Search

The Monitoring the Future study surveys high school seniors annually. Data from a special survey of high school seniors (N=1,050) conducted in 1978 designed to complement the annual Monitoring the Future survey were compared to data from the 1978 Monitoring the Future survey of approximately 18,000 high school seniors. Means and correlations were compared in order to determine the extent to which the special survey reproduced the findings from the Monitoring the Future sample. Only one clear-cut difference between the two sets was found. Results indicated that respondents in the special data collection exhibited a tendency to give identical answers to most or all of the questions within large item sets in later parts of the questionnaire. The reported data suggest that due to what is assumed to be a decline in motivation people responded in somewhat more stereotypical ways in latter parts of the long questionnaire used in the special data collection, as reflected in the straight-line or almost straight-line reporting. Appropriate cautions are therefore suggested when using the data from this special data collection for estimation of means and interrelationships between questions from the same set, but correlational and multivariate analyses using questions from different sets should not be seriously biased. (BHK)

This paper explores the relationship between self-esteem, measured five times during a span of eight years, and the educational and occupational attainments of a nationwide sample of over 1600 young men. An overall increase in self-esteem was observed between the start of 10th grade (1966) and a point five years after high school (1974). Surprisingly, 10th grade self-esteem correlated better with eventual educational attainment (as of 1974) than did 1974 self-esteem. Longitudinal multivariate analysis led to the conclusion that factors associated with educational success become less central to self-evaluations during high school and the following years. (Author)

The opinions of nearly 17,000 college-bound and noncollege-bound high school seniors concerning a wide range of issues of both personal and social significance were surveyed in 1979 at the end of the senior year. Developing successful personal relationships, particularly a good marriage and family life, ranked at the top of freshman goals in life, and satisfaciton and success in work were also central concerns. In large proportions they preferred marriage, wanted children, and seemed willing to accommodate the needs of those children. Students' ratings of very important aspects in a job and of the desirability of different work settings are considered. Highest ratings were assigned to jobs that are interesting and make use of a person's skills. The most preferred work settings are those that provide the greatest independence and involve the least external control. The majority of the high school student respondents were employed and most were making fairly good money. While the students had positive expectations for their own future, they were considerably more pessimistic about how things will go for the country and the world over the next five years. Specific problems they are worrying about are summarized. The national issue that has been of greatest concern to recent high school classes has been crime and violence, and an issue that historically has been of less worry, the energy shortage, has reached a level of comparable concern. Drug abuse, pollution, and economic problems rank next among student concerns. Slightly less often on the minds of seniors are the issues of possible nuclear conflict, race relations, hunger and poverty, and population growth. Their views on national defense and the military, politics and the system, and their ratings of institutions in society are also addressed. (SW)

As an aid to people who want detailed information on the methodology of the project "Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of the Lifestyles and Values of Youth," information is presented on the scope and purposes of the project, study design and procedures, data collection procedures, measurement content, and questionnaire format. The project was designed to provide an ongoing assessment of the changing behaviors, plans, and preferences of American youth. The study involved a nationwide survey of each new high school senior class in over 130 secondary schools since 1975. In addition, annual follow-up surveys are mailed to members of each class for a six-year period after graduation to determine changes in attitude regarding personal lifestyles, confidence in social institutions, intergroup and interpersonal attitudes, concerns about conservation and ecology, behavior and attitudes related to drug use, and other social and ethical issues. The document is presented in four major sections. In section one, the scope and purposes of the project are outlined. In section two, the research design is described. Information is presented on the rationale, base-year data collections, and follow-up data collections. Section three focuses on measures, including monitored and background variables, high school and post-high school experiences, and questionnaire organization and format. Information is also presented on sample representativeness and response validity. The final section examines analysis strategies and stresses the need for multi-cohort longitudinal data. The document concludes with appendices which offer information on sampling procedures, questionnaire items, measures, study description, instructions to teachers, and a flyer to senior students. (DB)

Although sex roles seem to be undergoing substantial changes in today's society, the work and family roles of women remain quite different from those of men. Data from the Monitoring the Future project, a 2-year project focusing on high school seniors' sex role attitudes and the relationship of those attitudes to various plans for adult roles, confirmed that high school seniors were generally committed to the principle of equal opportunity but not to any principle of identical family roles. The overwhelming majority preferred the traditional role distinction in their own future marriages. Larger proportions of females favored complete equality in vocational and educational opportunities, while more males favored traditional sex roles; however, there were more similarities than differences between male and female responses. There were also few differences between the educational plans of male and female students; females seemed to take work as seriously as did males. Numerous data tables are provided to illustrate the research findings as well as a summary data chart that appears in the beginning of the document to aid the reader in finding particular tables of interest. (JAC)

