Poll: Me and my cousin are curious do people under 27 know their social security number offhand?

[tendaji]

I've had mine memorized since about 13 years old. It's been on my military ID forever, and it's a really easy number to remember seeing how I have a number that repeats 5 times during it.

 

[exessmirror]

no, and i dont need to as you are required by the law here you need to keep your social sec card with you at all times

 

[krazykidd]

No, but I have my bank card number committed to memory.

This . It helps that it's inly like 3 numbers that repeats over and over . (ex: 269929662926)

 

[King of Wei]

Well of course I do!

Spoiler

555-55-5555

Had to memorize it going into university. But before age 20 I could only remember the first 3 numbers.

 

[Zantos]

I think the equivalent in the UK is the NI (National Insurance) number. We get a plastic card with it on (which I keep in my wallet).

I don't know it off by heart largely because the only times I need it are when starting a new job or changing my GP. I think I've had to write it down less than eight times in my life!

Interesting fact for fellow Brits: The mapping between NI numbers and people isn't one-to-one or even one-to-many. It's many-to-many. There are NI numbers that are assigned to multiple people, and some people have multiple NI numbers assigned to them. The combination of NI number and full name is supposedly unique, but there's no system in place to ensure that. If I were to find someone else with the same NI number as me and change my name to match theirs, we would be indistinguishable to the government (for tax purposes anyway).

I'd highly recommend that you keep it out of your wallet, especially if you keep a drivers license in there too. Apparently that's a really bad combination of things for other people to have. Luckily, my old drivers license is just allowing some shit head to get into clubs and bars. Fuck knows what they did with the NI, or the rest of the wallet for that matter.

OT: I'm 22 and I know my NI, I've had to fill it out on so many forms recently.

That's pretty interesting about the NI numbers, did not know that. Pub fact for this week sorted.

 

[Doclector]

Personally, I find my own damn phone number hard to remember, so trying to remember something I actively avoid giving out is nigh on impossible.

I don't have to write it often. Some job applications have started asking for it, and sometimes I refuse to fill those in if I don't have a good feeling about it. I should not be asked to hand out such an important number to someone I don't know in the slightest, simply should not.

 

[WanderingFool]

Alright do you know your social security number without looking at it up or whatever? We are curious. Don't ask how this came up we were talking, and I said I didn't know mine offhand and I made a comment like I think most people under 27 don't know theirs. Please only vote if you are 27 and under.

of course, mine is ***-**-****.

Damn things been drilled into my head with all the times I have had to use it.

 

[purplegothchick]

Is the National Insurance number the UK equivalent? If so then yes. Nothing makes you remember a 9-digit number by heart like being on Jobseekers Allowance for a year and having to parrot it to everyone at every possible opportunity! And I'm 25...

 

[Fappy]

Memorized mine for college. Still remember it now and will likely never forget it!

 

[MetalMagpie]

I think the equivalent in the UK is the NI (National Insurance) number. We get a plastic card with it on (which I keep in my wallet).

I'd highly recommend that you keep it out of your wallet, especially if you keep a drivers license in there too. Apparently that's a really bad combination of things for other people to have. Luckily, my old drivers license is just allowing some shit head to get into clubs and bars. Fuck knows what they did with the NI, or the rest of the wallet for that matter.

You make a good point. I should probably move it to my filing system at home.

Damn identity thieves... *shakes fist*

 

[Rose and Thorn]

In Canada we have a SIN (Social Insurance Number) and no, I can't remember mine off by heart, I have it written down in my wallet.

I don't use it nearly enough to remember it.

 

[TWEWYFan]

Yes, but only after I started an internship and needed it for my time sheets. Basically, I think it comes down to how often you need to use it.

 

[lettucethesallad]

Swedish social security numbers are just your date of birth and an additional 4 numbers, so memorizing it isn't all that hard. Also it's used pretty much all the time as identification, so I've known it off the top of my head since I was 12 or so. I'm 23.

 

[Deshin]

Here on Malta it's National ID Number. It's 6 numbers followed by an a letter (either M, G, or A denoting residence).

So did I memorise 6 numbers? pretty much

 

[thenumberthirteen]

No. I keep my card in my wallet as I'm applying for jobs and stuff and it occasionally comes up.

 

[Yggdraz0r]

I assume it is the same as a Sofi-nummer here in the Netherlands, wich is 9 integers long. Had to use it quite a lot the past 5-7 years (I'm 22 atm). Besides, it's a rather easy one.

Here is a Wikipedia link for those still confused.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAT_identification_number

After reading that one, I am still confused if it is the same as your SSN and here I have another Wikipedia page, but it is in Dutch. And when I click on the english version, it goes to something Italian related, wich I consider to be something entirely different.
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgerservicenummer

:x

 

[kasperbbs]

I tend to forget numbers that i only use once a year, actually i never bothered to memorize it, But i do remember 30 or more account passwords from a mmo i used to play..

 

[ace_of_something]

I'm 32 so I guess I don't get a vote. But I've had mine memorized since I was 15 Incidentally I know my twin brother's SSN too since it's only two digits different.

annnd there's a typo in the poll.

 

[Thyunda]

If you've ever had problems with the Job Centre, then...yeah, your National Insurance number becomes as memorable as your phone number. I'm 20 and unnaturally good at remembering lengthy numbers - but I'd seen my NI often enough for the people standing around me to empathically memorise it.

 

[Sampsa]

Of course, you cannot deal with shcools, healtcare services and goverment agencies without it.