1st Letter Mail Sc CPI Housing Screening Letter 1

United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Housing Survey

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We are conducting a brief survey about housing in your area

The Bureau of Labor Statistics needs your help. We are collecting a few facts to help us identify homes in your area that are owner or renter occupied. This survey should take less than one minute of your time.

Why are we collecting this information?

We conduct this survey to help us better identify rented and owned housing across the country as the first step in the Consumer Price Index Housing Survey. In a later step we collect information about the costs of housing. This information plays a critical role in helping us create the Consumer Price Index or CPI. The CPI is the most widely used measure of inflation, and has many uses, including adjusting:

• The cost of living payments for about 48 million Social Security beneficiaries.

• The cost of lunches for about 27 million school children.

• Federal income taxes, so you don’t pay higher taxes because of inflation.

• Payments in collective bargaining agreements.

To learn more, please visit our website: http://www.bls.gov/cpi.

Your answers will be kept confidential

Maintaining your confidentiality is our primary concern. Also, completing this form by mail saves money. It reduces the amount of information we need to collect over the phone or in person. Although your participation is voluntary, this information is very important and will lead to a more accurate Consumer Price Index. And that benefits you directly.

Please return the form as soon as possible in the postage-paid return envelope. If you have any questions about the survey, please call 1-800-341-3660 and say you are calling about the “BLS Housing Survey.”

Thank you for your help!

S

incerely yours,

Dr. Keith Hall

Commissioner

Bureau of Labor Statistics

OMB No. 1220-0163

Expires 11/30/12

United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Housing Survey

Please Tell Us A Few Facts About Housing At This Address

1. Is this address for a home (residence) or business?

 Home or residence

 Business or non-residence → You are done. But please mail this form back.

Thank you!

2. Do the people who live at this address own or rent their home? (Check ‘own’ if you have a mortgage)

 Own

 Rent

 Own and Rent

 Neither → Some arrangement exists other than owning or renting.

Please describe here:

Thank you for your help!

Please fold this page and return it in the enclosed stamped envelope.

Respond Using the Web? If you prefer, you can answer the questions on the Web by visiting

www.websrg.com/BLS2009 , and entering the following passcode: <passcode>

Your participation is voluntary and confidential

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice

The time needed to complete this survey is estimated to be less than 2 minutes. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of this time estimate or suggestions for making the survey simpler, you can write to: Office of Prices and Living Conditions, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Rm. 3655, Washington, DC 20212. The OMB control number for this voluntary survey is 1220-0163 and it expires November 30, 2012. Without a currently valid number BLS would not be able to conduct this survey.