An Assessment of the Current Population Survey and the Survey of

Income and Program Participation Using Social Security Administrative Data

Melissa L. Koenig

Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Administration

500 E St SW, 9th Floor, ITC Building, Washington, DC 20254 Email:melissa.koenig@ssa.gov

Introduction

This analysis assesses the accuracy of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit data in the March

supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) for persons

aged 65 or older in 1996. CPS and SIPP respondents who report their Social Security number can be matched to Social

Security administrative records that contain benefit payment information. The availability of the administrative payments

increases the reliability of the benefit information, and therefore the overall income measure. Correct measurement of benefit

receipt and amounts is crucial for accurate income and poverty analysis because Social Security is a major source of income

for the elderly and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a major source of income for the low-income elderly.

The March 1997 CPS and a twelve-month file from the 1996 SIPP Panel are used in the analysis. Benefit information is

provided by two administrative data sources: the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR) for Social Security benefits and the

Supplemental Security Record (SSR) for Federal and federally-administered State SSI benefits. For individuals who have an

administrative match, the receipt and annual amount of Social Security and SSI reported in the respective survey is compared

to the administrative benefit information. In addition, aggregate measures of Social Security and SSI benefits are compared

from the self-reported survey amounts and the administrative benefit amounts. To analyze the impact on poverty status, the

administrative benefit information is substituted for the survey information and total annual income is recalculated. After this

substitution, the poverty rate is reduced for the sample of analysis in both surveys for the elderly, including various

demographic groups within the elderly. The accuracy of survey benefits for the subsample of respondents with imputed

Social Security or SSI receipt status or benefit amount is also analyzed. The absolute value of the difference between the

survey benefits and the administrative benefits is greater, on average, for this subsample when compared to respondents who

answered the survey questions. In addition, implications for future analysis with these surveys are discussed. Because the

comparisons of survey and administrative benefit information are restricted to respondents who have an SSN match and

match rates differ between the two surveys, direct comparisons cannot be made between the CPS and the SIPP for the various

estimates. Instead the focus of the comparison is the accuracy of the two surveys in terms of benefit receipt and amounts

relative to the administrative benefit information, and the extent to which poverty estimates are affected when the

administrative benefit information is used.

1

The CPS and the SIPP

This analysis uses the March 1997 CPS, which provides income data for calendar year 1996. Unfortunately data for the

calendar year 1996 is not available for all rotation groups in the SIPP sample.2

Therefore, for this analysis, information from

the first twelve available months (the first three waves) is used for the SIPP sample. For example, the twelve months for

rotation group one include December 1995 through November 1996.3 All results are weighted unless otherwise noted.

The March supplement of the CPS provides detailed information on labor force participation and annual income for a large

cross section of households in the United States. The SIPP focuses on income rather than labor force participation, and

therefore encompasses a wider range of income and non-monetary sources than the CPS. The official poverty rate for the

U.S. is measured using the March supplement to the CPS. In 1995, the National Academy of Science proposed an overhaul

of the official poverty measure, which included changes in the construction of poverty thresholds and in the measure of

1 Because both surveys represent the noninstitutionalized population, they do not cover the full Social Security and SSI

beneficiary population.

2

The SIPP sample is divided into four rotation groups. One rotation group is interviewed each month, starting in April 1996,

and asked about the previous four months.

3

The focus on the first three waves was chosen because it minimized attrition. Another option was to use March 1996

through February 1997 as the twelve months of analysis for all rotation groups, but that approach would have required

information from wave four.

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family resources (Citro and Michael, 1995). Because the NAS recommendation of a more inclusive measure of family

resources imposed more data requirements, the NAS panel also recommended the SIPP eventually be used to estimate the

official poverty statistics.

CPS respondents are interviewed in March and questioned about income from the previous calendar year. The recall period

for the SIPP is shorter than for the CPS. SIPP respondents are asked about income in the previous four months. The

structure of the CPS produces an incongruence between income and family status. The CPS interview in March records the

respondent’s current family status, but the annual income measures are for the previous calendar year. Because the SIPP

interview collects information on a monthly basis, it provides a more accurate relationship between family structure and

income. The poverty threshold variable is based on family size for that month so it may vary monthly. Less slippage occurs

with the structure of the SIPP compared to the CPS in terms of family composition and income sources.

