Attachment 9 - Advance Letters and Privacy Act Statement

Attachment 9—Respondent Advance Letters and Privacy Act Statement

Because of the Early Bird experiment, the survey uses two different versions of the main youth advance letter. In addition, there are two versions of the Young Adult advance letter, one for respondents who have previously been interviewed as Young Adults and one for those new to the sample. Each letter includes information about the privacy act and OMB approval of the survey. This attachment presents the following advance letters and information from the round 22 survey:

1. NLSY79 Early Bird advance letter

2. NLSY79 regular advance letter

3. Previously interviewed Young Adult advance letter

4. New Young Adult advance letter

5. Privacy Act statement and OMB Disclosure Notice, included on the reverse side of all letters

For round 23, we will use advance letters that are very similar in form and content. We anticipate altering the opening paragraph slightly to make a fresh appeal to respondents and updating the contact information as appropriate. The letters will remain the same in all other aspects.

«DATE»

«FNAME» «LNAME»

«ADDR1» «APT»

«ADDR2»«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»

Dear «FNAME»,

You are part of something truly great: the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979. The NLSY79 is invaluable in helping us understand who we are and where our country is headed. We invite you to take part in our Early Bird program for this round of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). You will be mailed $«AMT» in thanks for your prompt participation.

By calling our Early Bird hotline number, you save us the time and effort we would spend contacting you. We want to share the savings with you! To get your extra cash and participate in the Early Bird program, you must contact us within 4 weeks of receiving this letter. If you choose not to participate in this program, we still want you to take part in the NLSY79 as you have in the past, and you will receive the standard payment in appreciation for your time. As a small thank you, we have included a calendar magnet to help you keep track of important dates.

All it takes is 3 easy steps!

1. C

   With Early Bird

   Get Extra Dollars!

   

   all our Early Bird toll free number at 1-800-675-4440.

2. Leave us a message with your:

   • Name

   • Early Bird Number << EB ID>>

   • Phone Number

   • Good time to call you back

3. An interviewer will return your call, ready to do your survey or to schedule an appointment time that’s convenient for you.

The questions and answers shown on the back of this letter provide further information about this survey and your confidentiality. If you have any additional questions about the study or the Early Bird program, please call us toll free at 1-800-675-4440 or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We look forward to talking with you soon! And again, thank you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles R. Pierret

Program Director

National Longitudinal Surveys

«DATE»

«FNAME» «LNAME»

«ADDR1» «APT»

«ADDR2»«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»

Dear «FNAME»,

You are part of something truly great: the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.

The NLSY79 is invaluable in helping us understand who we are and where our country is headed. There are no other data sources like the NLSY79. As NLSY79 researcher Jay Zagorsky said, “The ability to follow people for most of their lives is key for answering lots of important research questions. And by using a longitudinal survey like the NLSY79 we can make better predictions about the future.”

We are grateful that you share your time with us for this priceless study. Without your participation in the NLYS79, hundreds of people go unrepresented. And, without you, changes in so many lives will never be known.

O

ne of our interviewers from NORC at the University of Chicago will be contacting you in the coming weeks to set up a convenient appointment for your interview. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the study, please feel free to call us toll free at 1-877- 853-5908. The questions and answers shown on the enclosed Confidentiality Statement card provide further information about this survey and your confidentiality.

As a small thank you, we have included a calendar magnet to help you keep track of important dates.

We look forward to talking with you soon! And again, thank you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles R. Pierret

Program Director

National Longitudinal Surveys

«DATE»

«FNAME» «LNAME»

«ADDR1» «APT»

«ADDR2»

«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»

Dear «FNAME»,

You are part of something truly great: the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979. And once again we’d like to talk with you about your education, job, family, and future plans. Few people have the opportunity to make such a lasting contribution.

There are many ways you can make a difference in your community and country, such as by voting, volunteering, or donating to your favorite charities.  Participating in the NLSY79 is another great way for you to make a positive impact on so many people’s lives.

As always, the information you provide is protected by law and the answers you give in the interview are completely confidential and cannot be traced to you in any way. The U.S. Department of Labor and the National Institutes of Health sponsor this study.

