The Refugee Assistance Survey, sponsored by the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the Administration for Children and Families, aims to evaluate the efficacy of resettlement programs that help refugees and related populations become self-sufficient in the U.S. The survey is one data source of an outcomes study sponsored by ORR that examines the extent to which refugees receive benefits and services and charts their welfare and employment outcomes over time.   Responses to the survey exceeded the projected rate by 6% for an overall response rate of 66%.

The Refugees project is a multi-mode, multilingual survey being conducted in Miami, Houston and Sacramento.  The survey is administered predominantly in non-English languages -- 89% of the interviews were completed in a language other than English.  Bilingual interviewers used a translated questionnaire for the five most common languages, and interpreters were used for 23 other languages.  The study demonstrates NORC's growing expertise with multilingual surveys, using translation and interpretation methodology that conform to international standards currently under development.

The survey presents a unique opportunity to ask a comprehensive set of questions about individual refugees, including questions on topics other data sources may not address at all. Topics covered by the survey include:

• Background Characteristics. Basic demographic information and household composition.
• Respondent’s Entry into the U.S. The respondent’s date of entry and amount of time in refugee camps before entering the U.S.
• Education. The extent of the respondent’s education in the U.S. and before arriving in the U.S.
• English Language Skills. Self-assessment of English skills, including speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing.
• Employment. The respondent’s employment history. Unlike other data sources, the survey can capture information on informal employment or jobs not covered by the unemployment insurance system. It also asks questions about employee benefits received through the job, and questions aimed at identifying barriers to work.
• Income and Public Assistance. Types of income received by the respondent and respondent’s spouse in the prior month. The main focus is on earnings and on the receipt of benefits from income support programs.
• RSS/TAG Services. Services received by the respondent that may have been provided through the RSS and TAG programs. This will also cover services that individuals may have received from other funding sources, which would not be covered in the program data.
• Economic Security. Questions aimed at determining the adequacy of the housing and food available to the respondent’s household.
• Health Status. The health of the respondent, as well as health insurance coverage.
• Other topics of special interest, for example, remittances to friends or family outside the country.