The SIPP is not a panacea for better income and poverty measurement. The SIPP is a panel data set and respondents are

interviewed every four months. The 1996 Panel, for example, consists of 12 waves of interviews that cover December 1995

to February 2000. The interviewer is not able to contact some respondents at each wave, and over time some respondents

drop out of the survey completely. This creates an attrition bias because respondents who drop out of the survey tend to

differ from those who do not in terms of certain characteristics, such as income. The accuracy of SIPP estimates may be

affected by this attrition bias, which is not an issue with the CPS.

Another advantage of the CPS relative to the SIPP is that the CPS data is released in a timelier manner. Data collected in

March are released in late September or early October of the same year. The release of the SIPP data is not as regimented.

Additionally certain SIPP panels have been affected by budget cuts.4

The CPS is less susceptible to budget cuts because the

survey is currently the source of the official unemployment and poverty statistics.

An additional difference between the surveys concerns the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) premium.

This premium is deducted from the Social Security benefit check if a beneficiary receives Medicare Part B coverage. In the

CPS, respondents are asked to report their Social Security benefits before any deduction for the SMI premium. In the 1996

SIPP panel, respondents are asked to report their benefits net of the SMI premium deduction. This difference in the Social

Security benefit question between the surveys would, all else equal, lower the amount of Social Security income reported in

the SIPP relative to the CPS. 5

Although this paper focuses on the comparison of survey-reported and administrative benefit information for the subsample

of persons with an administrative match, comparison of the full CPS and SIPP samples provides a useful starting point. For

the full sample of persons aged 65 or older, 90.1 percent receive Social Security and 4.5 percent receive SSI in the CPS

compared to the SIPP, in which 94.7 percent receive Social Security and 6.4 percent receive SSI. Examination of the

administrative data may establish whether either or both surveys underestimate or overestimate the number of the recipients.

For the full sample, 10.8 percent of persons aged 65 or older are in poverty in 1996 according to the CPS, compared to 8.9

percent in the SIPP. The impact of administrative benefit information on the poverty rates for the respective surveys may

provide some explanation of this differential.

Social Security administrative data

Respondents who report their Social Security number (SSN) can be matched to Social Security administrative records, such

as the MBR, which contains Social Security benefit payment information, and the SSR, which contains SSI benefit payment

information. Previous researchers have utilized this information, including Huynh, Rupp, and Sears (2002) who examined

monthly receipt and benefit amounts for persons aged 18 or older in the 1993 and 1996 SIPP Panels. The availability of the

administrative payments increases the reliability of the overall income measures. This is particularly true for the elderly

population for whom these benefits are major income sources.

4

For example, the 2000 panel was stopped, and the sample size for the 2001 panel was reduced after the first wave due to

budget considerations.

5

The usual monthly SMI premium was $46.10 in 1995, $42.50 in 1996, and $43.80 in 1997. The annual amount for 1996 is

$510. Because the twelve months to which the SIPP sample applies varies slightly by rotation group, the twelve month

amount of the SMI premium varies from $510 to $513.60.

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In the March 1997 CPS, 75 percent of persons aged 15 or older have a valid match compared to 86 percent in the SIPP file. 6

For persons aged 65 or older, the CPS match rate is 69 percent. The match rates vary by demographic group, as illustrated in

Table 1. For example, the match rate for married persons in the CPS exceeds the rate for nonmarried persons by almost 11

percentage points. This suggests that whether or not a respondent has an SSN match is nonrandom in the CPS. The match

rate varies less across demographic groups in the SIPP. Given these differences between surveys and across demographic

groups, the numbers based on the matched sample presented in this paper should not be construed as representative of the

elderly population. However, the analysis of the matched sample does provide an indication of the accuracy of the survey

benefit data.

