Panel Study on Income Dynamics

The Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan conducts and administers the PSID. Various groups including the National Science Foundation and government agencies such as Office of Economic Opportunity of the Department of Commerce have funded the study.

While the initial set of families have been in the study since 1968, the total number of families participating has increased over time from 4,800 to over 7,000 in 2001. The sample is anticipated to increase to 7,800 in 2005. The families come from a diverse set of economic backgrounds, making the sample representative of the makeup of the United States. By the end of 2003 the PSID will have data from 65,000 individuals spanning as much as 36 years of their lives. The study is conducted biennially through telephone surveys, using computer based instruments.