Attachment 7 - Advance Letter

WHY IS THIS STUDY IMPORTANT? Thanks to your help, researchers and policymakers 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, because your answers
represent the experiences of hundreds of other people your age, missing responses make it more difficult to understand the issues
that concern people in your community and across the country. We thank you for you past participation, and hope we can count
on you 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 NORC 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 1220-0157 as the study’s
control number. This control number expires on May 31, 2015. 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 (CIPSEA), 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. CIPSEA strictly limits who may have access to protected data, sets strict fines and penalties for
knowing and willful disclosures of confidential information to unauthorized persons, and explicitly exempts protected statistical
information from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. All the employees who work on the survey at the Bureau of
Labor Statistics and its contractors must sign a document pledging to protect the confidentiality of your data.
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
between 45 and 52 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 learn more about the survey, visit www/nlsinfo.org. To search for articles,
reports, and other research based on the National Longitudinal Surveys, visit www.nlsbibliography.org.

Getting Perspective
How can we understand the lives of the more than
300 million people in the U.S? Well, we could try to
interview everyone, but that would be expensive and
time consuming. Instead, we focus on a smaller sample
of a generation of U.S. citizens that altogether represent
the different points of view of people in your age group.
From your and from others’
responses together, we can
see the “big picture”.
You are the next generation.
The NLSY79 is not just your
parent’s survey, it’s yours.
NLSY79
Some of the questions in your survey are specific to you and address important social
Next Generation
issues related to your age group.
And as a member of the NLSY79, you’ve helped researchers and policymakers gain
perspective on the economy, employment, health, family life, and education of people
in your generation. That’s why you are so important, without you we don’t get the full picture...!
The average interview only takes about an hour. We know you have many demands on your time, and we are
happy to accommodate your schedule. As a thank you, you will receive a financial gift and 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 how your information is used and how we protect your privacy, please see the questions
and answers on the back of this letter.
Take a look at all the different ways you can reach us to update your contact information or RSVP for an
appointment. We look forward to hearing from you soon and thank you for your participation!
It’s easy to change your contact information!
Just visit nlsy79.norc.org, use your phone
to scan the code above to reach us online,
or fill out and mail the card below in the
postage-paid envelope.

For more information on the NLSY79:

Visit:
E-mail:
Call:

nlsy79.norc.org
[email protected]
(877) 853-5908

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:
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