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How to Use HINTS Data

Please review the following suggestions on how to use HINTS data and then click "Continue" at the bottom of the page to access HINTS public use data.

It is critical to ensure the confidentiality of survey participants. Every effort has been made to exclude identifying information on individual respondents from the datasets. Some demographic information such as sex, race, etc., has been included for research purposes.

NCI strongly encourages data users to adhere to the strictest standards of ethical conduct for the analysis and reporting of nationally collected survey data. All research results should be presented/published in a manner that protects the integrity of the data and ensures the confidentiality of participants.

NCI recommends users consider the following provisions when using HINTS public-use data:

  1. Do not present or publish data that may enable a respondent to be identified. This includes publication of small cell sizes.
  2. Do not attempt to link nor permit others to link the data with individually identified records in another database.
  3. Do not attempt to learn the identity of any person whose data are contained in the supplied file(s).
  4. If the identity of any person is discovered inadvertently:
    1. do not use this knowledge for other purposes,
    2. HINTS Program staff should be notified of the incident by emailing ncihints@mail.nih.gov,
    3. no one else should be informed of the discovered identity
  5. Analyses of HINTS domains with large sample sizes usually produce reliable estimates, but analyses of small sample sizes may yield unreliable estimates, as indicated by their large variances. Analysts should pay particular attention to the standard error and coefficient of variation (relative standard error) for estimates of means, proportions, and totals, and should report these when writing up results. It is important that analysts realize that small sample sizes for particular analyses will tend to result in unstable estimates.

Please provide your email address to sign up for updates from HINTS. Providing your email is not a requirement for data access, but we want to be sure you receive the latest information about future HINTS data releases.

HINTS Datasets

HINTS data listed under Publicly Available Datasets are available for public use and can be downloaded below, while datasets under Controlled-Access Datasets contain more granular geo-codes and include small cell sizes for certain demographic groups (including the HINTS-SEER and HINTS Data Linkage Project datasets) and require additional approvals prior to receiving the data. Details on the process of requesting access to these datasets are found on our Controlled-Access Data page.

Publicly Available Datasets

Controlled-Access Datasets

Publicly Available Datasets

Visit the HINTS Data Errors, Remediation, and Recommendations page to access important information about HINTS data errors, remediation procedures, and resultant recommendations for certain datasets.

HINTS 7 (2024), updated August 2025

Total respondents: 7,278
Complete responses: 7,208
Partial responses**: 70

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HINTS 6 (2022) dataset, updated August 2025

Total respondents: 6,252
Complete responses: 6,185
Partial responses**: 67

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HINTS 5, Cycle 4 (2020) dataset, updated February 2025

Total respondents: 3,865
Complete responses: 3,792
Partial responses**: 73

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HINTS 5, Cycle 3 (2019) dataset, updated May 2024

Total respondents: 5,438
Complete responses: 5,247
Partial responses**: 191

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HINTS 5, Cycle 2 (2018) dataset, updated May 2024

Total respondents: 3,504
Complete responses: 3,434
Partial responses**: 70

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HINTS 5, Cycle 1 (2017) dataset, updated May 2024

Total respondents: 3,285
Complete responses: 3,191
Partial responses**: 94

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HINTS-FDA, Cycle 2 (2017) dataset, updated May 2018

Total respondents: 1,736
Complete responses: 1,676
Partial responses**: 60

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HINTS-FDA (2015) dataset, updated September 2017 (See history document for change details)

Total respondents: 3,738
Complete responses: 3,595
Partial responses**: 143

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HINTS 4, Cycle 4 (2014) dataset, updated June 2021 (See history document for change details)

Total respondents: 3,677
Complete responses: 3,529
Partial responses**: 148

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HINTS 4, Cycle 3 (2013) dataset, updated April 2021 (See history document for change details)

Total respondents: 3,185
Complete responses: 3,124
Partial responses**: 61

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HINTS 4, Cycle 2 (2012) dataset, updated October 2020 (See history document for change details)

Total respondents: 3,630
Complete responses: 3,582
Partial responses**: 48

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HINTS 4, Cycle 1 (2011) dataset, updated October 2020 (See history document for change details)

Total respondents: 3,959
Complete responses: 3,907
Partial responses**: 52

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HINTS Puerto Rico 2009

The University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Puerto Rico Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute, implemented HINTS in Puerto Rico in 2009. A total of 639 (603 complete and 36 partially complete) interviews were conducted. Documentation is available to assist with analyzing the HINTS Puerto Rico data, including instructions on how to combine the dataset with HINTS 2007 for comparisons.

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HINTS 2007 Dataset, updated February 2009

CATI (Phone) completes: 3,767
CATI (Phone) partial completes: 325
Total CATI (Phone): 4,092

Mail completes: 3,473
Mail partial completes: 109
Total Mail: 3,582

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HINTS 2005 Dataset, updated May 2023

The full dataset (n=5586) includes respondents who completed the entire interview (Completes: n=5394) plus those who completed the Health Communication and General Cancer Questions only (Partial Completes: n=192).

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HINTS 2003 Dataset, updated May 2023

The full dataset (n=6369) includes respondents who completed the entire interview (Completes: n=6149) plus those who completed the Health Communication and General Cancer Questions only (Partial Completes: n=220).

For additional information about using HINTS data, please use our contact form or email NCIhints@mail.nih.gov.

