Advance Letter

Change: It All Adds Up

H

ow can we know what’s happening to
individuals all across the United States?
We could try
to interview all 300
million people—but
that might take years!
Or we can interview you
and the other NLSY97
respondents, because you represent hundreds of
other US residents.
As you know, the US financial picture is vastly different now than it was just one year ago, so your interview is even
more critical this year. And even if your life hasn’t changed much, we still need to know that too. When we add
your responses from all study rounds and add all the answers from others in the study, policymakers can know how
you, your family, and those you represent are being affected.
The NLSY97 deals with very important questions about you and the direction our country is taking...here are just a
few.

• What are your needs for healthcare?
• Has your job or household changed?

• Do you need additional training?
• How have your finances changed?
We realize that your life is very busy and your free time is limited. There are four easy ways you can contact us to
schedule your interview.

• Call us at 1-800-789-1346
• Visit our website at www.norc.org/nlsy97

• E-mail us at [email protected]
• Fill out, detach and mail the card below
You can also call or e-mail with questions or feedback about the study. The average interview takes roughly an hour.
You will receive a financial gift as a token of our appreciation. You also will receive a certificate that credits you
for 5 hours of community service. As always, your participation is voluntary, and the information you provide is
protected under Federal law. For more information about the survey and how we protect your privacy, please see the
questions and answers on the back of this letter. As a small thank you, we have included a (reusable shopping bag or
$1 coin).
We are grateful for your continuing participation and look forward to speaking with you again soon. And again,
thank you!
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 and Where? __________________
_________________________________________________

Best time to call: Days______________

Times_____________
Best way for us to reach you:
In-Person
By Email
By Phone
By Text Message

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 12200157 as the study’s control number. This control number expires on October 31, 2010. 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 65 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 about the survey, visit www.bls.gov/nls and click
on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 link.