[Federal Register: September 24, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 186)]
[Notices]
[Page 55032-55034]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24se08-37]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Generic
Clearance for the 2010 Census Program for Evaluations and Experiments
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on
or before November 24, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet
at dHynek@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions
should be directed to Jason Machowski, Bureau of the Census, HQ-3H470C,
Washington, DC 20233; (301) 763-4173.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau will conduct the 2010 Census Program for
Evaluations and Experiments (CPEX) to evaluate the current census and
to build a foundation on which to make early and informed decisions for
planning the next one in 2020. Program planners designed CPEX to
measure the effectiveness of the 2010 Census design (including
operations, systems, and processes), in addition to determining how the
design impacts data quality.
The 2010 CPEX consists of assessments, experiments, and
evaluations. Assessments document final volumes, rates, and costs for
individual operations or processes; they do not involve unique data
collections, and therefore will not be submitted for clearance.
Experiments are quantitative studies that occur during a decennial
census. The decennial environment is required for experimental studies
because it provides the best conditions to learn about the value of new
methods and to accurately measure their effectiveness and feasibility.
Finally, evaluation studies analyze, interpret, and synthesize the
effectiveness of census components, and their impact on data quality
and coverage. Evaluation studies use data collected from census
operations, processes, systems, and auxiliary data collections.
The 2010 CPEX program will operate as a generic clearance. This
public notice specifically accounts for data collection plans for four
experiments and three evaluations. The balance of evaluations that
potentially require independent data collections in the 2010 CPEX will
be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on a flow
basis, as more detail of the activities are known. The estimated number
of respondents and annual reporting hours being requested cover both
the known and yet to be submitted experiments and evaluations.
The Census Bureau plans four experimental designs: Alternative
Questionnaire Experiment (AQE); 2010 Nonresponse Followup (NRFU)
Contact Strategy Experiment; 2010 Deadline Messaging (DM) Experiment,
and 2010 Privacy Notification (PN) Experiment. Most of the experimental
designs have been developed to test more than one research objective,
resulting in multiple treatments per study. All experimental
questionnaires received will be treated as the respondents' official
census form. This public notice also includes three evaluations: 2010
AQE Reinterview Evaluation; 2010 Content Reinterview Evaluation; and
2010 Alternative Group Quarters (GQ) Questionnaire Evaluation.
Alternative Questionnaire Experiment (AQE)
The AQE has several objectives. The overall goal of the study is to
continue efforts to develop a user-friendly mailout questionnaire that
can be accurately completed by respondents. This experiment will test
various designs on how the Census Bureau asks respondents to provide
their data on the paper form. A large focus of the 2010 AQE is on
methods to improve the completeness and accuracy for reporting of race
and Hispanic origin. Four panels will test the performance of a
combined race and Hispanic origin question (these data are currently
collected by asking two separate questions: one on race and one on
Hispanic origin). In addition to testing a combined question on race
and Hispanic origin, seven panels will be devoted to potential
refinements of the current separate-question approach, for a total of
eleven panels devoted to race and Hispanic origin research. Other
topics covered by the AQE include an examination of true residence
status by
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collecting additional information on the initial census return
pertaining to household coverage (one panel) and an examination of the
effectiveness of all questionnaire changes made since Census 2000 (one
panel). The Census Bureau accomplishes the latter by administering the
Census 2000 form to a subset of the 2010 universe.
The AQE comprises fourteen panels, including a control panel. The
estimated sample size for each panel dealing with race and Hispanic
origin is 30,000. The estimated sample size of the panel examining
alternative designs of the undercount (and overcount) questions in the
mail form, to effectively identify census coverage errors for follow-up
is 30,000. The estimated sample size of the panel examining combined
effects on the data of all questionnaire changes made in the 2010 mail
questionnaire is 10,000. For all panels, a national sample of
households will be selected with a stratified sample design. Sample
households will receive one of thirteen experimental forms instead of
the standard 2010 Census form. For the control panel, the estimated
sample size is 30,000. These households will receive the standard 2010
Census form.
The performance of the experimental treatments will be measured in
two ways. First, researchers will compare item nonresponse statistics
and overall mail response rates to the 2010 Census ``control'' panel
(i.e., the standard 2010 census form which excludes experimental
factors). The statistics include mail response rate, data item
nonresponse rates, data item distributions, ``correctness'' of the
household count question, and the rate at which respondents incorrectly
skip questions that they should answer. Second, researchers will
analyze findings from the AQE Reinterview Evaluation described later in
this document.
2010 Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) Contact Strategy Experiment
The primary objective of this experiment is to understand the
effects of changing the number of NRFU contacts in a census
environment. This study has the potential to provide large cost savings
through a possible reduction in NRFU contacts. In recent decennial
censuses, enumerators have attempted six contacts. The goal is to
determine whether cost savings can be realized by reducing the number
of NRFU contacts, while maintaining the same level of data quality.
The 2010 NRFU Contact Strategy Experiment comprises three panels
(including a control panel), with an estimated sample size of 40,000
each, for an estimated total sample of 120,000. Three Local Census
Offices (LCOs) will be chosen. In each of these three, one field office
supervisor district (FOSD) will be selected for this experiment. Within
the selected FOSDs, the panels (that is, number of contacts) will be
assigned to whole crewleader districts (CLDs). Panels are split into
two enumerator form treatments (allowing a maximum four contacts, or a
maximum five contacts) and a ``control'' (that is, a maximum of six
contacts). There are up to eight CLDs in each FOSD. All enumerators in
a particular CLD will use the same enumerator form.
