1976-1987 National Survey of Children: Waves 1, 2 and 3
Investigators: Nicholas Zill, James L. Peterson, Kristin A. Moore, & Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr.

A three-wave longitudinal study was carried out by the Foundation for Child Development in 1976 (Wave 1) and by Child Trends, Inc. in 1981 and 1987 (Waves 2 and 3) in which the child was the focus of a personal interview with parents and children themselves. The purpose of Wave 1 was to assess the physical, social, and psychological well-being of different groups of American children; develop a profile of the way children live and the care they receive; permit analysis of the relationships between the condition of children's lives and measures of child development and well- being; and replicate items from previous national studies of child and parents to permit analysis of trends over time. Wave 2 focused on the effects of marital conflict and disruption on children. The third wave of data examined the social, psychological, and economic well-being of sample members as they became young adults. Further, for the first two waves, a teacher from the child's school answered questions on the child's academic performance and atmosphere. A total of 4,118 variables provide data on 1,423 children.