Samples, Weights, and Nonresponse: the Adult Cohort of the
National Educational Panel Study (Wave 2 to 6)
NEPS Survey Paper, 7. Bamberg, Germany: Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories, National Educational Panel Study, (2016)Abstract
This report documents the target population, the sampling, the sample sizes, and the weighting
procedures of the panel Waves 2 to 6 of the NEPS Starting Cohort 6 (Adult Education and
Lifelong Learning). It introduces the target population of the Starting Cohort and the sampling
design applied. Furthermore, the composition of the gross and the net samples of the different
waves are described. Then, the derivation of the sampling weights is elaborated. This includes,
the computation of design weights, non-response adjustments, and post-stratification
of weights. In this context, selectivity due to nonresponse and attrition is investigated. A summary
of the design variables and sampling weights are provided. This article concludes with
some comments regarding the usage of sampling weights for analysis