Various Pretesting Activities

DC

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001

Dear Resident:
Recently, a U.S. Census Bureau telephone interviewer contacted your household on behalf of
the American Community Survey. The Census Bureau is conducting this survey under the
authority of Title 13, Sections 141, 193, and 221, of the United States Code, and response to
this survey is required by law. I understand that you have some concerns about participating
in this survey, but your household’s participation is important to the success of this survey.
The American Community Survey contains questions about your household characteristics
including such topics as education, employment, and housing. The primary goal of this survey
is to provide information each year about the social, economic, and housing characteristics of
the United States. Your participation helps provide the information needed by your community,
county, state, and nation, to plan and fund programs at all levels. The American Community
Survey will provide communities annually updated, detailed information previously available
only when the Census Bureau conducted a census every 10 years.
We want to emphasize that any information you give our interviewer will be kept confidential.
By law, the Census Bureau cannot publish or release to anyone any information that would
identify you or your household (Title 13, Section 9). The information you provide can be used
only for statistical purposes.
We hope that you will participate in this survey to help us improve the information that you and
others provide about your community. If you have any questions, call us at 1-888-817-2153.
We will be pleased to help you.
Sincerely,

Susan Schechter
Chief, American Community Survey Office

ACS-15(L) (3-2008)

USCENSUSBUREAU
Helping You Make Informed Decisions

www.census.gov