Current population survey, November 1979

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a household sample survey conducted monthly by the Census Bureau to provide estimates of employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the general labor force, of the population as a whole, and of various subgroups in the population. The November 1979 supplement to the CPS is particularly concerned with ethnicity, literacy, and language. Respondents were chosen from a universe of all persons in the civilian noninstitutional population in the United States living in households. They were asked specific questions about their country of birth, their parents' country of birth, their citizenship, year of immigration, ancestry, and current language spoken at home. If a foreign language was spoken at home, respondents indicated their ability to read and write this language as well as English. The language spoken at home when the respondent was a child was also identified. The CPS November 1979 supplement also contains data on labor force activity for the week prior to the survey. Comprehensive data are available on the employment status, occupation, and industry of persons 14 years old and over. Also shown are personal characteristics such as age, sex, race, marital status, veteran status, household relationship, educational background, and Spanish origin.