High School Seniors Cohort Study, 1965 and 1973

This data collection contains information gathered from questionnaires administered to high school seniors on two separate occasions. Part 1 contains data gathered in 1965 in order to provide information about the social and political climate of the peer groups and the entire senior classes of the student interviewees who were the subjects of the STUDENT-PARENT SOCIALIZATION STUDY, 1965 (ICPSR 7286). Part 2 contains similar data gathered in 1973 to provide a trend line and to cover slightly different topics. The schools used were defined by the 97 included in the socialization study, in which all members of the senior class were potential respondents. In the cohort study, several key political measures (especially trust, efficacy, tolerance, cosmopolitanism, salience, and partisanship) and personal measures were developed paralleling those used in the socialization study. Data include respondent's attitudes toward politics, things the respondent was least proud of (e.g., discrimination against minorities or dirty politics in government), concept of a good citizen, faith in government, political interest, attitudes toward federal government, party identification, academic courses, interest in public affairs, attitudes toward school and students, school activities, respondent's personality, academic background and plans, occupational plans, and family background. The 1965 and 1973 interviews differed in some respects: Part 1 included more attention to the social studies curriculum and the social climate, and Part 2 devoted more attention to political data and ethnic and racial composition. Additional information about the schools attended by the students was collected from school officials through a school characteristics form, e.g., percentages of various ethnic groups making up the student population, percentage of graduating seniors entering college, and whether the school had a formal social studies curriculum guide. These data are located at the end of each file.