SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the collection of information related to a field test of the CPS in calendar year 2027.

The CPS has been the source of official government statistics on employment and unemployment since 1942. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Census Bureau jointly sponsor the basic monthly survey. The Census Bureau also prepares and conducts all the field work. The CPS collects labor force information for the civilian noninstitutional population including employment status, number of hours worked, job search activities, earnings, duration of unemployment, and the industry and occupation classification of the job held the previous week. Data for the CPS are currently collected by Census field interviewers via in-person interviews or by telephone. In February, March, and April of any collection year, the Census Bureau collects additional information via the ASEC supplement to the CPS.

The ASEC collects information on work experience, personal income, noncash benefits, current and previous year health insurance coverage, employer-sponsored insurance take-up, and migration. The ASEC is the official source of national poverty estimates calculated in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget's Statistical Policy Directive 14. Two other important national estimates derived from the ASEC are real median household income and the number and percent of individuals without health insurance coverage.

The 2027 Field Test's goal is to continue the testing conducted for the CPS by incorporating the ASEC supplement. This is the third of three major field tests with the first completed in 2025 and the second in 2026, with an ultimate goal for the ASEC to follow the phase-in changes to the CPS, planned for 2027 through 2028, in 2029.

II. Method of Collection

The 2027 Field Test is planned for January 2027 until May 2027. This will be the first time that the ASEC supplement will be administered as a self-response mode, therefore, the two main goals of the proposed field test are outlined below.

Introducing a self-response mode: The current CPS ASEC questionnaire collects data via computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). Since the ASEC is introducing an internet self-response (ISR) mode, qualitative research, expert review, and smaller-scale tests were conducted to transform the CAPI question wording into an ISR-appropriate format. The 2027 Field Test is the first opportunity to conduct a full-scale field test to evaluate comparability of the CAPI questions to the ISR questions.

Content Testing: Additionally, multiple rounds of qualitative tests, expert review, and smaller-scale tests were employed for questionnaire clarity and comparability. This field test will utilize the qualitative research findings to do a split-path examination of a control version to a test version of the ASEC questions changes. All questions on the ASEC will have some changes because this is the first instance of a self-response mode so questions that a field representative would ask are updated for a self-respondent. The goal of the test is to determine the impact of changing question wording and response categories, as well as redefining underlying constructs, on the quality of the key ASEC estimates.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0607-0354.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a Currently Approved Collection.

Affected Public: Households.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 50,000.

Estimated Time per Response: 50 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 41,667.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. There are no costs to the respondents other than their time.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and 182 and Title 29, United States Code, Sections 1-9.

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 58839