Attachment 4 - Respondent Letter R18

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997
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be the voice of your generation

Dear [Respondent Name],
As a participant in the NLSY97, you’ve helped make this study one of the most cited surveys in the country! This
amazing accomplishment could not have been achieved without your continued cooperation and participation. And
for that, we thank you!
After so many years of participation, you might ask “what exactly have I accomplished?” There is no easy, short
answer to this question, and that is a testament to the large impact you have had. Over the last 20 years, this study
has been used in nearly 1,400 journal articles, theses, Ph.D. dissertations, and conference presentations. In addition,
the NLSY97 has been cited in media outlets such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Chicago
Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. Helping researchers better understand the needs of your generation has
allowed our society to make informed decisions on policies that affect the labor market and the economy.
We follow the federal laws that govern the confidentiality of survey respondents, as well as additional policies and
procedures that ensure your answers are safeguarded. Please see the back of this letter for more information about
privacy and confidentiality. The average interview lasts about 65 minutes. And new this year, you can get extra cash
with our Early Bird program (see enclosed card)! You can also receive your gift faster through PayPal.
Because of your participation, just a little over an hour every two years, you’ve had a direct impact on the way our
society understands some of the most critical issues impacting our country. Thanks for your contribution!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey A. Groen
Bureau of Labor Statistics

nlsy97.norc.org | 800-789-1346 | [email protected] | text 312-835-1905 with your name

WHY IS THIS STUDY IMPORTANT? Thanks to your help, policymakers and researchers 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, missing responses make it more difficult to understand the issues that concern
people in your community and across the country. Your answers represent the experiences of hundreds of other
people your age. We hope we can count on your participation 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 ??/??/????. 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, 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. All the employees
who work on the survey at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and its contractors must sign a document agreeing to
protect the confidentiality of your data. In fact, only a few people have access to information about your identity
because they need that information to carry out their job duties.
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 about 65 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.bls.gov/nls.
To search for articles, reports, and other research based on the National Longitudinal Surveys, visit www.
nlsbibliography.org.