COVID-19 Household Pulse Survey

I received a text message from an unknown sender (SMS short code 39242) today. It said that “The US Census Bureau needs your help to understand coronavirus impact” and provided a link.

Initially I suspected that this could be a phishing attempt or some kind of scam, but I noticed that the domain of the URL was covid.census.gov, so I decided to check it out. It’s a survey website that is managed by the U.S. Census Bureau. It clearly stated that this was different than the national census and that they are trying to understand the social and economic effects of COVID-19 on American households.

At the bottom of the survey web page, it references “OMB No.: 0607-1013” so I searched Google and found an entry in the Federal Register that provides context for the Household Pulse Survey:

The Census Bureau has developed the Household Pulse Survey as an experimental endeavor in cooperation with five other federal agencies. The survey is designed to produce near real-time data in a time of urgent and acute need. Changes in the measures over time will provide insight into individuals' experiences on social and economic dimensions during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. This survey, conducted under the auspices of the Census Bureau's Experimental Data Series (https://www.census.gov/​data/​experimental-data-products.html), is designed to supplement the federal statistical system's traditional benchmark data products with a new data source that provides relevant and timely information based on a high quality sample frame, data integration, and cooperative expertise.

Question domains contributed by the Census Bureau (Census), Economic Research Service (ERS), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the Department of Housing (HUD) seek to measure employment status, spending, food security, housing, health, and education disruptions. Many of the questions that will be asked on this survey have been fielded on other surveys in the past. However, some of the questions are new, designed to explore potential impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic response.

After I completed the survey, it provided a link to a website for more information. Apparently data for this survey have already been collected for 10 weeks, and the website provides links to an interactive tool, data tables, and public use files where you can explore the responses to date on your own.