Attachment 4 - Advance Letter and Locating Card

Attachment 4—Respondent Advance Letter and Locating Card for Round 21 of the NLSY97

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 74 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

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 XX/XX/2026. 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 74 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 by email to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Surveys, at BLS_PRA_Public@bls.gov.

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.

CONTACT US

Schedule your appointment or update your contact information:

WEB: <web address>

EMAIL: NLSY97@NORC.ORG

CALL: <phone>

TEXT: <phone> with your full name

You can also complete the attached card and mail it to us using the postage-paid envelope included in this mailing.

RETURN THIS PORTION

__ My name, address, or phone number has changed

__ Are you moving? When and where?

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Name

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Address

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City/State/Zip

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Email

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Phone (Home)

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Phone (Work)

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Phone (Cell)

Best way for us to reach you:

__ In Person __ Cell Phone __ Email

__ Home Phone __ Work Phone __Text Message

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Comments/Questions