Table 1: Percentage of survey respondents aged 65 or older with an SSN match, unweighted

CPS SIPP

Unweighted N Percentage Unweighted N Percentage

All persons 15,955 69.3 10,314 85.7

Men 6,578 71.8 4,186 87.4

Women 9,377 67.5 6,128 84.5

Married 8,544 74.2 5,294 86.0

Nonmarried 7,411 63.6 5,020 85.3

White 14,301 69.9 8,976 86.2

Black 1,214 63.0 1,057 83.5

Hispanic 1,071 67.6 489 83.2

The self-reported Social Security information is compared to two different MBR payment variables. The Monthly Benefit

Credited (MBC) reflects the benefit amount before any deduction for the SMI premium, and the Monthly Benefit Payable

(MBP) reflects the benefit amount after the deduction. The MBR payment information used in this analysis reflects payment

eligibility rather than actual payments.7

Self-reported SSI benefits are compared to the sum of federal and federallyadministered state SSI, which are paid to the beneficiary as a single check or electronic transfer. 8 Huynh, Rupp, and Sears

(2002) conclude that the SIPP SSI benefit represents the sum of federal and federally-administered state SSI. Unlike the

MBR, the SSR payment information reflects the actual check received.

Aggregate benefits

The initial analysis compares the aggregate amount of Social Security and SSI benefits reported in the CPS and the SIPP to

the administrative records (Table 2). According to the respective survey questionnaires, the CPS should reflect the gross

Social Security amount (MBC) and the SIPP should reflect the net amount (MBP). Both surveys capture aggregate Social

Security benefits well when compared to the applicable MBR benefit variables. The aggregate amount of Social Security

reported in the CPS is less than one percent below the aggregate amount of gross Social Security benefits (MBC). For the

SIPP, the aggregate amount of survey reported Social Security benefits exceeds the aggregate amount of net Social Security

benefits (MBP) by only two percent.

The aggregate SSI survey amounts are compared to the sum of Federal SSI and federally-administered State SSI benefits

(Table 2). The CPS amount is over 20 percent below the sum of federally-administered SSI benefits. The SIPP aggregate

SSI benefits underestimate the aggregate amount of federally-administered benefits by approximately 8 percent. However, a

6

For this analysis, the Summary Earnings Record provides the universe of SSNs for matching with the SIPP, and the

Numident file provides the universe for the CPS. Cases are also excluded if the survey recorded birth year and the

administrative data birth year differ by more than 5 years.

7

Social Security retroactively adjusts the MBR to reflect the amount that should have been paid when there is a change in

beneficiary status or the calculation of the benefit. Although this may contribute to discrepancies with the survey

information, it is unlikely the difference would be large and in a particular direction. The Payment History Update System

(PHUS) file includes the actual Social Security benefit payment history and has recently become available. Preliminary

analysis using the PHUS had a negligible effect on the results. Sears and Rupp (2003) compare the MBR and the PHUS for

the SIPP.

8

The SSA administrative record does not have benefit information for state-administered state SSI payments. In 2001, Stateadministered SSI accounted for approximately 21 percent of State SSI supplementation.

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comparison of the aggregate amount of benefits masks the reason for any discrepancies. In the next sections, comparisons of

benefit receipt and amounts add other layers to the picture.

Table 2: Percentage difference between aggregate survey-reported and administrative benefits for persons aged 65 or

older with an SSN match, weighted

CPS SIPP

Social Security

Compared to gross benefit (MBC) -0.8 -7.3

Compared to net benefit (MBP) 4.8 2.0

SSI

Compared to federally administered SSI -20.7 -7.9

Receipt of benefits by persons aged 65 or older

The administrative and self-reported data may differ in the percentage of people who report receiving the source and for

recipients, the amount of income reported from the source. The initial comparison is the overall percentage of persons who

receive Social Security and SSI according to the various sources. For Social Security, the CPS underestimates and the SIPP

overestimates the overall number of beneficiaries, as illustrated in Table 3. A similar pattern is observed for receipt of

federally-administered SSI benefits.

