RESEARCH REPORT SERIES
(Survey Methodology #2007-14)
Evaluation of Questionnaire Design Changes
on Life Insurance Policy Data
Product No. 5, Interagency Agreement (IAA) BC-06-05
Alfred O. Gottschalck1
Jeffrey C. Moore2
Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division1
Statistical Research Division2
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233
Note: The research described in this report was conducted as part of Inter-agency Agreement (IAA)
BC-06-05 between the U.S. Census Bureau and the Social Security Administration.
Report Issued: June 7, 2007
Disclaimer: This report is released to inform interested parties of research and to encourage discussion. The views
expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Evaluation of Questionnaire Design Changes on Life Insurance Policy Data
Product No. 5, Interagency Agreement (IAA) BC-06-05
December 14, 2006
Alfred O. Gottschalck, Ph.D.
Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division
U.S. Census Bureau
and
Jeffrey C. Moore, Ph.D.
Statistical Research Division
U.S. Census Bureau
Executive Summary
In response to recommendations made in the report “Survey Estimates of Wealth: A Comparative
Analysis and Review of the Survey of Income and Program Participation” (2003), the Census
Bureau changed the way life insurance data are collected in the Wealth Topical Module of the
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Instead of asking for the face value of life
insurance policies, the questionnaire was revised to collect information on the cash value of life
insurance policies. In fulfillment of Goal 5 of Interagency Agreement (IAA) BC-06-05 between
the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the Census Bureau
evaluated the impact of the questionnaire change on the resulting collected life insurance data.
This report, which is Product No. 5 of the IAA, describes the revised life insurance data
collection methodology, and assesses the results of a comparison between its outcomes (wave 3
of the 2004 pan