Advance Letter

Be the
voice of your
generation

Dear [Respondent Name],
For more than 40 years, the NLSY79 has provided vital information about the lives
of ordinary Americans. Few surveys can match the NLSY79 in helping us understand
who we are as a nation. And for that, we thank you.
Your continued participation in this study has impacted how our country understands
important economic, educational, and labor market issues. And as you near retirement
age and potentially leave the paid labor force, the NLSY79 will permit researchers to
study key questions about retirement and the causes and consequences of age-related
health issues.

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 69 minutes and there are opportunities to participate in our
Early Bird program to earn extra cash! (See enclosed card for details.) To receive your gift
faster, we offer electronic payment options through online or mobile banking and PayPal.
We appreciate your time and willingness to thoughtfully answer our questions.
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

The NLSY79 has been
a valuable resource for researchers
and findings have been discussed in
numerous media outlets.

RESEARCH

Over 3,700 journal articles, book chapters,
and Ph.D. Dissertations.

NEWS MEDIA

Email:
Call:
Text: with your full name
Web: bls.gov/respondents/nls/

Reported in local and national media, such as TIME,
The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal,
The New York Times, Houston Chronicle, Chicago
Tribune, Los Angeles Times, St. Petersburg Times,
Forbes, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and more.

To learn more, visit nlsbibliography.org!

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 1220-0109 as the study’s control number. This control number expires on
Month XX, 20XX. 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 69 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: bls.gov/nls. To
search for articles, reports, and other research based on the National Longitudinal Surveys, visit:
nlsbibliography.org.