Frequently Asked Questions

Why are we doing this survey?

Who runs the survey?

Find answers to your questions

This study is being conducted by the Public Health Institute, or PHI, which is a socially conscious nonprofit organization specializing in health research and policy action. PHI is dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people in communities across the country and around the world. Their headquarters are in Oakland, California, just outside San Francisco. Their website is www.phi.org. ICF, a health research company, contacts households on behalf of the study.

This survey is used to update statistics and trends in alcohol use and other health behaviors in communities across the country. The results are used to guide local health policy and other programs to reduce health gaps and inequality.

We randomly selected addresses from a list of all addresses in the United States. This helps make sure our sample captured everyone in the population. Keep in mind that any survey results shared with the public will be presented in group form and cannot be traced back to you.

For technical assistance, please contact our Help Desk nas15survey@icfsurveysupport.com

Project–related information also can be obtained from the study director at the Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute, (Priscilla Martinez, PhD, at 1-510-898-5800). She also can be reached by email at pmartinez@arg.org or nasinfo@arg.org.

Information about confidentiality and protection of human subjects can be obtained from the PHI Institutional Review Board at the Public Health Institute. For this information, please place a collect call to Robert McLaughlin (510-285-5500) between 9am and 5pm Pacific time. He also can be reached by email at Robert.McLaughlin@phi.org.

The survey is about your health experiences, and not meant to be a test. Your input is important to us, whether you use alcohol or drugs or you don’t. Your honest opinions and experiences will help us better understand these important topics. Also, many people find the survey to be interesting, even if it’s a new topic to them.

Participating is one way for you to be represented at the local, state and national level. The information is used for planning purposes to develop more effective health programs.

The more people we have participating, the more accurate the results will be. When you don’t participate, it leaves a “hole” in the data. This study has been running since the late 1960s. Please help us keep this survey going strong!

We select one adult from your household to respond, so we don’t have to interview everyone.

Your household was selected to participate in the web study and that is the only option available to you. Many people like you have participated in this survey, and many find it interesting.

Any identifying information, such as a telephone number, is separated from your answers after the data have been collected.

If you participate in the survey through a survey panel company through which you regularly take surveys, you will receive a monetary incentive from that company. If you participated by responding to a letter you received at your home, you will receive an Amazon.com gift code for completing the survey.

Most alcohol and drug use research has been done with people of European descent. This can lead to research conclusions that don’t apply to Latino and African American, or other non-European, populations.

Most interviews take an average of 40 minutes. Many people like yourself have participated in this survey, and many find it interesting.

The certificate of confidentiality provides protection against disclosure of information that may identify you. It allows researchers to legally refuse to reveal anyone’s identifying information.