrument Blaise/C# DOS-based

Interview Type Personal visit/telephone Personal visit/telephone

Interview Frequency Annual 3x/year

Reference Period Previous year Previous 4 months

Workload Release Single release of full sample for the 4-month interview period

Monthly releases, each containing one-quarter of the sample

Panel Length 4 years (planned) 2.5-5 years

Sample Size 52,000 households (W1) 11-45,000 households (W1)

Universe Civilian, non-institutional Civilian, non-institutional

Content Comprehensive Comprehensive

File Structure Person-month data for full calendar year

Person-month data for staggered four-month reference periods

Reengineering: Key Design Changes

Scope is generally similar to SIPP Broader than core

Includes key topical module content in each wave

Better integration of concepts Event History Calendar (EHC) generates integrated

reporting across domains

Topics previously implemented as add-on modules now integrated

Facilitate ‘hooks’ to enable supplements for additional content

Event History Calendar

Reengineering: Benefits

Increased efficiency in processing and producing data products

Added flexibility in administration Dynamic interview month (anytime January-June of

interview year) Dynamic reference period, up to 18 months, but

extending back to beginning of the reference calendar year

Incorporated dependent data into EHC instrument

Reengineering: Conclusions

New SIPP and classic SIPP produce estimates that are not substantially different

New SIPP corresponds with administrative data at least as well as classic SIPP

As always with panel surveys, transitions fall disproportionately on seams (now Dec-Jan)

Still lots of time to use the 2008 panel, which was administered through 2013

2014 SIPP: Content Overview Coverage Questions Roster and Demographics

– Sex – Birthdate/Age – Hispanic origin – Race – Citizenship – Language – Marital status (including same-sex) – Parent/child relationships – Educational attainment – Armed forces status – Type 2 people – Program/income screeners

Event History Calendar – Residency – Marital history – Educational enrollment – Jobs/Time not working – Program receipt – Health insurance

Post-EHC Questions – Health insurance – Dependent care – Non-job income – Program income – Asset ownership – Household expenses – Health care utilization – Medical expenditures – Disability – Fertility history – Biological parents’ nativity and

mortality – Child care – Child well-being – Adult well-being

Closing Screens – Respondent Identification Policy – Contact information – Moving intentions

2014 SIPP: Current Status Fieldwork for Wave 1 Data collection completed in early June 2014 Sample drawn from 2010 sampling frame 29,825 interviewed households 70.19% response rate Reference period is CY2013

Fieldwork for Wave 2 Completed at the end of May 2015 Return to all previously interviewed households Followed movers Utilizes dependent from Wave 1 to bound recall 74.2% response rate Reference period is CY2014

First data release from 2014 Wave 1 Research File in December 2015

Social Security Administration Supplement

Telephone survey of interviewed Wave 1 SIPP respondents

Data collection in September and October 2014

Includes content no longer included in SIPP interview:

Detailed marital history

Retirement pension receipt,

Adult, child, and work disability questions

Accessing SIPP Data

Accessing the Public Use SIPP files

SIPP Website


Official FTP site for full wave files:

http://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/ftp/sipp_ftp.html

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) a great source for pre-formatted files with data labels:

http://www.nber.org/data/survey-of-income-and-program-participation-sipp-data.html



http://www.nber.org/data/survey-of-income-and-program-participation-sipp-data.html

Online Data Tools for Accessing Public Use SIPP files

If you want create a quick cross-tab or draw down a few variables, you can use the Census Bureau’s DataFerrett http://http://dataferrett.census.gov/LaunchDFA.html Be careful about selecting only the months you want to

analyze (i.e. SREFMON, RHCALMN, RHCALYR )

Stored as person-month data on DataFerrett

Coming soon – Orlin Research data tool to work with SIPP data: includes the capability of hierarchical analysis, recodes, spell analysis, and integrated documentation

http://dataferrett.census.gov/LaunchDFA.html

A note about the Public Use SIPP files

The Census Bureau FTP site provides ASCII data with SAS input statements

NBER provides ASCII data with SAS, Stata, and SPSS input statements

Savastata, a user-driven Stata command saves SAS datasets as Stata datasets

faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/home/blanc004/data_program ming/sas_to_stata/savastata.html

A parallel command goes in the opposite direction

http://faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/home/blanc004/data_programming/sas_to_stata/savastata.html

Technical Documentation SIPP User Guide: Comprehensive source of

information. Has numerous updates http://www.census.gov/programs-

surveys/sipp/methodology/users-guide.html

Data Dictionaries: the SIPP FTP site is good for these http://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/ftp/sipp_ftp.html http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sipp/data/2008-

panel/wave-1.html

Content of most variables stays the same across 1996-2008 panels

http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sipp/methodology/users-guide.html


http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sipp/data/2008-panel/wave-1.html

