Procedures

The selection criteria for this study were to gather a socioeconomically stratified sample of three-generation families from Evanston and Rogers Park. To accomplish this, census tract information concerning income was used to select neighborhoods in Evanston for canvassing, which would range from lower to upper income. Once the neighborhoods were selected, teams of canvassers would cover an area on a door-to-door basis. They described the general outline of the study to potential respondents and established whether the family possessed the characteristics needed for the study: three interview able generations all living within the general Chicago area. The usual course was to interview both parents, one child, and one grandparent. Potential respondents were given a flyer that restated the goals of the study and which listed telephone numbers they could call for more information. Rogers Park respondents were selected on the basis of telephone canvassing, and in some instances two-generation families were selected.

Approximately 1,000 households were canvassed in Evanston, and at over half of these there were no response on the initial round. Of those households where there was a response, 21 percent of those contracted refused participation, 61 percent were not qualified for some reason, and 15 percent were interested in participating in the study and also met the criteria. Some who accepted dropped out before the entire family could be interviewed, but it is also important to point out that the acceptance rate might have been somewhat higher if the criteria did not include three generations of one family who all lived within the Chicago area.