Measuring Household Experiences during the Coronavirus Pandemic
Data collection for Phase 3.2 of the Household Pulse survey ran from July 21, 2021 to October 11, 2021. The final data product release for Phase 3.2 will be on October 20, 2021. Data collection for Phase 3.3 of the survey is scheduled to begin in November 2021. The first data product release for Phase 3.3 is expected to occur later in December.
What is the Household Pulse Survey?
The U.S. Census Bureau, in collaboration with multiple federal agencies, is in a unique position to produce data on the social and economic effects of coronavirus on American households. The Household Pulse Survey is designed to deploy quickly and efficiently, collecting data to measure household experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Data will be disseminated in near real-time to inform federal and state response and recovery planning.
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If you have been invited to participate in the survey, you will find more information here.
What information does the Household Pulse Survey collect?
The Household Pulse Survey continues measuring how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting households across the country from a social and economic perspective. Phase 3.2 of the survey includes new questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, Child Tax Credit payments, COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 12 and older, household energy expenditures and consumption, children’s summer educational activities, and rental assistance from state and local governments. The survey continues measuring core demographic household characteristics, as well as continuing to ask questions about education, employment, food sufficiency, household spending, housing security and physical and mental health. In order to reduce respondent burden, Phase 3.2 of the HPS has removed a variety of content whose utility has declined over time.
The HPS continues to be a collaborative undertaking and is fielded in partnership with the following federal agencies:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
- Department of Defense (DOD)
- Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS/ASPE)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
- USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)
The data collected will enable the Census Bureau to produce statistics at the national and state levels and for the 15 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (metro areas).
When will Data be Made Available from the Household Pulse Survey?
Data collection for Phase 3.2 of the survey began on July 21, 2021, with a first data release on August 11, 2021. Data collection is scheduled to continue until October 11, 2021, with data releases every two weeks.
Data collection for Phase 3.1 of the Household Pulse Survey began on April 14, 2021 and ended on July 5, 2021.
Data collection for Phase 3 of the Household Pulse Survey began on October 28, 2020 and ended March 29, 2021.
Data collection for Phase 2 of the Household Pulse Survey began on August 19, 2020 and ended October 26, 2020.
Data collection for Phase 1 of the Household Pulse Survey began on April 23, 2020 and ended on July 21, 2020.
How is the Household Pulse Survey Different from Other Surveys Conducted by the Census Bureau?
The Census Bureau and its federal statistical partners are considered the preeminent source of the nation's most important benchmark surveys. Many of these surveys have been ongoing for more than 80 years and provide valuable insight on social and economic trends.
The production of these benchmark surveys is by nature a highly deliberative process. While efforts are underway to introduce COVID-19 questions into some of these surveys, that process can take months, sometimes years, before data are made publicly available.
The approach for the Household Pulse Survey is different: it is designed to be a short-turnaround instrument that provides valuable data to aid in the pandemic recovery. The Census Bureau is fielding the Household Pulse Survey as a part of the agency’s Experimental Data Series; as such, data products may not meet some of the Census Bureau’s statistical quality standards. Data are subject to suppression based on overall response and disclosure avoidance thresholds.
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