2013 Survey of Income and Program Participation Event History Calendar (SIPP-EHC) Field Test

Attachment F

What have we learned
from SIPP?

We never reveal
information about you.

Because you and thousands of others
have helped us with this survey, we have
learned that:

All the information you provide the U.S.
Census Bureau is confidential by law (Title
13, United States Code, Section 9). Every
Census Bureau employee takes an oath and
is subject to a jail penalty and a fine for
improperly disclosing any information that
would identify an individual or a household.
Published information is presented only in
the form of statistical summaries and no
identifiable information is ever released.
The Census Bureau has established rigid
procedures and guidelines to ensure data
confidentiality and is proud of the excellent
reputation it has earned in this respect.

45 percent of households in the
United States are receiving benefits
from at least one government
program.
There are 11.0 million residents of
households who need assistance from
another person for physical or home
management activities.

SIPP

You Represent Your Nation

The median net worth among all U.S.
households was $68,900 in 2009.
Not only does the SIPP provide data like
these, but it indicates the number of
families who may have a certain source of
income one month but not the next. The
SIPP can also show the combinations of
income that families might have. These
kinds of information help in evaluating the
economic status of the nation, show how
things change, and give policy makers the
facts that enable them to make better
economic decisions.

This survey has been approved by OMB
and given OMB approval number 0607-0957;
without this number we cannot request
your participation in this survey.

Issued January 2012
SIPP-EHC-4006A(2012)

SIPP EHC-4006A_2012.indd 1

10/5/2011 11:06:07 AM

What is SIPP?

How is the survey designed?

Why did you choose me?

The Survey of Income and Program Participation
(SIPP) is an important survey conducted by the
U.S. Census Bureau to determine the economic
situation of people living in the United States.
It provides information on a wide variety of
topics and measures the changes in our
economic status over time. The survey
collects data on the types of jobs and sources
of income that people have, as well as the
number and the characteristics of people who
participate in various government programs.
By conducting this survey, the Census Bureau
can get an accurate picture of the financial
health of the nation and how well government
assistance programs are aiding people who
need help the most.

As the economy changes, the worth of a person’s
income and assets may also change, and as the
size and composition of a household changes, a
family’s economic situation may also be affected.
SIPP gathers information over several years in
order to study any changes in individual and
family financial situations over time.

We scientifically selected your address from
among similar addresses selected that represent
residential addresses in the country. We initially
chose these addresses without knowing the
residents of the houses or apartments. Because
your address was scientifically selected, we
cannot substitute your next door neighbor or
another house around the corner.

To obtain this information, we combine SIPP
data with data from other government agencies to create a comprehensive set of summary
information. We—along with the Department
of Health and Human Services, the Department
of Labor, and other agencies—use this information to help make policy decisions about Social
Security, taxes, health care programs,
ams, and
welfare programs. Private researchers
cher
ch
ers
s also
also use
use
data summaries to analyze the economic
conomic health
of the nation.

SIPP EHC-4006A_2012.indd 2

The SIPP survey is changing from the traditional
way we administer the SIPP survey. Instead of
collecting data by visiting a household every 4
months over a period of 3–4 years, field representatives will visit the household only once each
year and ask questions about what occurred over
the previous calendar year. This re-engineered
survey includes topics such as: household
relationships, work, participation in assistance
programs, health insurance, health care usage
and disabilities, assets and liabilities, and commuting expenses. This data helps us understand
how these factors affect a person’s or a family’s
economic situation.

We selected only a sample of households
because interviewing every address in the
country would be too costly and take too
much time, and we believe that the household
sample is sufficient to make reliable estimates
from the information we collect—if we have
your cooperation.

Why are my answers
important?
The United States is made up of many types of
people—and you are one of them. Our statistics
need to be representative
p
of all persons—rich
and poor, young and old, employed and unemployed.
ploy
pl
oyed
ed.. W
Whe
When
hen
nw
we interview your household,
your answe
answers represent thousands of other
households similar to yours. Your parhousehol
ticipation
ti
cipati
i tio in this survey guarantees the
completeness and accuracy of the final
complet
results. Of course your participation in
this surv
survey is voluntary, and we appreciate your cooperation.

10/5/2011 11:06:18 AM