Census Bureau Survey Gauges Level of Financial Support and Other Measures of Well Being

census.gov, Sep 27, 2005

A survey beginning in June will measure whether the amount of financial assistance people provide to members of another household has changed in recent years. Field representatives of the Commerce Department's Census Bureau will visit 37,500 households during the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

"It is important that those selected participate in the SIPP because results from this survey enable policy-makers to address a multitude of critical issues," said James F. Holmes, director of the Census Bureau's Atlanta regional office. "Among these critical issues is the prevalence of people with lapses in health insurance coverage; the characteristics of
people with disabilities; the presence of provisions for health-care costs in child support agreements; and whether more people enter or exit poverty during a given year."
                                            
The survey also tracks changes in the type of work people perform, whether they are actively looking for work and their educational level. Respondents also may be asked about other topics such as how they finance their own or their children's college education, retirement and pension plan coverage, child-care arrangements, payments made for adults living in another household or an institution (such as an elderly parent in a nursing home) and fertility history. Since SIPP is designed to measure change over time, many selected households will remain in the survey through 2003.

By law, the Census Bureau keeps all information about survey respondents and their households confidential. Households selected for the survey will receive a letter from Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. The field
representatives who conduct initial interviews carry official photo identification cards. Some follow-up interviews may be conducted by telephone.