Data Protection and Privacy Policy: Meeting America's Data Needs

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Meeting America's Data Needs

High Quality Relevant Statistics

The questions we ask meet specific data needs in our country. The information is only used for one purpose: to produce high quality, relevant statistics that are important to every community in the United States. These statistics are used in both government and the private sector to improve the economic and social health of our communities.

Your responses are important to ensuring the completeness and accuracy of the statistics we produce. Statistics from these surveys inform policies, determine priorities, and perhaps most importantly, measure the results of government programs.

In short, your information helps government agencies answer important questions, such as:

Are government policies creating new jobs?
Are government policies strengthening the economy?
Are more children going to school and obtaining their degrees?
Is there less crime now than before?

The questions for every survey the Census Bureau conducts are carefully developed with input from those who need our data. Each question on every survey is specifically designed to meet a statistical need. Examples include:

Questions about...	are used to...
what you buy and your household finances	understand the economy and provide input to cost of living measures
the location of your employer, how you travel to work	calculate average commuting times and determine if local areas need new roads or new public transportation routes
your age and if you served in the military	helps the Veterans Administration to provide services such as veterans hospitals

Your Responsibility

The Census Bureau maintains an unwavering commitment to protect the confidentiality of your information. Your information is combined with that of many others to create statistics that do not identify individuals.

If we contact you or your business to participate in a survey, it is because you, or your household, were selected as part of a scientific sample to represent thousands of others like you. Your participation ensures the completeness of the survey and is critical to producing high quality data.

Our country depends on these data for decision-making, and your complete and honest response ensures our data are accurate. Responding quickly and completely to census and survey questions provides an opportunity for individuals to enhance the quality of government and society.

These statistics can be used for many valuable purposes, including important decisions for your family or business, such as whether to move to a new neighborhood, open a business, or market your products to new customers.