A comparison of the overall percentage, however, masks some of the inconsistencies in reported receipt status. The selfreported data results in beneficiaries classified as nonbeneficiaries and vice versa. In terms of accurately classifying Social

Security beneficiaries, both surveys do well. 99.5 percent of SIPP respondents who receive Social Security benefits

according to the MBR report Social Security receipt in the SIPP, compared to 95.2 percent of Social Security beneficiaries in

the CPS. The SIPP also does well classifying SSI beneficiaries. For federally-administered SSI, the SIPP correctly identifies

92.7 percent of the SSI beneficiaries according to the SSR, compared to only 68.8 for the CPS. The two data sources are

more similar when comparing the percentage of nonbeneficiaries who are correctly classified. Approximately 40 percent of

persons who do not receive Social Security and approximately 1 percent of respondents who do not receive SSI according to

SSA records are incorrectly classified as beneficiaries by both surveys.

Table 3: Comparison of survey and administrative benefit receipt for persons aged 65 or older with an SSN match,

weighted

Social Security Federallyadministered SSI

CPS SIPP CPS SIPP

Overall percentage classified as beneficiaries

According to survey self-report 90.5 94.8 4.4 6.4

According to SSA administrative record 91.4 92.5 5.3 6.1

Unweighted N 11,053 8,835 11,053 8,835

Percentage of beneficiaries (as defined by

SSA administrative record)

Correctly classified as beneficiary 95.2 99.5 68.8 92.7

Incorrectly classified as nonbeneficiary 4.8 0.5 31.2 7.3

Unweighted N 10,066 8,150 612 635

Percentage of nonbeneficiaries (as defined by

SSA administrative record)

Correctly classified as nonbeneficiary 59.9 62.2 99.2 99.2

Incorrectly classified as beneficiary 40.1 37.8 0.8 0.8

Unweighted N 987 685 10,441 8,200

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Benefit amounts

The benefit amount according to the administrative record and the survey information may also differ, even if both sources

correctly identify the respondent’s beneficiary status. The sample for this comparison is restricted to persons who are

beneficiaries according to both sources, and therefore, have a positive administrative and survey-reported benefit. The

distribution of the difference between the annual survey reported and administrative benefit amounts is presented in Table 4.

The CPS questionnaire intends to capture the gross Social Security benefit amount (MBC) and the SIPP questionnaire intends

to capture the net Social Security benefit (MBP) after the SMI premium is deducted. Respondents may mistakenly report the

net instead of gross benefit or vice versa. A particular concern for the CPS is that the respondent will report the net amount

because that is what the benefit check reflects. To verify that the surveys record the intended amount, the survey-reported

amounts for both surveys are compared to the administrative MBC and MBP amounts.

According to the comparison of annual survey and benefit amounts, the CPS more accurately reflects the gross benefit and

the SIPP more accurately reflects the net benefit. For 47 percent of the beneficiaries, the SIPP amount is within $100 of the

administrative net amount compared with 7 percent within $100 of the administrative gross amount. 24 percent of the

beneficiaries in the CPS have a self-reported Social Security benefit that is within $100 of the gross amount compared with 7

percent within $100 of the administrative net amount. Both surveys also accurately reflect annual SSI benefits for a large

percentage of beneficiaries. Almost 55 percent of CPS beneficiaries and 47 percent of SIPP beneficiaries report SSI benefits

within $100 of the administrative sum of the federally-administered benefits.

Table 4: Percentage distribution of the difference between the survey and administrative annual benefit amounts for

persons aged 65 or older with an SSN match with positive benefit amounts for both sources, weighted

CPS SIPP

SS

(gross)

SS

(net)

SSI SS

(gross)

SS

(net)

SSI

Less than –2000 11.3 9.3 3.8 10.8 8.4 4.7

-2000 to –1001 6.3 4.7 3.9 9.9 6.5 6.5

-1000 to –501 8.3 4.2 6.4 46.2 6.3 8.0

-500 to –251 7.1 3.2 5.0 14.5 7.2 10.0

-250 to –101 5.2 2.8 5.0 3.3 8.3 10.6

-100 to –1 6.3 2.5 18.7 2.6 17.0 19.9

Zero 12.3 1.3 16.2 1.7 16.9 11.9

1 to 100 5.9 2.8 19.8 2.7 13.0 15.0

101 to 250 8.3 5.0 7.3 1.2 4.8 5.2

251 to 500 8.6 11.5 3.0 1.6 3.4 2.7

501 to 1000 8.5 35.1 2.7 1.7 3.1 2.4

1001 to 2000 4.1 8.3 3.7 1.8 2.5 2.6

Over 2000 7.9 9.3 4.5 2.1 2.6 0.6

Unweighted N 9,594 9,594 424 8,103 8,103 589

Poverty status

Because Social Security and SSI are such important sources of income to the low-income elderly, this analysis substitutes the

annual benefit information from the SSA administrative records for the self-reported benefit amounts and determines poverty

status based on the recalculated total annual family income for persons with an SSN match (Table 5). If the person’s spouse

also has an SSN match, the spouse’s survey information is replaced with the administrative information.9

