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AHS Resources for Tracking Survey Changes

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From: American Housing Survey (AHS) ListServ <ahs@huduser.gov>

I recently had an inquiry from a user about how to track the changes in the American Housing Survey instrument since 1985.  I thought that my answer might have been of sufficiently general interest for posting here:

I'm afraid there really isn't a one-stop source for changes in the AHS content.  The major watershed after 1985 was the 1997 redesign, and so you should pay particular attention to that.  Here are some documents that will help:

1. The entries in the Volume 1 codebook show which surveys an item was in and how it was coded through 1993.  The online version of this codebook is at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahs.html#codebooks .

2. The Volume 2 codebook is a small Microsoft Word file that deals with the changes between 1993 and 1995.  It is available at that same URL.

3. The "new codebook" covers the survey since 1997.  Its entries do contain a field showing the years for which the entries apply.  It is a PDF file and is at the codebook URL.

4. After the 1997 redesign, HUD commissioned a report, "Documentation of Documentation of Changes in the 1997 American Housing Survey."  That report is available for download from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahs.html#supplements .

5. The Variable Name Index, available at the supplements URL above, is a comma separated values (CSV) file that cross-indexes the survey years and the variable names in the microdata.  While it doesn't document changes in coding, you can at least see when certain variables were added or removed from the survey.  (Many programs, such as Excel, Access, SAS, SPSS, etc., can import CSV files.)

6. The supplements section also includes reports on specific topics, such as the changes in the income questions that we implemented in 2005, topcoding practices, dependent interviewing, and so on.

7. Most HUD USER web pages for specific survey years include a summary of changes since the last survey.

8. Since 2003, we have included the instrument items booklet on our HUD USER web pages.

Dav Vandenbroucke
Senior Economist
U.S. Dept. HUD
david.a.vandenbroucke@hud.gov
202-402-5890

I disclaim any disclaimers.