Midlife in the United States (MIDUS): Survey of Minority Groups [Chicago and New York City], 1995-1996

This survey of minority groups was part of a larger project to investigate the patterns, predictors, and consequences of midlife development in the areas of physical health, psychological well-being, and social responsibility. Conducted in Chicago and New York City, the survey was designed to assess the well-being of middle-aged, urban, ethnic minority adults living in both hyper-segregated neighborhoods and in areas with lower concentrations of minorities. Respondents' views were sought on issues relevant to quality of life, including health, childhood and family background, religion, race and ethnicity, personal beliefs, work experiences, marital and close relationships, financial situation, children, community involvement, and neighborhood characteristics. Questions on health explored the respondents' physical and emotional well-being, past and future attitudes toward health, physical limitations, energy level and appetite, amount of time spent worrying about health, and physical reactions to those worries. Questions about childhood and family background elicited information on family structure, the role of the parents with regard to child rearing, parental education, employment status, and supervisory responsibilities at work, the family financial situation including experiences with the welfare system, relationships with siblings, and whether as a child the respondent slept in the same bed as a parent or adult relative. Questions on religion covered religious preference, whether it is good to explore different religious teachings, and the role of religion in daily decision-making. Questions about race and ethnicity investigated respondents' backgrounds and experiences as minorities, including whether respondents preferred to be with people of the same racial group, how important they thought it was to marry within one's racial or ethnic group, citizenship, reasons for moving to the United States and the challenges faced since their arrival, their native language, how they would rate the work ethic of certain ethnic groups, their views on race relations, and their experiences with discrimination. Questions on personal beliefs probed for respondents' satisfaction with life and confidence in their opinions. Respondents were asked whether they had control over changing their life or their personality, and what age they viewed as the ideal age. They also rated people in their late 20s in the areas of physical health, contribution to the welfare and well-being of others, marriage and close relationships, relationships with their children, work situation, and financial situation. Questions on work experiences covered respondents' employment status, employment history, future employment goals, number of hours worked weekly, number of nights away from home due to work, exposure to the risk of accident or injury, relationships with coworkers and supervisors, work-related stress, and experience with discrimination in the workplace. A series of questions was posed on marriage and close relationships, including marital status, quality and length of relationships, whether the respondent had control over his or her relationships, and spouse/partner's education, physical and mental health, employment status, and work schedule. Questions on finance explored respondents' financial situation, financial planning, household income, retirement plans, insurance coverage, and whether the household had enough money. Questions on children included the number of children in the household, quality of respondents' relationships with their children, prospects for their children's future, child care coverage, and whether respondents had changed their work schedules to accommodate a child's illness. Additional topics focused on children's identification with their culture, their relationships with friends of different backgrounds, and their experiences with racism. Community involvement was another area of investigation, with items on respondents' role in child-rearing, participation on a jury, voting behavior, involvement in charitable organizations, volunteer experiences, whether they made monetary or clothing donations, and experiences living in an institutional setting or being homeless. Respondents were also queried about their neighborhoods, with items on neighborhood problems including racism, vandalism, crime, drugs, poor schools, teenag

本次针对少数族裔群体的调查是更大规模研究项目的一部分，旨在探究中年发展在身体健康、心理健康和社会责任等方面的模式、预测因素及其后果。该调查于芝加哥和纽约市进行，旨在评估居住在高度隔离社区以及少数族裔集中度较低地区的中年城市少数族裔成年人的福祉。调查内容涉及与生活质量相关的诸多议题，包括健康状况、童年及家庭背景、宗教信仰、种族与民族、个人信念、工作经验、婚姻及亲密关系、财务状况、子女、社区参与以及邻里特征等。在健康状况方面，调查探讨了受访者的生理和心理健康状况、对健康的态度（过去和未来）、身体限制、精力水平与食欲、关注健康的时长以及因担忧健康而产生的生理反应。关于童年及家庭背景的问题旨在了解家庭结构、父母在育儿中的作用、父母的受教育程度、就业状况及工作中的监管职责、家庭财务状况（包括福利系统的经历）、兄弟姐妹关系，以及受访者作为儿童时是否与父母或成年亲属同床而睡。关于宗教信仰的问题涵盖了宗教偏好、探索不同宗教教义是否为善，以及宗教在日常决策中的作用。关于种族与民族的问题调查了受访者作为少数族裔的背景和经历，包括受访者是否偏好与同种族人群相处、他们认为在种族或民族内部结婚的重要性如何、公民身份、移居美国的理由以及到达后的挑战、母语、他们对某些族裔工作道德的评价、他们对种族关系的看法以及他们在歧视方面的经历。关于个人信念的问题旨在探究受访者对生活的满意度及其对自己观点的信心。受访者被问及他们是否能够控制改变自己的生活或个性，他们认为理想的年龄是多少，以及他们对28岁晚期人群在身体健康、对他人福利和福祉的贡献、婚姻和亲密关系、与子女的关系、工作状况和财务状况等方面的评价。关于工作经验的问题涵盖了受访者的就业状况、就业历史、未来的就业目标、每周工作小时数、因工作而离家过夜的天数、面临事故或受伤的风险、与同事和上司的关系、工作压力以及在工作场所遭受歧视的经历。关于婚姻和亲密关系的一系列问题包括婚姻状况、关系的质量与持续时间、受访者是否能够控制自己的关系，以及配偶/伴侣的教育背景、身心健康状况、就业状况和工作日程。关于财务状况的问题调查了受访者的财务状况、财务规划、家庭收入、退休计划、保险覆盖范围以及家庭是否有足够的资金。关于子女的问题包括家庭中的子女数量、受访者与子女的关系质量、子女未来的前景、儿童保育覆盖范围以及受访者是否为了适应孩子生病而改变工作日程。此外，调查还关注了儿童对自身文化的认同、他们与不同背景朋友的交往以及他们在种族主义方面的经历。社区参与是另一个调查领域，包括受访者育儿角色、陪审团参与、投票行为、慈善组织参与、志愿服务经历、是否进行金钱或衣物捐赠，以及居住在机构设施或无家可归的经历。受访者还被询问关于他们所在社区的问题，包括包括种族主义、破坏行为、犯罪、毒品、学校教育质量、青少年等问题。