82 FR 18607 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; American Community Survey Methods Panel Tests, 2017 Mail Design Test

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 75 (April 20, 2017)

Page Range		18607-18608
FR Document		2017-07951
Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 75 (Thursday, April 20, 2017)
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 75 (Thursday, April 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18607-18608]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07951]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; American Community 
Survey Methods Panel Tests, 2017 Mail Design Test

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: American Community Survey Methods Panel Tests, 2017 Mail 
Design Test.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0936.
    Form Number(s): ACS-1, ACS CATI, ACS CAPI, ACS Internet.
    Type of Request: Non-substantive Change Request.
    Number of Respondents: 288,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 40 minutes.
    Burden Hours: No additional burden hours are requested under this 
non-substantive change request.
    Needs and Uses: The American Community Survey (ACS) collects 
detailed socioeconomic data from about 3.5 million housing units in the 
United States and 36,000 in Puerto Rico each year. The ACS also 
collects detailed socioeconomic data from about 195,000 residents 
living in Group Quarter (GQ) facilities. An ongoing data collection 
effort with an annual sample of this magnitude requires that the ACS 
continue research, testing, and evaluations aimed at reducing 
respondent burden, improving data quality, achieving survey cost 
efficiencies, and improving ACS questionnaire content and related data 
collection materials. The ACS Methods Panel is a research program that 
is designed to address and respond to issues and survey needs.
    In the Census Bureau's continuing effort to reduce respondent 
burden and address concerns about the perceived intrusiveness of the 
ACS, the Census Bureau seeks to test three candidate changes to the 
current ACS mail materials. The three experimental treatments are 
designed to increase public awareness of the ACS through new messaging 
and an updated look and feel that increases respondent engagement and 
self-response, while softening the tone of the mandatory requirement of 
the survey.
    The Census Bureau previously tested the impact of removing or 
modifying the mandatory messages from the mail materials (see Oliver, 
B., Risley, M., & Roberts, A. (2016). 2015 Summer Mandatory Messaging 
Test. Washington DC, U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on February 10, 2017 
from https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/working-papers/2016/acs/2016_Oliver_01.pdf). This proposed test is aimed at building 
on that research and improving the results based on additional feedback 
the Census Bureau obtained from the National Academies' Committee on 
National Statistics (see Plewes, T.J. (2016). ``Reducing Response 
Burden in the American Community Survey.'' Proceedings of a Workshop 
conducted by the Committee on National Statistics Division of 
Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education).
    The three experimental treatments are:
     The Softened Revised Design treatment from the 2015 Summer 
Mandatory Messaging Test.
     A Partial Redesign treatment that maintains the same 
wording as used in the Softened Revised Design treatment but includes 
some methodological changes: A ``Why We Ask'' brochure in the initial 
mailing, changes to the cover of the paper questionnaire, and the use 
of a letter instead of a postcard for the fifth mailing.
     A Full Redesign treatment that includes the same 
methodological changes as the Partial Redesign treatment but also 
modifies the wording in most of the mailings to a more personal 
approach with plain language.
    The purpose of this test is to study the impact of these three 
candidate mail designs on self-response, cost, and the precision of the 
estimates. To field this test, the Census Bureau plans to use the ACS 
production sample (clearance number: 0607-0810, expires 06/30/2018). 
Thus, there is no increase in burden from this test since each 
treatment will result in the same burden estimate per interview (40 
minutes). The ACS sample design consists of randomly assigning each 
monthly sample panel into 24 groups of approximately 12,000 addresses 
each. Each group, called a methods panel group, within a monthly sample 
is representative of the full monthly sample. Each monthly sample is a 
representative subsample of the entire annual sample and is 
representative of the sampling frame.
    The Census Bureau proposes to test these mail designs as part of 
the ACS August 2017 panel, adhering to the same data collection 
protocols as production ACS. The Census Bureau proposes to use two 
randomly selected methods panel groups for each treatment. Hence, each 
treatment will have a sample size of approximately 24,000 addresses. In 
total, approximately 96,000 addresses will be used for the three 
experimental treatments and the control treatment (current production). 
The current production treatment will have the same mail materials as 
the rest of production, but will be sorted and mailed at the same time 
as the other treatment materials. The remaining sample will receive 
production materials.
    The Census Bureau proposes to evaluate treatment comparisons by 
comparing self-response rates at various points in the mailing schedule 
and by comparing the final response rates. The Census Bureau proposes 
comparing treatments at points in the mailing schedule where the 
material differs by design. For each comparison, [alpha] = 0.1 and a 
two-tailed test will be used so that the Census Bureau can measure the 
impact on the evaluation measure in either direction with 80 percent 
power. The effective samples were calculated based on the previous 
year's data for the August panel. The sample size will be able to 
detect differences of approximately 1.25 percentage points between the 
self-response return rates of the control and experimental treatments. 
Additional metrics of interest include overall costs and response rates 
by subgroups.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: One-time test as part of the monthly American Community 
Survey.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141, 193, 
and 221.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this

