advance letter

Your story, Your survey
Be the voice of your generation!

Dear [Respondent Name],
For more than 20 years, the NLSY97 has provided vital information about the lives of ordinary
Americans. Few surveys can match the NLSY97 in helping us understand who we are as a nation.
And for that, we thank you.
Your continued participation in this study is more important than ever. Together we have
witnessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our economy, health systems, educational
institutions, and the labor market. The information you share in your regular interview, connected
with the information from the COVID-19 survey administered in early Spring, allows us to
understand the current American experience and how to make informed policy decisions for
the future.
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 75 minutes. At the end of your interview, you can receive your gift even faster using
one of our electronic payment options.
We appreciate your time and willingness to thoughtfully answer our questions
and we look forward to your continued participation. Few people have the
opportunity to make such a lasting contribution. Thank You!
Sincerely,
Keenan Dworak-Fisher
Director, National Longitudinal Surveys
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
NEWS MEDIA

The NLSY97 has been referenced in media outlets, such
as The Atlantic, Science Daily, Washington Post, Baltimore
Sun, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles
Times, The Columbus Dispatch, and The Seattle Times.
RESEARCH

NLSY97 data has been used in over
1,900 research citations, including journal
articles, theses, Ph.D. dissertations, and
conference presentations.

Contact us

WEB:
EMAIL: [email protected]
CALL:
TEXT: with your full 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 participating or not answering all the 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 time.
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
CHRR 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 8/31/2022. Without OMB approval and this number, we would not be able to
conduct this study.
HOW MUCH TIME WILL THE INTERVIEW TAKE? Based on preliminary tests, we expect the average
interview to take about 75 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.
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, 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.
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.