Form BLS-OPT-2010 2010 OPT Customer Survey

2010 OPT Customer Survey

Introduction

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) produces measures of productivity for major sectors of the U.S. economy (such as business, nonfarm business, and manufacturing) and for selected industries (such as coal mining, motor vehicle manufacturing, electronics and appliance stores, and wireless telecommunications). Data and publications related to these measures can be found at the BLS labor productivity website (www.bls.gov/lpc) and multifactor productivity website (www.bls.gov/mfp).

The goal of this survey is to collect feedback from users and potential users of BLS productivity data. The information collected will be used to improve the usefulness of BLS data.

Please complete this survey even if you do not currently use BLS productivity data. If you have problems completing the survey, please contact [email protected]

We are collecting this information under OMB Number 1225-0059. Without this currently-approved number, we could not conduct this survey. (Expiration: 11/30/2012) Please note that this survey is being administered by SurveyMonkey.com and resides on a server outside of the BLS domain. The BLS cannot guarantee the protection of survey responses and advises against the inclusion of sensitive personal information in any response.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

Use of BLS productivity data and publications

1. Which BLS productivity data do you use? (Check all that apply.)

• Labor productivity (output per hour)

• Multifactor productivity (output per unit of combined inputs)

• Output

• Hours

• Compensation

• Unit labor costs

• Capital stock and services

• Labor composition/labor quality data series

• Research and development data series

• I do not use BLS productivity data (skips to #10)

• Other; specify _______

2. Which level of detail do you use for productivity data? (Check all that apply.)

• Major sectors (business and nonfarm business sectors for private and all businesses)

• Manufacturing sector (total, durable and nondurable manufacturing)

• Nonfinancial corporate sector

• Detailed industries

• Other; specify _______

3. Which productivity publications do you use? (Check all that apply.)

• News releases

• Tables

• Technical notes

• Monthly Labor Review articles

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Other; specify _______

4. For which of the following purposes do you use BLS productivity data? (Check all that apply.)

• Business analysis and forecasting

• Policy analysis

• Negotiating contracts

• Economic news reporting

• Economic research

• Economic instruction and education

• Other; specify _______

Accessing BLS productivity data and publications

5. How do you obtain BLS productivity data? (Check all that apply.)

• BLS website

• E-mail or phone request to BLS staff

• Private data supplier/re-packager

• News media

• Other; specify _______

6. How often do you access BLS productivity data?

• Once a year or less

• 2-3 times a year

• 4 or more times a year

7. How would you prefer to be notified when BLS productivity data and publications are released? (Check all that apply.)

• I do not want/need to be notified

• BLS News Service emails (currently available for selected series)

• BLS online calendar for news releases (currently available for selected series)

• RSS feeds (currently available for selected series)

• Twitter (not currently available)

• Facebook (not currently available)

• Other; specify _______

Customer satisfaction

8. Based on your experience using BLS productivity data and publications, please check the appropriate box for each of the following statements.

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	No Basis to Decide
Data are accurate
Data are available for the industry or sector I require
Data are current enough for my needs
Data are easy to find
Data are easy to download
Data release schedules are easy to find
Data are in the file format I need
Productivity articles and research summaries are available on topics that interest me
Productivity articles and research summaries are easy to understand
Productivity news releases provide useful information
Productivity news releases are easy to understand
Productivity concepts, sources, and methods are explained in a way that I understand

9. What can BLS do to better meet your needs in the areas addressed in the previous question? (free form) (skips to #12)

Use of BLS productivity data and publications (continued after #1 skip pattern)

10. Why do you not currently use BLS productivity data? (Check all that apply.)

• I was unaware of the data

• Data have no application to my work

• Data are not available for the industry or sector I require

• I have concerns about data accuracy

• Data are not current enough for my needs

• Data are not explained and/or presented clearly

• Data are difficult to locate/BLS productivity-related web pages are difficult to navigate

• Data are not in the file format I need

• Other; specify _______

11. What can BLS do that would enable you to use its productivity data? (free form)

Customer service

12. Have you ever contacted BLS staff for help with productivity data?

• Yes

• No (skips to #17)

13. How have you contacted BLS staff about productivity data? (Check all that apply.)

• Website (“Contact us” link)

• Direct email

• Telephone call

• Other; specify _______

14. Did you receive a timely reply?

• Yes

• No

15. How satisfied were you with the reply?

• Very satisfied

• Satisfied

• Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

• Dissatisfied

• Very dissatisfied

16. Do you have any additional comments, positive or negative, regarding your interaction with BLS staff about productivity data? (free form)

Additional economic data series used

17. Do you use non-BLS sources of productivity data?

• Yes; specify _______

• No

18. Which other economic data series do you use? (Check all that apply.)

• Employment data (payroll employment, unemployment rates, Employment Cost Index, etc.)

• Price data (Consumer Price Index, Producer Price Index, etc.)

• National Accounts (aggregate output, national income, input/output tables, etc.)

• International (import and export data, exchange rates, balance of payments, etc.)

• Financial data (interest rates, stock prices, monetary data, etc.)

• None

• Other; specify _______

Respondent affiliation

19. Which category below best describes the organization at which you work or study? (Check all that apply.)

• University

• Research organization

• Private business

• News media

• Internet blog

• U.S. Government

• Non-U.S. Government, or international organization

• Financial institution

• Industry or trade association

• Nonprofit organization

• Data supplier/re-packager

• Independent consultant

• Other; specify _______

Concluding comments

20. We appreciate any additional comments or feedback you may have about BLS productivity data. (free form).

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. We appreciate your input.

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