[[Page 18608]]

notice to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Department Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-07951 Filed 4-19-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
18608 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 75 / Thursday, April 20, 2017 / Notices

notice to OIRA_Submission@ governments (approximately 11,000) for through arrangements with state
omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. the survey years. An additional 13,000 governments, central collection
units of school districts are covered in arrangements with local governments,
Sheleen Dumas,
a separate request. and using customized electronic
PRA Department Lead, Office of the Chief Over the past several years, the reporting instruments.
Information Officer. programs covered by this request have These data are widely used by
[FR Doc. 2017–07951 Filed 4–19–17; 8:45 am] moved towards eliminating collection Federal, state, and local legislators,
BILLING CODE 3510–07–P by paper form as much as possible. The policy makers, analysts, economists,
only exception to this is the F–13 form, and researchers to follow the changing
which is still sent as a paper form characteristics of the government sector
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE because the small number of of the economy. The data are also
respondents does not justify the cost of widely used by the media and
Submission for OMB Review;
converting it to an electronic form. academia.
Comment Request; State & Local
Below is a short description of each the More specifically, the Census Bureau
Government Finance Collections
forms utilized in our general collection provides its state and local government
The Department of Commerce will methods: finance data annually to the Bureau of
submit to the Office of Management and F–5. State governments provide Economic Analysis (BEA) for use in
Budget (OMB) for clearance the detailed data on their tax collections measuring and developing estimates of
following proposal for collection of using a spreadsheet that they receive via the government sector of the economy
information under the provisions of the email. Much of this detail is not in the National Income and Product
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. available in the state’s primary source Accounts. The Census Bureau also
chapter 35). document. An attachment is included provides these data to the Federal
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau. with the email providing the respondent Reserve Board for constructing the Flow
Title: State & Local Government with the OMB approval number, of Funds Accounts.
Finance Collections. authority and confidentiality Additionally, the state and local
OMB Control Number: 0607–0585. statements, and burden estimate. government data are also needed as
Form Number(s): F–5, F–11, F–12, F– F–11 and F–12. State and local
inputs into the Justice Expenditure and
13, F–28, F–29, F–32. government pension systems provide
Type of Request: Revision of a Employment Extract Series, produced
data on their receipts, payments, assets,
currently approved collection. by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and
membership, and beneficiaries. The
Number of Respondents: 26,447. the National Health Expenditure
actuarial content of the F–11 and F–12
Average Hours per Response: 2 hours Accounts produced by the Centers for
forms is in the process of being
and 51 minutes. Medicare and Medicaid Services. The
reviewed to remove outdated questions
Burden Hours: 75,150. data are also published annually in the
and replace them with questions that
Needs and Uses: The State & Local Digest of Education Statistics produced
are more relevant based on current
Government Finance program is the by National Center for Education
accounting standards and data user
only known comprehensive source of Statistics, the Economic Report of the
interest. The current burden estimates of
state and local government finance data President produced by the Council of
2 hours for F–11 and 2.5 hours for F–
collected on a nationwide scale using Economic Advisors, and the source data
12 are not expected to change because
uniform definitions, concepts, and are used as input into the State and
of these updates. These forms are
procedures. The Census Bureau Local Governments Fiscal Outlook
completed online via electronic
implements this program through published by the Government
collection instrument.
conducting a full census every five years F–13. State agencies provide data not Accountability Office. In addition, the
(years ending in 2 and 7) and annual included in the audits, electronic files data are used by the National Science
sample surveys in the interim years. The and other primary sources the Census Foundation as inputs into the state
Census Bureau has conducted the Bureau uses to compile state government R&D expenditures.
Census of Governments every five years government financial data. Form F–13 is In recent years, state and local
since 1957 and phased in the annual used to collect data from state insurance government financial information has
surveys over the subsequent years. trust systems. Respondents to this garnered significant media attention and
Currently, we are requesting approval survey receive a paper form. policy coverage. As such, timely state
to conduct the 2017 Census of F–28. Counties, cities, and townships and local government finance data are
Governments: Finance component and provide data on revenues, expenditures, critical in light of current financial
the 2018 and 2019 Annual Survey of debt, and assets. These forms are conditions of state and local
State Government Tax Collections, completed online via electronic governments, as they provide insight
Annual Survey of State Government collection instrument. into the complex nature and fiscal
Finances, the Annual Survey of Local F–29. Multi-function special district health of state and local government
Government Finances, and the Annual governments provide data on revenues, finances.
Survey of Public Pensions. These expenditures, debt, and assets. These Beginning with the 1993 annual data
surveys collect data on state government forms are completed online via series, all data, summary tables, and
finances and estimates of local electronic collection instrument. files have been released on the Internet.
government revenue, expenditure, debt, F–32. Single-function special district At the Internet site, (census.gov/govs/)
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assets, and pension systems nationally governments and dependent agencies of users will find documentation,
and within state areas. Data are local governments provide data on summary tables and files.
collected for all agencies, departments, revenues, expenditures, debt and assets. Affected Public: State, local or Tribal
and institutions of the fifty state and These forms are completed online via government.
approximate 77,000 local governments electronic collection instrument. Frequency: Annually.
(counties, municipalities, townships, In addition to these more traditional Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
and special districts) during the census collection methods, the Census Bureau Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C.,
years, and for a sample of the local also collects electronic data files Sections 161 and 182.

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Document Created: 2017-04-20 01:42:07
Document Modified: 2017-04-20 01:42:07
Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
FR Citation		82 FR 18607