The sample of

analysis includes only persons with an SSN match, so these CPS and SIPP poverty estimates are not directly comparable.

However, this analysis will illustrate the extent to which survey results are affected by differences between self-reporting of

Social Security and SSI benefits and administrative record amounts.

For this analysis, poverty status is calculated with two slightly different methodologies: the first substitutes the gross Social

Security benefit before any deduction (the MBC amount) and the second substitutes the net Social Security benefit after the

9 Of married persons aged 65 or older with an SSN match, 97 percent have a spouse with an SSN match. Administrative

records are not used for any other family members.

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SMI premium is deducted (the MBP amount). Although current poverty determination guidelines specify that insurance

premiums should not be deducted from the income compared to the poverty threshold, the SIPP interview requests the net

amount. In addition to allowing the assessment of the SIPP, using the two methodologies illustrates the impact of the SMI

premium, approximately $510 in 1996, on the poverty rate of various demographic groups.

Table 5: Percentage of persons aged 65 or older with family income below the poverty line, weighted

CPS SIPP

Unwgt

N

Survey

amount

Adjusted

(gross SS)

Adjusted

(net SS)

Unwgt

N

Survey

amount

Adjusted

(gross SS)

Adjusted

(net SS)

All persons 11,053 9.5 9.1 10.1 8,835 8.9 7.7 8.6

Men 4,726 5.9 5.6 6.2 3,659 5.8 4.8 5.3

Women 6,327 12.3 11.7 13.1 5,176 11.3 9.9 11.0

Married 6,336 3.9 3.6 4.1 4,551 2.9 2.1 2.3

Nonmarried 4,717 16.9 16.2 18.0 4,284 15.9 14.2 15.8

White 9,999 8.3 7.8 8.8 7,740 7.2 6.1 6.9

Black 765 23.7 23.2 24.8 883 26.7 23.4 25.4

Hispanic 724 24.5 24.0 25.3 407 20.5 19.3 20.4

In the CPS for all demographic groups presented in Table 5, the poverty rates are slightly lower after the gross Social

Security administrative amount (MBC) is substituted for the survey-reported amount. The SIPP poverty rates are also lower

after substituting the administrative benefit information for most demographic groups, whether the gross or the net Social

Security benefit is used. However, for the nonmarried and Hispanics, the difference between the survey-based poverty rate

and the adjusted rate with the net benefit is almost zero. For this limited sample of respondents with an SSN match, whether

the Social Security benefit before or after the SMI deduction is used impacts the poverty rate. For both surveys, the poverty

rate is approximately one percentage point higher when the net Social Security benefit is used rather than gross Social

Security benefit. For nonmarried persons and blacks, the difference is almost two percentage points.

The change in the overall percentage of elderly persons in poverty conceals the extent to which the poverty status of

individuals is misclassified. Although the change in the overall poverty rate for the matched sample is less than one

percentage point, poverty status is incorrectly assigned for 5.4 percent of the CPS sample and 2.5 percent of the SIPP sample

(Table 6). To be consistent with the respective questionnaires, Table 6 reflects the adjustment with the gross Social Security

benefit for the CPS and with the net Social Security benefit for the SIPP.

Table 6: Percentage of persons aged 65 or older with poverty status change after substitution of administrative

benefits, weighted

CPS SIPP

Poverty status does not change 94.6 97.5

Change from in poverty to not in poverty 2.9 1.4

Change from not in poverty to in poverty 2.5 1.1

Imputations

In both the CPS and the SIPP, answers are imputed when a respondent does not answer a certain interview item.