The Monitoring the Future project was created to assess the changing lifestyles, values, and preferences of American youth on a continuing basis. Trends in marijuana use and related attitudes were investigated, and alternative hypotheses about the linkage between attitudes and behaviors were examined. Data were obtained using questionnaires administered to nationwide samples of approximately 17,000 high school seniors annually from 1976 through 1985. Trend data showed that perceived risks and personal disapproval increased steadily from 1978 onward, whereas actual use of marijuana reached peak levels in 1978-79 and then declined during the early 1980s. Subgroup trend analyses revealed that when attitudes were held constant there was no decline in rate of marijuana use, supporting the hypothesis that the overall decline found in the total samples was attributable to changes in perceived risk and disapproval. Reversing the subgroup trend analysis procedure, by holding constant the levels of use, provided no support for the alternative hypothesis that changes in use caused the trends in attitudes. The findings are useful theoretically because they indicate that in this area attitudes seem to shape behaviors, rather than the reverse. For those involved in prevention efforts, the findings suggest that realistic information about risks and consequences can play an important role in reducing the demand for drugs. (Author/NB)

To explore costs and benefits of part-time work for high school students, survey responses of high school seniors from the classes of 1980 through 1984 were examined, distinguishing between those working many hours, those working fewer hours, and those not employed. Because hours of work differed by sex and by college plans, most analyses controlled for those factors. Work intensity, or number of hours worked, was positively related to perceptions of stress and interference with social life, but also to perceptions of increased contact with those of other ages and social backgrounds, as well as with the acquisition and use of skills. Most high school seniors saw little or no connection between their present work and their long-range aspirations. Substantial portions of earnings were spent on discretionary items. There was weak evidence supporting the view that working interfered with school. There were no relationships between work intensity and psychological variables such as self-esteem. Work intensity was positively correlated with aggressive and delinquent behaviors; victimization; and use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. Although the evidence is mixed, it appears likely that some undesirable consequences are caused rather directly by working long hours in part-time jobs while still in high school. (Author/NB)

During the past decade there have been several important trends in drug use. Cigarette use peaked in 1976 and 1977 and declined thereafter. Marijuana use rose through 1978 and 1979 and then began to decline. Cocaine use rose until 1981 and has remained constant since. This study examined findings from 12 nationwide surveys representing the high school graduating classes of 1975 through 1986 to consider whether the shifts in drug use could be attributed to overall upward and downward trends in correlates of drug use and/or to changes in the patterns of correlations. The results showed drug use to be above average among subjects who had trouble adjusting to the educational environment, spent many evenings out for recreation, had heavy time commitments to a job, and had relatively high incomes. Drug use continued to be below average among those with strong religious commitments and those with conservative political views. Some shifts were found in the strength of certain variables' correlations with drug use. Both political conservatism and religious commitment have become less closely linked to drug use, particularly to marijuana use. (Author/NB)

The Monitoring the Future project was created to measure and report longitudinal changes reflecting the impacts of such post-high school experiences as college, the military, employment, homemaking, unemployment, marriage, and parenthood. In addition to annual surveys of high school seniors, the project includes follow-up surveys extending to 10 years after graduation. This paper provides the first reporting of Monitoring the Future follow-up data on important lifestyle experiences, values, and aspirations during the 6 years following high school graduation. Among the variables covered are marital and parental status, residence and living arrangements, educational plans and experiences, employment status and experience, earnings and sources of income, political and religious orientations, and patterns of recreational behavior. A brief section on methods provides an overview of the study design; further detail is provided in Appendix A. A section entitled "Analysis Strategy" specifies the sets of respondents included in the analyses and the variables used to define subgroups of special interest. This section should be reviewed before using the material in Appendix B. Appendix B contains the most extensive and detailed data, consisting of frequency distributions and means for a wide range of questions asked of follow-up respondents. It includes a descriptive content index as a ready guide for accessing material. A section entitled "Selected Findings" provides commentary on some of the findings. (NB)

High school seniors completed questionnaires measuring work intensity, or amount of time spent at work, and several behaviors and attitudes. Found correlations between work intensity and problem behaviors. These correlations were diminished, but not eliminated, when indicators of demographic background and educational success were controlled for. (BC)

Research has shown a sharp drop in cocaine use among high school students and young adults since 1986. Alternative explanations for this decline were explored using questionnaire data from the Monitoring our Future project which involves annual nationwide surveys of high school seniors. Univariate and bivariate analyses examined each graduating class from 1976 through 1988; multivariate analyses focused primarily on the classes of 1985 through 1988. The results showed important parallels with earlier analyses of the decline in marijuana use. Although lifestyle factors (e.g., religious commitment, truancy, evenings out for fun and recreation) showed strong links with the individual's use of marijuana and also cocaine, these lifestyle trends cannot account for the declines in use of either drug. Importantly there has not been any reduction in reported availability of either drug. Instead, increases in perceived risks and disapproval appear to have contributed substantially to the recent declines in use of marijuana and cocaine. The findings provide strong support for the use of realistic information about risks and consequences as an important ingredient in drug use prevention efforts. Coupled with the availability findings, the results emphasize the importance of demand (as opposed to supply) reduction efforts. (Author/BHK)