TABLE 1. Variables, questions, response options, and analytic coding for perceived racism and behavioral characteristics — Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021.

Variable	Question	Response option	Analytic coding
Perceived racism*	During your life, how often have you felt that you were treated badly or unfairly in school because of your race or ethnicity?	Never, rarely, sometimes, most of the time, always	Never versus ever (rarely, sometimes, most of the time, always)
Poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic	During the COVID-19 pandemic, how often was your mental health not good? (Poor mental health included stress, anxiety, and depression.)	Never, rarely, sometimes, most of the time, always	Never versus ever (rarely, sometimes, most of the time, always)
Virtual connection with family, friends, or other groups outside of school during the COVID-19 pandemic	During the COVID-19 pandemic, how often were you able to spend time with family, friends, or other groups, such as clubs or religious groups, by using a computer, phone, or other device? (Do not count attending school online.)	Never, rarely, sometimes, most of the time, always	Never versus ever (rarely, sometimes, most of the time, always)
Serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem	Because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem, do you have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?	Yes, no	Yes versus no
Feel close to persons at your school	Do you agree or disagree that you feel close to people at your school?	Strongly agree, agree, not sure, disagree, strongly disagree	Yes (strongly agree, agree) versus no (not sure, disagree, strongly disagree)

* See Supplementary Table at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/115178 for full distribution of the perceived racism variable. The question was derived from the Perceptions of Racism in Children and Youth (PRaCY) scale.