Australian Youth Survey, 1989: Wave 1

This is the first wave of a survey program based on a cohort of young people aged 16-19 in 1989, and known as the Australian Youth Survey (AYS). It is part of a program of longitudinal studies known as the Australian Longitudinal Survey (ALS), which is a continuing collection of data from a sample of persons aged 16-25 in 1985. Five waves of data have been collected from this cohort (see SSDA Studies No. 377, 410, 420 and 491 for details of the four waves of the ALS list sample, and SSDA Studies No. 413, 421, 489 and 542 for the first four waves of the youth area sample). The 1989 wave of the AYS consisted of 5350 interviews with people aged 16 to 19. A multi-stage household based sample designed to represent all Australians in the age cohort, except those residing in sparsely settled areas, was employed. The survey aims mainly at providing data on the dynamics of the youth labour market, and in particular to address questions which are not readily covered with available sources of cross sectional data. Labour market variables include job history, job search behaviour, job training and transition from school/study to work. Background variables and topics related to the main labour market theme include education, occupation, health and attitudes to women working. Basic demographic variables include age, sex, size of household, country of birth, racial origin, parental education and occupation, spouse's education, religion, income and whether resident in an urban or rural area. These data are similar to those collected in the ALS, but concentrate on a younger group to provide current data on issues such as school retention and school to work transition.