**Note: A questionnaire was considered to be complete if at least 80% of Sections A and B were answered. A questionnaire was considered to be partially complete if 50% to 79% of the questions were answered in Sections A and B. Only questions required of every respondent were factored into the completion rate calculation.

^Partial completes were defined as cases where the respondent completed the first section (Health Communications) of the interview but did not reach the end of the survey instrument.

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Controlled-Access Datasets

HINTS Data Linkage Project 2024 (HDLP 2024)

The HINTS Data Linkage Project 2024 (HDLP 2024) contains geo-coded HINTS 7 data (2024; n = 7,278) linked with numerous external variables to support analyzing linked data to enhance the types of analyses and corresponding research questions that can be answered with HINTS data. The linkage was done at both the census tract and county level using geo-coded HINTS 7 data. External variables were chosen from trusted and reliable sources including the US Census, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The external variables fall into five categories: 1) Social and economic factors; 2) Demographics (e.g., Percent of population 65 or older); 3) Information technology (e.g., Percent of households with broadband internet); 4) Built environment (e.g., Fitness centers and recreational sports centers per 100,000 people); and 5) Physical environment (e.g., Percentage of days with good air quality).

The HINTS Data Linkage Project 2024 (HDLP 2024) External Variables codebook, which provides a list of all external variables included in HDLP 2024 as well as links to many of the original data sources, is available for download on the Survey Instruments page.

To request access to HDLP 2024 data, please visit the HDLP 2024 page within NLM's dbGaP system. Instructions on using the dbGaP system, pulling together information for the request, and final data access can be found on our Controlled-Access Data page.

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HINTS Data Linkage Project 2022 (HDLP 2022)

The HINTS Data Linkage Project 2022 (HDLP 2022) contains geo-coded HINTS 6 data (2022; n = 6,252) linked with numerous external variables to support the analysis of linked data to support novel types of analyses and corresponding research questions that can be answered with HINTS data. The linkage was done at both the census tract and county level using geo-coded HINTS 6 data. External variables were chosen from trusted and reliable sources including the US Census, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The external variables fall into five categories: 1) Social and economic factors; 2) Demographics (e.g., Percent of population 65 or older); 3) Information technology (e.g., Percent of households with broadband internet); 4) Built environment (e.g., Fitness centers and recreational sports centers per 100,000 people); and 5) Physical environment (e.g., Percentage of days with good air quality).

The HINTS Data Linkage Project 2022 (HDLP 2022) External Variables codebook, which includes a list of all external variables and links to many of the original data sources, is available for download on the Survey Instruments page.

To request access to HDLP 2022 data, please visit the HDLP 2022 page within NLM's dbGaP system. Instructions on using the dbGaP system, pulling together information for the request, and final data access can be found on our Controlled-Access Data page.

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HINTS-SEER (2021) dataset

Total respondents: 1,234
Complete responses: 1,189
Partial responses**: 45

In 2021, NCI undertook a pilot project to oversample cancer survivors for HINTS using three cancer registries from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (https://seer.cancer.gov) as a sampling frame of cancer survivors. The pilot project, called HINTS-SEER, was designed to provide a larger sample of cancer survivors for HINTS analyses. The instrument closely resembles the HINTS 5, Cycle 4 (2020) survey, but also includes additional items relevant to cancer survivors. A unique aspect of the HINTS-SEER dataset is that key data elements from the cancer registry datasets (such as histology and SEER summary stage) are linked to the HINTS survey responses, providing a more in-depth view of each respondent's cancer diagnosis. To learn more about HINTS-SEER, please consult the methodology report, survey instrument, and CA survey instrument.

To request access to HINTS-SEER data, please visit the HINTS-SEER page within NLM's dbGaP system. Instructions on using the dbGaP system, pulling together information for the request, and final data access can be found on our Controlled-Access Data page.

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HINTS Data Linkage Project 2020 (HDLP 2020)

The HINTS Data Linkage Project 2020 (HDLP 2020) contains geo-coded HINTS 5 Cycle 4 data (2020; n = 3,865) linked—at the state and county level—with over 70 external variables chosen from trusted and reliable sources including the US Census, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The external variables fall into five categories: 1) Social and economic factors; 2) Demographics (e.g., Percent of population 65 or older); 3) Information technology (e.g., Percent of households with broadband internet); 4) Built environment (e.g., Fitness centers and recreational sports centers per 100,000 people); and 5) Physical environment (e.g., Percentage of days with good air quality.

The HINTS Data Linkage Project 2020 (HDLP 2020) External Variables codebook, which includes a list of all external variables and links to many of the original data sources, is available for download on the Survey Instruments page.

To request access to HDLP 2020 data, please visit the HDLP 2020 page within NLM's dbGaP system. Instructions on using the dbGaP system, pulling together information for the request, and final data access can be found on our Controlled-Access Data page.

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HINTS 4, Cycle 1 (2011) through HINTS 5, Cycle 3 (2019) controlled access datasets

Controlled-access versions of the publicly available HINTS 4, Cycle 1, HINTS 4, Cycle 2, HINTS 4, Cycle 3, HINTS 4, Cycle 4, HINTS 5, Cycle 1, HINTS 5, Cycle 2, and HINTS 5, Cycle 3 datasets are now available. These data contain granular geo-codes and include small cell sizes for certain demographic groups and require additional approvals prior to receiving the data. To request access to these datasets, please visit the corresponding page within NLM's dbGaP system listed below. Instructions on using the dbGaP system, pulling together information for the request, and final data access can be found on our Controlled-Access Data page.

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