Pension ownership (EOWN_PENSION=1) increased in the 2021 SIPP relative to previous SIPP panels. A change in the question text about pension ownership between the 2020 SIPP and the 2021 SIPP may have driven the difference in ownership rates across survey years. Most of this increase is derived from reported pension ownership (AOWN_PENSION=1) as opposed to imputed pension ownership (AOWN_PENSION=4).

In the 2014 SIPP Panel and 2018-2020 SIPP surveys, respondents were asked the following regarding pension ownership:

“[D]id… participate in a defined-benefit pension or cash balance plan?”

For the 2021 SIPP, the wording of the question was changed as follows to include a definition of a defined-benefit pension:

“[W]as… included in a plan that provides regular payments for life based on earnings or years on the job, such as a defined-benefit pension or cash balance plan?”

The addition of text defining a defined-benefit pension likely cleared up confusion respondents had in prior years, and likely lead to the increase in reported pension ownership. This would suggest pension ownership may be underreported in the 2014 SIPP Panel and the 2018-2020 SIPP surveys relative to the 2021 survey. Data users should be aware of how this may affect longitudinal consistency in reported pension ownership across survey years.