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The American Community Survey (ACS) from the US Census Bureau

Our household received this survey, which according to the ACS website (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/) is ongoing and sent to a sample of households.

We have not yet returned it because my husband and I are really taken aback at the invasive and time consuming questions on it – and we are apparently required by law to return it.

There are 21 questions about the residence (apt, house, type of fuel for heating, etc.) and then 48 questions – some multi-part – that each person in the household is supposed to answer individually. Stuff like how many vehicles are kept at the residence; last week were you laid off, on vacation or otherwise absent from work; what is the rent/mortgage payment; the hour & minute this person usually left for work last week; how much did it cost to heat the residence last month and total for the last 12 months; all kinds of questions about income asking for specific amounts; the physical address of the most recent place of employment; does this person have difficulty walking or climbing stairs or dressing or bathing; what year did you get married; the address where you were living one year ago; and on and on.

I can absolutely see why this information is important for allocating resources, but I object that it is not anonymous. Each person answering these 48, some multi-part, questions must list name, birth date, gender, race, and they even ask your phone number. I feel like it may as well ask for my bank account numbers and PINs while they are at it.

I think it is wrong for this data to be tied to specific individuals. I'm not saying I mistrust the intentions of the Federal Government, but I frankly think it is impossible to keep data secure. There are so many ways for this information to be misused when it is tied to specific individuals - not just problems with identity theft or other financial fraud, but things like potential employers choosing not to hire people from households listing persons with physical or emotional conditions/disabilities.

I would like to hear what others think about this, especially since the survey is ongoing and not just every 10 years like the general Census.

Catherine Woelfle, Corvallis OR

posted 1 year, 10 months ago
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