Attachment F - CEQ and CED Advance Letter Procedures and Templates

Respondent Contact Procedures (Advance Letter Not Received)

If the respondent indicates that they did not receive the advance letter, the FR reads the following to the respondent –

‘We normally send a letter in advance to sample households informing them about the survey, and communicating the Privacy Act and other information, but the current social distancing guidelines may have prohibited us from doing so. Therefore, we’ve provided the letter online at bls.gov/respondents/cex. Would you like me to email this link to you for your reference?”

If the respondent says “Yes”

• FR asks respondent for email address and sends email using template below.

• FR proceeds with interview.

Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. (Insert Respondent Name),

 

Thank you for your recent inquiry about the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE).  This survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides information that helps update the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is the most important tool used to measure how fast prices are rising or declining. This information directly affects wages, pensions, and the cost of goods and services. Your response is a service to your community and the country.

Should you need additional information, please use the following links.

 

More info on survey –U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS

You can verify the identity of a Census employee here: Census Bureau Staff Search

More info about confidentiality –Protecting Confidentiality

 

I look forward to hearing back from you in the near future. For more information, or to set up an appointment to complete the interview please contact me at (INSERT PHONE NUMBER)

 

Regards,

(INSERT FR NAME)

IMPORTANT NOTE: To protect your privacy, please do not respond to this email with any personal information about you or your household. I am not authorized to conduct this survey by email or answer any detailed questions about the survey or our protocols using email. Please contact me by phone if you have any questions or to complete the survey.

If the respondent says “No” or “What does the letter say?” (or similar)

• FR reads verbatim text below for CEQ –

“It’s my duty to inform you that the U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you. By law, the Census Bureau can only use your responses for statistical research. We are conducting this voluntary survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, and Title 29, United States Code. Federal law protects your privacy and keeps your answers confidential under Title 13, United States code, Section 9. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. The average interview takes about 70 minutes and the OMB number for this survey is 1220-0050”

• FR reads verbatim text below for CED –

“It’s my duty to inform you that the U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you. By law, the Census Bureau can only use your responses for statistical research. We are conducting this voluntary survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, and Title 29, United States Code. Federal law protects your privacy and keeps your answers confidential under Title 13, United States code, Section 9. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. The OMB number for this survey is 1220-0050. We expect that it will take about 10 minutes to record your expenditures daily; in addition, it will take about 20 minutes for each of our calls over this two-week period.”