The Census Military Panel is national survey panel by the U.S. Census Bureau (Census) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Data collected from service members and their spouses on a variety of topics through the Panel will be used to improve military life and policies affecting active-service members and their families. The panel will consist of active-duty service members and spouses of active-duty service members that have agreed to be contacted and invited to participate in surveys led by the Census and DOD.

You are part of a randomly-selected sample of active-duty service members (E1-E4) or spouses of active-duty service members (E1-E4) across the United States. For the Census Military Panel to be successful, it is important to have participants that represent the enlisted service members and spouses of enlisted service members in the military.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Defense are committed to ensuring the confidentiality of the information that you provide as part of this collection. All survey responses will be combined with the answers of many others and reported in a summary form. Our interest is only in the combination of all responses and not anyone’s individual answers. Your name and any other identifying information will never be associated with the answers you provide on surveys – this information is only collected for contact purposes so that we may send you invitations to future surveys. Your privacy is protected by the Privacy Act (Title 5, U.S. Code, Section 552a).

The U.S. Census Bureau is the designated federal statistical agency conducting this survey. The Census Military Panel is a collaborate undertaking and is fielded in partnership with the Department of Defense.

All information provided is used only to create accurate, relevant statistics about the military members and their spouses. These statistics help inform officials and policymakers about U.S. military life.

If you received an e-mail and/or text message requesting you to participate in the survey, a Census Bureau employee may contact you to remind you to complete the survey and answer any questions you may have. You can also verify the legitimacy of an e-mail, text, or phone call from the Census Bureau by visiting:

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/surveyhelp/verify-a-survey.html

Although this is a voluntary panel, your participation is essential to ensure the results of each survey is comprehensive, accurate, and timely. Your response, combined with responses from other service members and spouses of service members, develop the statistics used to make informed decisions by the Department of Defense. 

Please contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-888-329-5895 if you have any questions about the survey. We are also available to answer your questions via e-mail at  addp.military.panel@census.gov.

If you have comments or concerns about the survey content, the status of your survey responses or suggestions for improving this collection, please e-mail: addp.military.panel@census.gov.

The Department of Defense is conducting this study under the authority of 10 U.S.C. Section 1782. Respondents’ privacy is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. Section 552a).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved this survey. The OMB control number is 0607-1027 and the approval expiration date for the collection is 8/31/2026.