ACS Methods Panel

Attachment J - Minimal Design Treatment Initial Letter

A Message From John H. Thompson, Director of the U.S. Census Bureau:

Your address has been randomly selected by the U.S. Census Bureau to participate in the

American Community Survey. The Census Bureau conducts this survey each year to give our

country an up-to-date picture of how we live—including our education, housing, and jobs.

Communities across the country rely on information from this survey to decide where important services are needed, including:

• Improving roads and reducing traffic

• Building schools

• Planning for the health care needs of the elderly

Respond now at https://respond.census.gov/acs

Because your household has been asked to participate on behalf of your community, it is vital that you complete this survey to help meet critical needs in your area.

If you are unable to complete the survey online, we will send you a paper questionnaire in a few weeks. The Census Bureau is using the Internet to collect this information to conserve natural resources, save taxpayers money, and process data more efficiently.

If you need help completing the survey or have questions, please call 1-800-354-7271.

Thank you in advance for your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Signature

John H. Thompson

Director, U.S. Census Bureau

Enclosures

Information about Your Responses

The information you provide will help create a picture of your community, but it cannot be used to identify you. By law (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9), all of the information the Census Bureau collects for this survey is completely confidential, and millions of people securely participate in the survey each year. Census Bureau employees are subject to a $250,000 fine and/or up to five years in prison if they disclose any information that could identify you.

As a randomly selected representative of your community, you are the voice of your neighbors and peers. To create an accurate picture of your community, it is critical that you respond. Your response to this survey is required by Title 13, U.S. Code, Sections 141, 193, and 221.

Your confidential response will be aggregated with information from other nearby households to produce a portrait of your community. This information is made freely accessible to government leaders, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and the public at large. Based on the information you provide, you may be asked to participate in other Census Bureau surveys that are voluntary. We may combine your answers with information that you gave to other agencies to enhance the statistical uses of these data. This information will be given the same protection as your survey response.