SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a field test of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) in calendar year 2027. This collection will be in lieu of a national collection using the questionnaires, systems, and processes in place since 2014.

Since 1983, SIPP has been the primary source of information about annual and sub-annual dynamics of income, families and households, movement into and out of government programs, and interactions of these topics in a single, unified dataset ( printed page 51148) allowing for in-depth, informed analyses. Government domestic policy formulators and evaluators depend heavily upon the information collected in the SIPP in their analyses of the distribution of income received either directly as money or indirectly as in-kind benefits and the effect of tax and transfer programs on that distribution. They also rely on the SIPP data to provide improved and expanded information on the dynamics of income and the general economic and financial situation of the U.S. population in the context of the household situation. The SIPP has measured levels of economic well-being and permitted measurement of sub-annual and annual changes in these levels over time.

Since the inception of the program, SIPP has been an interviewer-administered household-based survey. Each panel featured a nationally representative sample of addresses whose household members were interviewed either in person or over the phone several times over a multi-year period. In recent years, SIPP has been researching new methods to mitigate concerns related to increasing costs for interviewer-administered surveys, declining response rates among sampled addresses, and increasing attrition of responding households in subsequent panels.

At the forefront of SIPP modernization efforts is the adoption of a self-administered internet survey as the primary mode for data collection with targeted in-person interviewing of a select number of non-responding households. The addition of a SIPP self-response mode is one element of a larger, bureau-wide effort to modernize data collection systems.

As SIPP is the premier source of comprehensive information on the dynamics of income, employment, household composition, and government program participation, testing the impact of the multi-mode data collection, statistical methods improvements, and agency-wide collection and processing systems is critical. The Census Bureau is implementing a multi-year testing strategy. In the summer of 2026, the Census Bureau is conducting an internet self-response field test using a subset of the redesigned SIPP instrument items on a national sample to assess the feasibility of a self-administered data collection (OMB number 0607-0978).

The goals of the 2027 SIPP field test are to build upon the 2026 test by adding content to the questionnaire; introducing a multi-mode survey that incorporates both self-response and non-response computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI); introducing alternative sample and weighting methodologies; and using the Census Bureau's Business Ecosystem entities for all aspects of the survey process. We will use the test to evaluate the frame, sample, weighting, and non-response bias; to demonstrate the application of the new systems and processes to the SIPP design; research additional opportunities to reduce respondent burden through the use of administrative data systems; and to assess the quality of key estimates using the new methodologies. The 2027 SIPP field test will be an important step toward building the modern program.

The design of the test survey is purposefully scalable, as the future SIPP design is expected to be. The sample size listed in this notice is based on initial budget estimates and allows for expansion. The multi-mode data collection vision for the SIPP program includes a dual-sample design. One part of the sample will be invited to respond through a web-mode instrument only. The second sample component will be invited to self-respond on the internet. Among that group, non-respondents will be contacted for in-person interviews.

II. Method of Collection

The 2027 SIPP will use a web instrument for both the internet Self-Response (ISR) and the CAPI modes of data collection. All sampled households will receivemail invitations to complete the survey online. To increase sample representativeness, field representatives will be sent to a small number of nonresponding ISR cases to administer the survey in person. The redesigned SIPP interview consists of one adult answering questions about each member of the household and uses a six-month reference period. In instances where the residence is not accessible or the respondent makes a request, the field representative may conduct the interview by telephone.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0607-1000.

Form Number(s): SIPP ISR Web Instrument (no form number), SIPP nonresponse follow-up CAPI electronic instrument (no form number).

Type of Review: Regular submission, New Information Collection Request.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,000.

Estimated Time per Response: 40 minutes to respond to survey and 10 total minutes for reading contact materials.

Estimated Number of Non-Respondents: 14,000.

Estimated Time per Non-response: 10 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: We estimate 5,000 burden hours from those responding to the survey and 2,334 burden hours from households that do not respond to the survey for a total of 7,334 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 (This is not the cost of respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services required specifically by the collection.)

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and 182.

IV. Request for Comments

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

91 FR 51147