SIPP Classic Data Collection Design Reference Month

Rot Grp 1 Rot Grp 2 Rot Grp 3 Rot Grp 4

12/95 W1 Ref1

1/96 W1 Ref2 W1 Ref1

2/96 W1 Ref3 W1 Ref2 W1 Ref1

3/96 W1 Ref4 W1 Ref3 W1 Ref2 W1 Ref1








SIPP Design Change

Current SIPP - Calendar year 1

Jan Feb Mar Apr Ma y

Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr Ma y

Calendar year 2

I-1Ref I-2Reference period – I-2

I-3Reference period – I-3 I-4Reference period – I-4

I-1Ref. pd. I-1

(Rotation Group 1)

(Rotation Group 2)

I-1Reference pd. – I-1

(Rotation Group 3)

I-1Reference period – I-1

(Rotation Group 4)

Re-engineering - Calendar year 1

Jan Feb Mar Apr Ma y

Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr Ma y

Calendar year 2

EHC InterviewReference period







Considerations when using SIPP Data

Identifying Unique Respondents Because there are up to four observations per person, per wave,

you need a person identifier to identify unique individuals

In the 1996 – 2008 panels Use the sample unit identifier (ssuid) + the person number (epppnum) When stacking multiple panels, add the panel identifier

In the 1990 – 1993 panels Use the sample unit identifier + entry address id + person number

Stata Syntax to generate a Unique Person Identifier: egen sippid = concat(spanel ssuid epppnum)

Watch the form of epppnum across waves: is it “101” or is it “0101”? When you merge across waves, this has to match

Memory Issues

SIPP files have many variables for many observations

Can lead to serious memory limitations

You need to check the capacity of your machine, and it’s worth it to invest in extra ram

Usually allocate 2 GB storage for building a sizable SIPP dataset

When you load in a dataset, keep only the observations and variables you need

Suggested Practice Keep your complete SIPP wave files in their original

state

For any analysis, create a single .do/.sas file for dataset construction, which pulls the variables from the panels and waves that you need

Save that new dataset, without all the SIPP variables you don’t need, and work from that

With this program created, it is easy to always go back and construct a revised dataset with added variables

What is the SIPP Good For? Can use SIPP as a stacked sample of repeated cross

sections

Can generate monthly estimates

Can generate annualized estimates

Results appear most accurate for the current month of reporting month (reference month 4) in each wave

Commonly referred to as seam bias

Estimates must be adjusted for sample design

Most powerful use is for longitudinal analysis

What Isn’t It Good For? Studying the top of the income distribution (maybe…) Long longitudinal analyses (over a life course,

say)

If you need annual estimates for every year (much better in the new design)

If you don’t want to deal with the complexities in household/family composition that the SIPP uncovers… Producing state-level estimates for smaller states

Use the SIPP When You want to deal with more of the complexity of

messy questions

You want the best possible estimate of the income of the poor

You want to benefit from overall higher reporting rates for public program participation

You want to conduct longitudinal analyses over relatively short periods (month-to-month; annualized, up to 4 years)

SIPP: Future Plans Create crosswalks from old to new SIPP Additional workshops for data users Three multi-day workshops have been conducted at University of

Michigan and Duke University First at Census workshop was May 15, 2015 More to come…

Code repositories Data utilities Users’ groups

Contact us: Website: http://www.census.gov/sipp Email: [email protected] SIPP ListServe: http://lists.census.gov/mailman/listinfo/sipp-users



http://lists.census.gov/mailman/listinfo/sipp-users

Using SIPP Data: Applications and Findings

Recent Census Bureau Releases Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009–2012: Who Gets

Assistance? (P70-141)

Measuring Alternative Educational Credentials: 2012 (P70-138)

Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Poverty 2009-2011 (P70-137)

A Child’s Day: Living Arrangements, Nativity, and Family Transitions: 2011 (P70-139)

Desire to Move and Residential Mobility: 2010-2011 (P70-140)

Extended Measures of Well-Being: Living Conditions in the United States: 2011 (P70-136)

Who’s Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011 (P70-135)

Employment-Based Health Insurance: 2010 (P70-134)

Health Status, Health Insurance, and Medical Services Utilization: 2010 (P70-133)

Home-Based Workers in the United States: 2010 (P70-132)

Americans with Disabilities: 2010 (P70-131)

What It's Worth: Field of Training and Economic Status in 2009 (P70-129)

Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns of First-Time Mothers: 1961-2008 (P70-128)

Recent External Releases Cawley J., Moriya A. S. and Simon K. “The Impact of the Macroeconomy on Health Insurance

Coverage: Evidence from the Great Recession.” Journal of Health Economics. 24 (2015): 206– 223.

