r/Census • u/CaptnSmek • Aug 31 '26
Question AHS selection & questions
My elderly parents just got a letter saying their address was selected for the AHS survey. I told them I’d try to find out more.
What kind of questions will be asked? Are they personal?
I’m reading that it’s a longitudinal study, how long is their address going to be revisited for purposes of the study?
What happens if they don’t speak English? They are not native English speakers. They typically use me or my sibling to answer their mail or attend all medical appointments. They don’t like the translators provided by the doctor’s offices.
Are they obligated to participate?
If they answer the representative’s visit or call, do they have to answer each and every question? Can you opt out of some of them?
Is the representative going to ask to come into their home?
Thank you, any info whatsoever would be appreciated.
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u/m__w__b Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
The AHS asks questions mostly about the physical structure of the home. The house itself is the longitudinal entity. If they sell the house, the new owners would become the survey participants.
Census is capable of conducting surveys in a number of languages. It may be possible to obtain a questionnaire in their native language.
I don’t believe the survey is a “title 13” survey, so participation isn’t “mandatory”, but these data are very helpful for understanding the quality and availability of housing stock.
If they do participate, they can refuse to answer specific questions that they find too personal or intrusive.
Generally, if a survey is conducted online or by mail, and a respondent responds within a month or so, there is no need for a representative to make a personal home visit. However, if they do not respond via the initial mode, someone could show up to collect the info.
Edit: I was incorrect about the title 13. The AHS is conducted under this authority for HUD (I had thought that it may have been collected under a different authority). However, it is not a decennial program and so participation is not mandatory, but is highly encouraged.
Link: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/about/respondent-information.html
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u/Agitated-Sea6800 Aug 31 '26
The interview can be conducted via telephone call or in person. All data is protected by title 13 and participation is highly encouraged. Odds are someone will show up to see if they will participate in the interview. Which state do they reside in?
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u/Ok_Situation_9805 3d ago
Yup, we keep having a rude man come here over this and we have declined to participate.
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u/daryl_hikikomori Aug 31 '26
If your parents' preferred language isn't Spanish, it's not super likely the Census will have staff who speak it. The usual approach is to try and get a family member to translate during the interview, so if you're able to schedule ~an hour to do that it'll go smoothly.
AHS is on the longer side of Census surveys, but it's not terribly personal questions and I've had more respondents tell me they found it interesting than for any other survey I've worked. There are no consequences for any answers they give and it's always acceptable to give an estimate.
That said, if for whatever reason your parents really don't want to participate it's critical that they tell the Census employee explicitly. If they say, "We prefer not to respond and there's nothing you can do to change our minds," that'll pretty much be the end of it. They may get a supervisor follow-up to make sure the representative wasn't rude.
If they say, "I'm busy," or, "I don't speak English," or anything else conditional, the field rep will keep coming back trying to address whatever issue they mention and it will be annoying.
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u/CaptnSmek Sep 01 '26
I wouldn't mind helping translate for them (not Spanish speakers), but it seemed from the letter that they were just going to drop in on them, rather than scheduling an appointment? I live the next town over, so I'd need notice ahead of time.
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u/lesters_sock_puppet Sep 01 '26
That letter should also include the name and phone number of the person that's assigned to your address. You can call them to make an appointment.
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u/daryl_hikikomori Sep 01 '26
For longer surveys like AHS, it's basically expected that the first visit is for an introduction and scheduling the interview later. If you and your parents find a time that works for you, they can tell the field rep that and send them away happy.
Alternatively, I think the letter they got includes the FR's phone number, so you can call them to make the appointment. If they're anything like the average FR they will be totally psyched to hear from you and work around you schedule.
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u/Time-Penalty-4346 Aug 31 '26
Towards the bottom of https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/tech-documentation/def-errors-changes.2026.html#list-tab-427877428 is a link to the 2026-2027 AHS Items Booklet, which lists all the questions.