Additionally there are some cases when the entire interview is imputed for a respondent. This occurs for 9.9 percent of the

full unweighted elderly CPS sample because the respondent completes the basic CPS interview but does not complete the

March supplement. In the SIPP, 2.3 percent (unweighted) of elderly SIPP respondents have at least one wave entirely

imputed due to a noninterview. These noninterviews, described as Type Z interview status, occur if a person refuses to be

interviewed or is unavailable for an interview and a proxy interview cannot be conducted.10 This analysis considers

imputations due to noninterview as well as imputations due to item nonresponse.

Receipt of Social Security or SSI is imputed for a fairly small number of elderly respondents in both surveys (Table 7). For

the full sample of elderly persons (unweighted), only 11.3 percent in the CPS and 4.6 percent in the SIPP have Social

10 Of the 2.3 percent of respondents with at least one month of Type Z interview status, 77.5 percent were Type Z for four

months, 15.8 percent for eight months, and only 6.7 percent for twelve months.

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Security receipt status imputed. Receipt of SSI is imputed for 11.7 percent in the CPS and 4.1 percent in the SIPP. These

SIPP numbers reflect respondents who have imputed benefit information for at least one month out of the 12 months.11 The

overall accuracy of the SIPP imputations may be better compared to the CPS because information from previous waves can

be utilized. The imputation of benefit amounts occurs more frequently than the imputation of benefit receipt. In the CPS,

26.9 percent of Social Security beneficiaries and 19.8 percent of SSI beneficiaries have the amount of benefits imputed. The

amount of benefits for at least one month is imputed in the SIPP for 32 percent of Social Security and 23 percent of SSI

beneficiaries.

Table 7: Percentage aged 65 or older with imputed Social Security or SSI, unweighted

CPS SIPP

Full

sample

Matched

sample

Full

sample

Matched

sample

Receipt imputed

Social Security 11.3 7.4 4.6 3.8

SSI 11.7 7.9 4.1 3.3

Amount imputed (beneficiaries only)

Social Security 26.9 19.7 32.0 26.7

SSI 19.8 14.1 23.0 21.5

The incidence of imputation is slightly lower for the subsample of elderly persons with an SSN match compared to the

overall sample (Table 7).12 For those with a match who are classified as a beneficiary according to the survey, the

administrative record, or both, the annual survey benefit is compared to the administrative benefit. The absolute value of this

difference is greater, on average, for respondents who have either benefit receipt or amount imputed, compared to the

respondents who provided answers to the survey questions (Table 8). 13 For annual Social Security benefits, the mean of the

absolute value of the difference is $2024 higher in the CPS and $960 higher in the SIPP for respondents with imputations.

For respondents with SSI receipt or amount imputed, the absolute value of the difference between the survey annual benefit

amount and the administrative benefit amount is $736 higher in the CPS and $573 in the SIPP, on average, when compared to

persons without imputations. The need for imputations introduces much potential for error into the measurement of benefits.

The SIPP self-reported responses are actually fairly accurate when neither receipt nor benefits are imputed with a mean

difference of $653 for Social Security benefits and $699 for SSI benefits.

Table 8: Mean of the absolute value of the difference between the survey and administrative annual benefit amount

for persons aged 65 or older, by imputation status, weighted

CPS SIPP

Unweighted

N

Mean Unweighted

N

Mean

Social Security

Imputed receipt or amount 1,304 3,619 2,239 1,613

Neither imputed 9,106 1,595 6,172 653

SSI

Imputed receipt or amount 52 2,294 149 1,272

Neither imputed 640 1,558 552 699

The percentage of persons with a change in poverty status after substitution of the administrative benefits demonstrates the

effect of inaccurate imputations (Table 9). For respondents with no Social Security or SSI imputations, poverty status

changes for only 4.2 percent of persons in the CPS and 1.9 percent in the SIPP. However, if receipt or benefit amount is

11 The SIPP imputes benefits for fewer respondents if only the first wave is considered. The percentage of respondents with

imputations increases when twelve months are considered because of increased imputations in the later waves.

12 This may reflect the selectivity of respondents with an SSN match. However, it is not surprising that respondents who are

more willing to provide their SSN are also more willing to answer questions on benefit receipt and amounts.

