2023 NSCH-LC Frequently Asked Questions
What is the National Survey of Children's Health - Longitudinal Cohort (NSCH-LC)?
The NSCH-LC is a national survey that focuses on the physical and emotional health of children and young adults ages 3 to 24 in the United States. The 2023 NSCH-LC collects information related to the health and well-being of children and young adults, including access to and use of health care, family interactions, mental health, school and after-school experiences, and family economic circumstances.
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Why is this survey important?
The NSCH-LC is designed to measure the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, young adults, and their families. The results of the NSCH-LC will help inform the development of federal policies and programs aimed at improving the health and well-being of children and young adults.
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Who sponsors the survey?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau - part of the federal government - sponsors and provides the primary funding and oversight for the survey.
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Where can I find the survey results?
The 2023 NSCH-LC data will be made publicly available in 2025 on the U.S. Census Bureau and HRSA MCHB websites.
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How is my privacy protected?
The information that you provide is used solely for statistical purposes. All U.S. Census Bureau employees take an oath of confidentiality and are subject to fines or imprisonment for improperly disclosing information. Names and addresses are removed from data, and are not included in any statistical release. You will NEVER be asked for:
- your Social Security number
- your personal information via email
- money or donations
- credit card information
For more information about U.S. Census Bureau data protection and privacy, visit
https://www.census.gov/about/policies/privacy.html
What is the legal authority behind the survey?
The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the NSCH-LC on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Title 13, United States Code, Section 8(b), which allows the Census Bureau to conduct surveys on behalf of other agencies, and Title 42, United States Code Section 701(a)(2) which allows the HHS to collect information for the purpose of understanding the health and well-being of children and young adults 3-24 years old in the United States.
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How do I verify that the survey is legitimate?
To verify that the survey materials are legitimate, please call the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-877-749-4943 or visit
census.gov for instructions to verify a Census Bureau Survey, Mailing, or Contact.
This survey has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit OMB approval number that appears at the bottom left corner of the survey web page, and at the upper left corner of the form confirms this approval. If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct this survey.
For this survey, is it safe to provide my information over the Internet?
Your information is always encrypted. Our secure servers use "HTTPS," Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer, to ensure the encrypted transmission of data between your browser and the U.S. Census Bureau.
This means that instead of sending readable text over the Internet, both your browser and our server encode (scramble) all data using a security key. In addition to data being encrypted during transmission, all data are encrypted for protection when stored on the Census Bureau servers.
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How can I be sure my information is really going to the Census Bureau and not some third party?
Our secure server uses a digital certificate (digital ID) issued by a Certificate Authority as proof of identity. The digital ID will contain information such as:
- "U.S. Census Bureau" as the name of the organization that owns the web site
- "respond.census.gov" as the site's registered Internet name/address
- "Verisign Trust Network" as the name of the Certificate Authority under which the digital ID was issued
The method for viewing a web site's Digital Certificate/ID varies depending on the web browser. Please see your browser's "help" information for instructions on how to verify a web site's identity.
What kinds of questions does the survey ask?
Survey topics include:
- Child, young adult, and family characteristics
- Community, child care, and school experiences
- Physical and mental health status
- Health insurance
- Access and use of health care services
- Family resources, experiences, health and activities
- COVID-19 impact on children, young adults, and family health
Why is my response important?
The NSCH-LC includes approximately 60,000 households with a child or young adult between the ages of 3-24 years old.
Once a child or young adult has been selected for the sample, we cannot substitute another child or young adult because it would harm the quality of the sample data we collect. If we don't obtain responses from the people selected, the study could produce biased results. General information for those selected as survey participants is available on
census.gov.
Do I have to participate?
No. However, your household is unique and important. We need to hear from households from all walks of life to collect enough information to help improve the health of children and young adults across the country. If a household that has been selected for the survey does not respond, we cannot replace them with another household.
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Why should I participate?
This survey collects information used to improve the health of children and young adults across the country. The results help families, communities, policymakers, child advocates, educators, researchers, and the general public better understand and respond to the health and health care needs of children and families.
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How long will this survey take?
For most households, the survey should take, on average, 40 minutes to complete. If there are no children or young adults age 3 to 24 that you are a parent or previous caregiver for, then the survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
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What if I do not know an exact answer to a question?
You can ask someone else in your household. They might know the answer. If no one knows or there is no one else in your household, please provide your best guess or estimate. If you need clarification on what a specific question is asking, please call the U.S. Census Bureau toll-free at 1-877-749-4943.
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Are there other ways to respond or get help?
You can respond in one of the following ways:
- Web questionnaire
- Paper questionnaire
- Telephone interview
To get help, request a paper questionnaire, or complete a telephone interview, please call the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-877-749-4943. Spanish options are available.
I have a child that I consider an adult. Do I still need to answer the survey?
Yes. The NSCH-LC asks questions about both children and young adults ages 3 to 24. The survey also asks questions about their families and experiences of young people as they transition into adulthood.
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I have a child or young adult that does not live with me. Do I still need to include them in the survey?
Yes, even if the child or young adult does not live with you, we still need you to respond.
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Why do you need to collect my contact information?
We would like to gather information to help us contact you in case we have additional follow-up questions about this child or young adult in the future. This information is confidential and voluntary. We will only contact you if needed for official Census Bureau business.
To verify that correspondence is legitimate, please call the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-800-523-3205. When contacted about the NSCH-LC, a survey representative can always provide you with their name and interviewer code to confirm employment with the U.S. Census Bureau.
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How is this survey different than the Census?
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts other censuses regularly, including censuses of business and manufacturers and censuses of state and local governments. Additionally, the U.S Census Bureau collects data on topics such as unemployment rates, retail and wholesale trade, various manufacturing activities, and new housing construction, business, manufacturing, governments, family income, health, and education.
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How is the U.S. Census Bureau involved?
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the survey, oversees the sampling, and produces final public use data sets of the results.
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