OCTOBER 16, 2014, JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) – Airmen around the world are asked to respond to many surveys, some of which are official and legitimate. Others, however, are not official and Airmen should not respond to them.
According to Renee Tealer of the Air Force Survey Office, Air Force Personnel Center, Airmen typically get three types of surveys.
Local surveys of unit members on topics that are under the control of the unit commander, such as gym hours, parking, and help desk availability, may be authorized by that commander and require no further approval. Such surveys typically involve local issues of direct interest to the organization or commander, Tealer said.
The second type is an Air Force-level survey about issues or topics that are not purely local.
“Many surveys request information regarding your attitudes and opinions about topics outside of or above the level of your organization,” Tealer said. “If you receive an attitude or opinion survey that appears to be distributed across multiple locations or organizations, that the survey must have a Survey Control Number (SNC) from our office.”
If such a survey does not have a control number, members may not use government resources, like duty hours and work equipment, to respond.
“In many cases, Air Force entities that send out unauthorized surveys are unaware that they are violating Air Force instruction, but the surveys are unauthorized nonetheless, so Airmen are not authorized to use government time or equipment to respond,” Tealer said.
Before responding to what appears to be an Air Force survey, Tealer advises Airmen to look for an SCN from the Air Force Survey Office.
A third common type of survey comes from the Department of Defense level. Such surveys do not require an Air Force SCN, but the DOD has its own survey approval process, she explained.
Surveys approved at higher levels will have a Reports Control Symbol or Office of Management and Budget number. Official DOD surveys are listed under DOD Information Collections.
Airmen who get a survey can check the approved AF surveys list on the Air Force Portal at https://www.my.af.mil/gcss-af/USAF/content/ApprovedSurveys, or contact the survey office at [email protected].