We are grateful for your continuing participation in this study. One of our interviewers from NORC at the University of Chicago will be contacting you in the coming weeks. You will receive $40 for the interview, which will take about an hour over the phone. If it’s easier for you to meet with us face to face, we will set up an appointment with you.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the study, please feel free to call us toll free at 1-877-853-5908 or send us an email at [email protected]. The questions and answers shown on the back of this letter provide further information about this study and your confidentiality.

We look forward to talking with you soon! And again, thank you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles R. Pierret

Program Director

National Longitudinal Surveys

«DATE»

«FNAME» «LNAME»

«ADDR1» «APT»

«ADDR2»

«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»

Dear «FNAME»,

You are part of something truly great: the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). Now that you are approaching adulthood, we would like you to continue your involvement with the NLSY79 family as a young adult.

Few Americans have the opportunity to share their experiences with so many for such an important cause and to make such a lasting contribution. Your participation in the NLSY79 will help government leaders build programs and pass laws based partly on your experiences—programs and laws that may benefit you in the future.

There are many ways you can make a difference in your community and country, such as by voting, volunteering, or donating to your favorite charities.  Participating in the NLSY79 is another great way for you to make a positive impact on so many people’s lives.

As a young adult, you’ll be asked questions similar to the ones we’ve asked your mother—questions about school, work, your family, and your future plans. As always, the information you provide is protected by law and the answers you give in the interview are completely confidential and cannot be traced to you in any way. The U.S. Department of Labor and the National Institutes of Health sponsor this study.

One of our interviewers from NORC at the University of Chicago will be contacting you in the coming weeks. You will receive $40 for the interview, which will take about an hour over the phone. If it’s easier for you to meet with us face to face, we will set up an appointment with you. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the study, please feel free to call us toll free at 1-877-853-5908 or send us an email at [email protected]. The questions and answers shown on the back of this letter provide further information about this study and your confidentiality.

We look forward to talking with you soon! And again, thank you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles R. Pierret

Program Director

National Longitudinal Surveys

WHY IS THIS STUDY IMPORTANT?

Thanks to your help, policymakers and researchers will have a better understanding of the work experiences, family characteristics, health, financial status, and other important information about the lives of people in your generation. This is a voluntary study, and there are no penalties for not answering questions. However, missing responses make it more difficult to understand the issues that concern people in your community and across the country. Your answers represent the experiences of hundreds of other people your age. We hope we can count on your participation again this year.

WHO AUTHORIZES THIS STUDY?

The sponsor of the study is the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study is authorized under Title 29, Section 2, of the United States Code. The Center for Human Resource Research at The Ohio State University and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago conduct this study under a contract with the Department of Labor. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the questionnaire and has assigned 1220-0190 as the study’s control number. This control number expires on January 31, 2009. Without OMB approval and this number, we would not be able to conduct this study.

WHO SEES MY ANSWERS?

We want to reassure you that your confidentiality is protected by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, the Privacy Act, and other applicable Federal laws, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees and agents, will, to the full extent permitted by law, use the information you provide for statistical purposes only, will hold your responses in confidence, and will not disclose them in identifiable form without your informed consent.  All the employees who work on the survey at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and its contractors must sign a document agreeing to protect the confidentiality of your data. In fact, only a few people have access to information about your identity because they need that information to carry out their job duties.

Some of your answers will be made available to researchers at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other government agencies, universities, and private research organizations through publicly available data files. These publicly available files contain no personal identifiers, such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and places of work, and exclude any information about the States, counties, metropolitan areas, and other, more detailed geographic locations in which survey participants live, making it much more difficult to figure out the identities of participants. Some researchers are granted special access to data files that include geographic information, but only after those researchers go through a thorough application process at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those authorized researchers must sign a written agreement making them official agents of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and requiring them to protect the confidentiality of survey participants. Those researchers are never provided with the personal identities of participants. The National Archives and Records Administration and the General Services Administration may receive copies of survey data and materials because those agencies are responsible for storing the Nation’s historical documents.

HOW MUCH TIME WILL THE INTERVIEW TAKE?

Based on preliminary tests, we expect the average interview to take about 60 minutes. Your interview may be somewhat shorter or longer depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments regarding this study or recommendations for reducing its length, send them to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Surveys, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20212.