13 For consistency with the respective questionnaires, the CPS Social Security benefit is compared to the gross administrative

benefit and the SIPP Social Security benefit is compared to the net administrative benefit.

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imputed for Social Security or SSI, 10.1 percent of persons in the CPS and 4.3 percent in the SIPP have a change in poverty

status after substituting the administrative benefits.

Table 9: Percentage of persons aged 65 or older with poverty status change after substitution of administrative

benefits, by imputation status, weighted

CPS SIPP

Imputed

benefits

No imputed

benefits

Imputed

benefits

No imputed

benefits

Poverty status does not change 89.9 95.8 95.7 98.1

Change from in poverty to not in poverty 5.7 2.2 2.5 1.1

Change from not in poverty to in poverty 4.4 2.0 1.8 0.8

Unweighted N 2,097 8,956 2,322 6,513

Conclusion

In this analysis, the survey-reported Social Security and SSI annual benefit information are compared to the administrative

benefit information for persons 65 or older in the CPS and the SIPP with an SSN match. The CPS and the SIPP capture

Social Security and SSI benefits fairly well in comparison with administrative benefit data. Both surveys reflect aggregate

benefits well, especially Social Security benefits. On the individual level, the SIPP overestimates and the CPS

underestimates slightly the percentage of Social Security and SSI beneficiaries. Both surveys correctly classify

approximately the same percentage of nonbeneficiaries, and the SIPP is more accurate in terms of classifying beneficiaries.

Of persons who are beneficiaries according to the administrative records, the SIPP correctly identifies 99 percent of Social

Security beneficiaries and 93 percent of SSI beneficiaries. The CPS correctly identifies 95 percent of Social Security

beneficiaries while correctly identifying only 69 percent of SSI beneficiaries. When the sample is restricted to beneficiaries

in both the survey and the administrative record, the SIPP is within $100 of the Social Security administrative amount almost

twice as often as the CPS (47 versus 24 percent). The CPS is within $100 for SSI slightly more often than the SIPP (55

versus 47 percent). When the administrative benefit information is substituted, over 5 percent of CPS respondents and almost

3 percent of SIPP respondents change poverty status. The overall poverty rate is slightly lower for both surveys when the

administrative information is used.

The subsample of persons with imputed Social Security or SSI information is also examined. The impact of using

administrative Social Security and SSI benefit records is largest for this group. The mean of the absolute value of the

difference between the survey benefits and the administrative benefits is much greater for this subsample than for persons

who do not have imputed Social Security or SSI information. Additionally, a greater percentage of this subsample changes

poverty status after the administrative benefits are substituted: 10 percent in the CPS and 4 percent in the SIPP.

An issue that should be considered for future analysis is the treatment of the SMI premium in the survey question for Social

Security benefit amounts. Whether a survey chooses to request the gross or the net Social Security benefit, the decision

should be clearly expressed to the survey data user. For the subsample of respondents with an SSN match, the exclusion of

the SMI premium from income increases the elderly poverty rate by approximately one percentage point. For wave 6 of the

2001 Panel, the SIPP changed the Social Security benefit question to reflect the amount before any deductions. In the 2004

panel, there will be a separate question about the SMI premium. This change will allow the researcher to capture the full

Social Security benefit amount.

Another concern for future research using survey data linked to administrative data is the SSN match rate. The

administrative benefit information is available for a smaller percentage of the full CPS sample than the full SIPP sample.

Unfortunately the SSN match rate falls for both surveys in later years. For example, the percentage of respondents aged 15

or older in the March 2000 CPS with an SSN match is only 68 percent. For the 2001 SIPP Panel, only 64 percent of

respondents with information for the twelve months of 2001 have an SSN match. Obviously the potential gains from using

the administrative data fall as the match rate decreases. Even if future analyses retain the entire sample by using the survey

information for unmatched persons, the adjusted information would be used for only a select group. The Social Security

administrative information provides a valuable resource for benefits and earnings of persons of all ages. These longitudinal

records also provide the ability to follow survey respondents after the time frame of the survey has elapsed. Low match rates

jeopardize these types of analyses.

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References

Citro, Constance F. and Robert T. Michael. 1995. Measuring Poverty: A New Approach. Washington, DC: National

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