Main Topics:

Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions Labour market history, job search, role of labour market agencies, health and disability, Benefits, material living standards, financial position, family relations, attitudes to unemployment. Background Variables Age, sex, marital status, family size, housing, tenure, ethnicity, educational qualifications. Measurement Scales Area of residence was classified by means of the Acorn system. Occupational data were assessed by means of the Hope-Goldthorpe scale of occupational desirability. The 12-item scale of the General Health Questionnaire was used in the 1981 interview. Many of the items concerning labour market experiences were similar to those used in the MSC/PSI Cohort Study of the Unemployed (SN:1991). Questions on education and health were largely based on GHS items (SN:33090), and questions on housing on the National Dwelling and Housing Survey (SN:1738).

Two stage procedure: (a) 200 Benefit Offices drawn with probability proportional to number of

Face-to-face interview