Hamersma, Sarah, and Matthew Kim. “Participation and Crowd Out: Assessing the Effects of Parental Medicaid Expansions.” Journal of Health Economics, 32.1, (2013) 160-171.

Moffitt, Robert A. "Multiple Program Participation and the SNAP Program." University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series. (2014). Paper 10.

Rice, L. and Bansak, C. “The Effect of Welfare Asset Rules on Auto Ownership, Employment, and Welfare Participation: A Longitudinal Analysis.” Contemporary Economic Policy, 32 (2014): 306–333.

Rothstein, Jesse and Valletta, Robert G. “Scraping by: Income and Program Participation after the Loss of Extended Unemployment Benefits.” IZA Discussion Paper. No. 8022. Posted 2014.

Saad-Lessler , Joelle, Teresa Ghilarducci, and Kate Bahn. “Are U.S. Workers Ready for Retirement? Trends in Plan Sponsorship, Participation, and Preparedness.” Schwartz Center For Economic Policy Analysis. 2015.

Shaefer, H.L. and Edin, K. “Rising Extreme Poverty in the United States and the Response of Federal Means-Tested Transfers.” Social Service Review. 87.2 (2013) 250–268.

Purpose 1) Summarize recent findings related to self-sufficiency

2) Provide inspiration for how you might use the SIPP in your own research

Focus Poverty

Program Participation

Child Well-Being

Asset Measurement

Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Poverty, 2009–2011

Uses SIPP longitudinally Waves 1 to 11 of 5408 Panel (2009 to 2011)

Capture person level transitions into and out of poverty

Comparisons across SIPP Panels Comparisons to Waves 1 to 11 of 5404 Panel

Pre-recession period (2005 to 2007)

Edwards, Ashley N., “Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Poverty, 2009–2011,” Current Population Reports, P70-137, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2014.


46

The majority of poverty spells lasted less than one year

The likelihood of exiting or entering poverty increased over time


47

The Rise of Extreme Poverty in the United States

Comparisons across SIPP Panels Comparisons pre and post welfare reform

Comparisons to 1996, 2001, 2004, and 2008 Panel


“Extreme” poverty has increased steadily since 1996

SNAP benefits, tax credits, and housing subsidies play a larger role in keeping families out of extreme poverty than in 1996

The impact of AFDC/TANF diminished sharply in 1996


Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009–2012: Who Gets Assistance?


Captures average and accumulated monthly participation and receipt amounts from mean-tested assistance programs

Irving, Shelley K. and Tracy A. Loveless, “Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009–2012: Who Gets Assistance?” Current Population Reports, P70-141, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2015.


SSI recipients receive the largest median monthly cash transfers

Although families with a female householder, no husband present are more likely to participate in programs, their median monthly benefit is lower than other family types


A Child’s Day: Living Arrangements, Nativity, and Family Transitions: 2011

Uses data from SIPP Topical Module Wave 10: Child Well-being

Detailed information on family engagement, extracurricular activities, academic performance, and child care


Capture transitions in parental relationship, work, and housing status

Laughlin, Lynda. “A Child’s Day: Living Arrangements, Nativity, and Family Transitions: 2011,” Current Population Reports, P70-139, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2014.

Children in families whose income-to-poverty ratio was greater than 200% engaged in more extracurricular activities than those living below 200% of their poverty threshold


54


Are U.S. Workers Ready for Retirement? Trends in Plan Sponsorship, Participation, and Preparedness

Uses data from multiple SIPP Topical Modules Wave 10: Assets and Liabilities

Wave 11: Retirement and Pension Plan Coverage

Comprehensive list of financial assets

Reports the type of retirement plan (defined benefit or contribution)



Conclusions

The SIPP is a valuable resource for understanding change over time

Both by looking longitudinally across individuals and families as well as looking across panels

Detailed data from topical modules provide additional insight into subject areas

There is a lot of research that can still be done!

Contact

Ashley Edwards

U.S. Census Bureau

[email protected]


Join the Conversation!

• Submit questions through the Question and Answer

feature (bottom right of screen).

• Hear something during the Webinar that you think

others should know? Tweet about it using

#SSRCWebinar.

– Tweets using #SSRCWebinar will display on the left side of

the screen.

Documents

Survey of Income and Program Participation (S I P P ......Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP): Overview, Reengineering, and Self-Sufficiency Research Matthew Marlay,