2010 Deadline Messaging (DM) Experiment
The goal of the 2010 DM Experiment is to assess alternatives for
increasing mail response by including a deadline message for
questionnaire return on various mailing pieces in addition to
implementing a delayed mailing schedule (building on previously
successful testing). The Deadline Messaging experiment tests three
different messages, which are implemented both in combination with the
compressed schedule and without the compressed schedule. The experiment
also implements the standard mailing materials (no deadline message)
sent on the compressed schedule, for a total of seven treatments. The
treatments are as follows: Deadline Messaging 1: Tests a ``mild'' set
of deadline messages on the advance letter, initial questionnaire cover
letter, and outgoing envelope of the initial questionnaire package
(i.e., uses a mild set of messages that simply indicates the date that
the form should be mailed back by); Deadline Messaging 2: Tests a set
of deadline messages with ``progressive urgency'' on the advance
letter, initial questionnaire cover letter and outgoing envelope of the
initial questionnaire package (i.e., uses a stricter and progressively
more urgent message wording that emphasizes the ``deadline'' date and
also provides a reminder that census response is required by law);
Deadline Messaging 3: Tests a ``NRFU motivation'' set of deadline
messages on the advance letter, initial questionnaire cover letter, and
outgoing envelope of the initial questionnaire package (i.e., people
are reminded about the inconvenience of interviewers coming to their
home); Compressed Schedule: 2010 Census standard materials mailed on a
``compressed schedule''. That is, the advance letter, initial
questionnaire package and reminder postcard are all slightly delayed,
to reach the respondent closer to Census Day; and the three combination
treatments. A control panel will receive the standard set of 2010
mailing materials sent on the standard mailing schedule. The estimated
sample size for all panels is 10,000 each, for a total of 80,000.
2010 Privacy Notification (PN) Experiment
The goal of the 2010 PN Experiment is to improve alternatives for
increasing mail response by testing alternative presentation and
placement of privacy messages in the initial questionnaire cover
letter, reminder postcards, and envelopes. A sample of households will
receive the alternative wording included on the cover letter that
arrives with their 2010 Census questionnaire in one of two treatments:
Privacy 1: Tests an added administrative records use message on the
initial questionnaire cover letter; and Privacy 2: Tests an added
administrative records use message and alternative statistical purpose
message on the initial questionnaire cover letter. A control panel will
receive the standard set of 2010 mailing materials. The estimated
sample size is 10,000 for each panel, for a total of 20,000. (Note: The
control panel for the PN Experiment is shared with the control panel
for the DM Experiment. Therefore the sample size for it is not shown
here to avoid counting it twice.)
2010 AQE Reinterview Evaluation and 2010 Content Reinterview Evaluation
While they are technically two separate evaluations, the Census
Bureau will combine the 2010 AQE Reinterview Evaluation and the 2010
Content Reinterview Evaluation into one statistical design for purposes
of operational efficiency. The overall sample for the 2010 AQE
Reinterview Evaluation and the 2010 Content Reinterview Evaluation is
58,500. As planners finalize the sample design for these evaluations,
the Census Bureau will divide the 58,500 into three subsamples. The
Census Bureau will use the first two subsamples for the 2010 AQE
Reinterview Evaluation and the remaining subsample for the 2010 Content
Reinterview Evaluation.
In addition to the eleven panels devoted to race and Hispanic
origin research, the Census Bureau will collect data via a follow-up
reinterview from a subset of AQE respondents that focuses on the race
and Hispanic origin questions. This reinterview will ask probing
questions in addition to the various race and Hispanic origin
treatments tested in the AQE. The data obtained in the probing
reinterview will be critical to producing bias measures for the
experimental AQE race and
[[Page 55034]]
Hispanic origin questions. As mentioned above, the AQE Reinterview
Evaluation will be administered to two subsamples. The first subsample
will ask probing questions on the design of separate race and Hispanic
Origin questions, while the second subsample will ask probing questions
on the design of a combined race and Hispanic Origin question.
The Census Bureau will also conduct a Content Reinterview
Evaluation. The Census Bureau conducts this evaluation to measure
response error (including an examination of the reliability and
accuracy of responses to the census questionnaire). In short, the
reinterview consists of asking respondents the same set of questions on
the Decennial Census Short Form (D-1) to determine if questions are
worded sufficiently to produce consistent responses.
2010 Alternative Group Quarters (GQ) Questionnaire Evaluation
By collecting an alternative address for all GQ respondents, this
test examines additional ways of correcting duplicates and other
erroneous enumerations in the Census without a costly follow-up
operation. The address, previously asked of only GQ respondents who are
allowed to claim a ``usual home elsewhere,'' would be asked of
everyone. Results will be compared against the ``control,'' which
consists of the standard 2010 Census individual GQ forms. This test is
comprised of one treatment with an estimated sample size of 2,500. For
this test, researchers will select whole GQs rather than selecting a
subsample of residents from many GQs. For example, an entire college
dormitory would be in sample as opposed to sampling residents of the
dormitory who stay in rooms ending with an even number.
II. Method of Collection
For experiments, the information will be collected through a
variety of forms (delivered by mail or an enumerator) or face-to-face
interviews. For evaluations, the information will be collected during
personal visits by enumerators using paper forms or telephone
interviews.
The range of methods that may be needed for the balance of
evaluations include customer satisfaction surveys, telephone surveys,
field personal visits, and/or focus groups with respondents. The
detailed methods will be provided in the separate OMB clearance
submissions.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: None.
Form Numbers: The forms are too numerous to list here (if needed,
see contact information above).
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 700,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 10,000. (Please note that this
only reflects burden hours that are in addition to what is already
accounted for in the 2010 Census forms clearance package. Experimental
forms replace the official 2010 Census for households in the
experimental sample).
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $0.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 141 and 193.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Dated: September 19, 2008.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-22417 Filed 9-23-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P