All potential NESARC respondents were informed in writing about the nature of the survey, the statistical uses of the survey data, the voluntary aspect of their participation, and the federal laws that provide for the confidentiality of identifiable survey information. Respondents who gave consent were then interviewed. Data were collected through computer-assisted face-to-face interviews that took 45–60 minutes to complete. Respondents who completed the survey were compensated $80.00. The research protocol, including informed consent procedures, received full ethical review and approval from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Field methods included extensive home study and structured in person training, supervision, and quality control, including random call-backs to respondents to verify data, described in detail elsewhere (Grant et al., 2003; Grant et al., 2004).
