Pulse of the Worker

Information We Collect

When you fill out our survey or contact us, we may collect information such as:

Name
Email address
Cell phone number
Age
City and state
Marital status
Whether you have children
Race
Military service history
Job or retirement status
Hours worked
Union membership
Household income range
News and social media habits
Views about financial issues, the "American Dream," and politics
Voting history
Political party registration
Self-described political ideology
Availability for an interview
How you heard about the project
Any other information you choose to provide

We may also collect limited technical information automatically through our website or third-party services, such as browser, device, and basic usage data.

Why We Collect This Information

We collect this information to:

identify and contact potential interview participants
understand the background and perspectives of participants
schedule and conduct interviews
determine eligibility for paid participation, where applicable
analyze patterns and themes in what workers say matters most to them
improve our outreach, research, and nonprofit activities
maintain internal records related to our operations

Sensitive Information

Some of the information we request may be considered sensitive, including information about race, union affiliation, political views, political party registration, voting history, and military service. We collect this information only for research, participant selection, outreach, and analysis related to our project.

We do not sell this information.

We ask only that you provide information you are comfortable sharing.

How We Use Interview and Survey Responses

Information you provide through the survey may be used to decide whether to invite you to a phone interview.

If you participate in an interview, we may use what you share for research, analysis, reporting, and public communications about the experiences and views of working Americans.

When we describe interviews as anonymous, we mean that we do not intend to publicly identify participants by name, email address, phone number, or other direct contact information in connection with interview content, unless we clearly state otherwise and obtain permission.

How We Share Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information.

We may share information in limited circumstances:

with service providers that help us operate our website, forms, communications, scheduling, data storage, or payment processes
with contractors or team members working on the project who need access to perform project-related duties
if required by law, legal process, or government request
if necessary to protect our rights, safety, or operations

If you submit information through a third-party platform such as Google Forms, your information may also be processed by that provider under its own privacy policy and terms. Google states that when you use its services, it collects information under its own privacy policy.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for research, outreach, interview administration, payment administration, recordkeeping, and legal or operational purposes. We may retain aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized information for longer periods for research, reporting, archival, or historical purposes.

Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational steps to protect the information we collect. Still, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

The FTC advises organizations to collect only the data they need, protect sensitive information, and securely retain and dispose of it.

Your Choices and Requests

You may contact us to:

ask what personal information you submitted
request that we correct or update your information
request that we delete your information, where appropriate
withdraw from future contact

We will review and respond to requests in accordance with applicable law and our operational obligations.

Children’s Privacy

Our survey, website, and interview process are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete it. COPPA imposes specific requirements on sites directed to children under 13 or that knowingly collect their personal information.

Third-Party Services

We may use third-party services to collect responses, manage communications, analyze website traffic, or process payments. Those services may have their own privacy policies and terms that apply to your use of them.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we do, we will post the revised version here and update the Effective Date.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle information, contact us at: Pulse of the Worker:

info [at] pulseoftheworker [dot] org