Other Sources of Data

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This is an html transcription of the original Special Report document, authored by Rose M. Kreider, which can be found on the Census Bureau Web site in .pdf format at www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/censr-6.pdf.

Several nationally representative surveys conducted by government agencies provide estimates of the number of adopted and stepchildren along with their families' characteristics. Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data make it possible to identify whether a child lives with one or two parents and the type of parent-biological, step, adopted, or foster. The SIPP sample for the 1996 panel comprised about 37,000 households. For more information see the report "Living Arrangements of Children: 1996" at www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/child/la-child.html. The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) collected information from women aged 18 to 44 about whether they had ever adopted a child or sought to adopt a child. For more information see the NSFG Web site at www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg.htm.

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The National Council for Adoption (NCFA), a private nonprofit organization, has conducted several studies in which it contacted all 50 states and the District of Columbia to gain information about the number and type of adoptions within the state in 1982, 1986, 1992, and 1996. Data from the surveys, as well as an explanation of the survey methodology for the 1992 and 1996 surveys are included in the Adoption Factbook III, a comprehensive resource for information about adoption. See the NCFA web site at www.adoptioncouncil.org for more information.

A source for information on adoptions in the United States is the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), under which states are required to collect data on all adopted children placed by the state child welfare agency and adopted children who are receiving assistance or services from the state agency directly or under contract with another agency, whether public or private. For more information, see www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/dis/afcars, the Web site for the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families.

A sources for information on international adoptions is the U.S. State Department Web site: www.travel.state.gov/family/adopt.html. A link on the site (www.travel.state.gov/orphan_numbers.html) provides counts of immigrant visas issued to orphans coming to the United States, presumably for adoption by U.S. citizens. This information is helpful is tracking the number of international adoptions by U.S. citizens, as well as the country of birth of the adopted children.

There are several comprehensive Web sites devoted to information about adoption. One site which also contains information about adoption statistics is the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (NAIC) at http://naic.acf.hhs.gov a comprehensive resource on all aspects of adoption which is a service of the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families. The National Adoption Information Clearinghouse provides an overview of the sources of available data.

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