Local Area Unemployment Statistics Customer Satisfaction Survey

Script for the Online, Survey Instrument

Introduction

The BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program is considering changing the schedule for the release of state annual averages and data revisions for the last five years, and discontinuing the publication of its Regional and State Unemployment (Annual) news release.

The Regional and State Unemployment (Annual) news release presents state annual employment and unemployment averages for the previous year and revisions to state estimates for the previous five years. This news release is now published 2-3 weeks before January LAUS data are released for a given year.

Under the new proposal, the Regional and State Unemployment (Annual) news release would be discontinued. Instead, state annual averages and 5-year data revisions would be issued to coincide with LAUS’s release of January data, which is 2-3 weeks later than the current schedule. 

The purpose of this survey is to find out how these proposed changes will impact you.

The following questions are voluntary and will take less than a minute to answer. We are collecting this information under OMB Control Number 1225-0088 (Expiration August 31, 2017). Without this currently approved number, we could not conduct this survey. 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.

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1. How important is it that data, which currently appear in the Regional and State Unemployment (Annual) news release, be published on the current schedule; that is, 2-3 weeks before the January LAUS data are issued?

• Not at all important (skip to 2)

• A little important (skip to 2)

• Somewhat important (skip to 1b)

• Important (skip to 1b)

• Very Important (skip to 1b)

Any comments you care to make about this proposed schedule change are welcome.

1b. (if somewhat to very important) Please explain why it is important to you to have data that appear in the Regional and State Unemployment (Annual) news release issued 2-3 weeks prior to the LAUS January report.

2. How do you use the LAUS data revisions and annual averages for states? (Mark all that apply)

   • Forecasting

   • Reporting

   • Policy research/analysis

   • Economic research/analysis

   • Financial research/analysis

   • Legislative requirement

   • Educational uses

   • Personal interest

   • Do not use LAUS data

   • Other – specify

Thank you for your help.