Advance Letter

Shed a Little Light

I

n the dark. That’s where researchers and policymakers will be stuck…without
your help. Through the NLSY97, you can help us to understand
the needs and concerns of your generation. You can put
the spotlight on what is really important to you and tell
us how things are going in vital areas like your job,
education, children, and health.
All of us who work with the NLSY97 appreciate your
continued participation and dedication to this study,
which is sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U.S. Department of Labor.
We realize that you are very busy. As always, our interviewers are very flexible
and willing to arrange the interview at a convenient time and location for you. And
remember, all of your answers are protected and secure­. Please see the back of this
letter for more information about privacy and confidentiality.
Please take a few minutes to update your contact information
below or visit the NLSY97 website at www.norc.org/nlsy97/.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact our tollfree project hotline at (800) 789-1346.
Thanks for helping us to shine a light on the issues facing young adults today!

After completing the card below please detach and place in the pre-paid envelope.

First Name: ______________________________________
Last Name: ______________________________________
Address: ________________________________________
Apt. or Unit Number: ______________________________
City, State, Zip Code: ______________________________
Phone (Home): ___________________________________
Phone (Work): ___________________________________
Phone (Cell): ____________________________________
E-mail: _________________________________________
Are you Moving? When? __________________________

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 1220-0157 as the study’s control number. This
control number expires on September 30, 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.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION? To find additional information on the National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth (NLSY) visit www.bls.gov/nls. Click on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 link under the heading General
Overviews.