Frauke Kreuter
Appendix A: Executive Summary from Innovations in Federal Statistics: Combining Data Sources While Protecting Privacy

Pp. 149–151 in: Robert M. Groves, Brian A. Harris-Kojetin (Eds.): Federal Statistics, Multiple Data Sources, and Privacy Protection: Next Steps. 2017. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press
[Consensus Study Report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine]

Federal government statistics provide critical information to the country and serve a key role in a democracy. For decades, sample surveys with instruments carefully designed for particular data needs have been one of the primary methods for collecting data for federal statistics. However, the costs of conducting such surveys have been increasing while response rates have been declining, and many surveys are not able to fulfill growing demands for more timely information and for more detailed information at state and local levels.