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Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth CONTACT Project Administrator LSAY Branch National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) PO Box 8288 Station Arcade SA 5000 Level 11, 33 King William St, Adelaide Telephone 1800 825 233 Facsimile (08) 8212 3436 Website http://www.ncver.edu.au/ Email: lsay@ncver.edu.au DESCRIPTION The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) are a program of longitudinal surveys which provide information on the transitions of young people between education, training and work. The LSAY research program is managed jointly by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research and the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). Annual surveys provide information on what young Australians are doing and how they manage the many transitions they make after school. By incorporating data from older longitudinal studies within the LSAY program, it is possible to compare the current cohorts' pathways and outcomes to older cohorts' when they were the same age. More detailed investigations look at the links between social characteristics, education and training, and employment. Issues investigated in the LSAY project include school achievement and school completion, participation in vocational and higher education, gaining and maintaining employment, and household and family formation. The current program of LSAY work commenced in 1995. It follows two earlier programs of longitudinal studies in Australia: 'Youth in Transition' conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER); and the 'Australian Youth Survey' (and its predecessor the Australian Longitudinal Survey) conducted by a predecessor department to DEEWR. Scope The project is currently following four cohorts of young people:
In addition, LSAY incorporates data from the 'Youth in Transition' and 'Australian Youth Survey' cohorts, and an extensive program of analysis and reporting based on data from all cohorts. Frequency of Collection The survey is longitudinal. Survey respondents are contacted annually. Method of collection The first cohort in the LSAY program comprised a nationally representative sample of over 13,000 Year 9 students. Reading and numeracy tests were administered to the students in their schools to provide information on school achievement for use in later analyses of educational and labour market participation. Students also completed a background questionnaire about their educational and vocational plans and attitudes to school. In 1996 these students provided information in response to a mailed questionnaire. Information was also obtained from their schools about the curriculum and school organisation. In 1997 this cohort was contacted in the first of the annual telephone surveys. A second Year 9 cohort comprising more than 14,000 students was selected in 1998. Telephone interviewing of this cohort began in 2000. Beginning in 2003, a single questionnaire is being used for the telephone interviews with both the 1995 and the 1998 Year 9 cohorts. A third LSAY cohort began in 2003. This cohort was selected from school students who participated in OECD PISA 2003. These 15-year-olds undertook tests in reading, mathematical, scientific literacy and problem solving, and completed questionnaires about their background and plans for the future. They were also interviewed by telephone to provide additional information. DISSEMINATION Publications Data Service Customised tables are available from NCVER at request (fee applies) DATA ITEMS
Historical Data Survey participants (collectively known as a 'cohort') enter the study when they begin Year 9 or, as is the case more recently, when they turn 15 years of age. They are contacted once a year for 10 years. Studies began in 1995 (Y95 cohort), 1998 (Y98 cohort), 2003 (Y03 cohort) and more recently in 2006 (Y06 cohort). Over 10 000 students start out in each cohort.
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