[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 231 (Friday, December 1, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62010-62015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29122]




[[Page 62009]]

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Part XII





Department of Commerce





_______________________________________________________________________



Bureau of the Census



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1996 Race and Ethnic Targeted Test; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 231 / Friday, December 1, 1995 / 
Notices   

[[Page 62010]]


DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census


1996 Race and Ethnic Targeted Test (RAETT) and Its Content 
Reinterview, Also Identified as the 1996 Census Survey

ACTION: Proposed Agency Information Collection Activity; Request for 
comments.

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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: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 30, 
1996.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Gerald Tache, Departmental 
Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 5327, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Nampeo R. McKenney, Assistant Division Chief, 
Population Division, at the Bureau of the Census, Room 2011, FOB#3, 
Washington, D.C. 20233; or call (301) 457-2075.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The June 1996 Race and Ethnic Targeted Test (RAETT) is the 
principal vehicle for testing and evaluating several major proposed 
changes in, or alternatives to, the 1990 census race and ethnic 
questions. These include:
     A ``Multiracial or biracial'' category;
     A ``Check more than one category'' approach to reporting 
as multiracial;
     Alternative sequencing of the race and Hispanic origin 
items;
     A combined race, Hispanic origin and ancestry question;
     A combined ``Indian (Amer.) or Alaska Native'' category; 
and
     A ``Native Hawaiian'' category.
    These proposals arose from:
     The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) review of the 
Federal standards for racial and ethnic classification (Statistical 
Policy Directive No. 15), with particular attention to the research 
agenda developed by the Research Subcommittee of the OMB Interagency 
Committee for the Review of Racial and Ethnic Standards;
     Evaluation research on the 1990 census data, on early 
tests of alternative 2000 census forms (e.g., the Alternative 
Questionnaire Experiment and the Simplified Questionnaire Test), and on 
the Current Population Survey, May 1995 Supplement on Race and 
Ethnicity funded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and
     Consultations with the Census Advisory Committees and 
other data users, including a conference on undercounted ethnic 
populations, an international conference on the measurement of race and 
ethnicity, and recommendations in reports by the National Research 
Council and the General Accounting Office.
    The RAETT is essential for evaluating how proposed changes to 
Directive No. 15, such as a multiracial classification and combined 
race and Hispanic origin questions, might affect the distribution and 
quality (e.g., reinterview consistency) of responses in the current 
race and Hispanic origin items. Substantial changes could affect the 
historical continuity of race and ethnic data and the usefulness of 
data for Federal agencies that monitor and enforce legislation (e.g., 
the Voting Rights Act). In addition, the RAETT is needed to determine 
whether alternative sequencing of the race and Hispanic origin items or 
combining the Indian (Amer.) and Alaska Native categories provide 
improvements over the 1990 census. The RAETT will also be used for 
evaluating the terminology of ``Native Hawaiian.''
    The RAETT will target about 90,000 urban and rural households 
representing American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, Pacific 
Islanders, Hispanics, Blacks, White ethnic groups, and multiracial 
persons.
    The RAETT will include a reinterview which will permit assessments 
of effects of changes on relatively smaller populations not reliably 
measured in national samples.
    The test will also assess alternative approaches to household 
rostering, including special probes designed to improve coverage in 
undercounted minority households.
     The RAETT will include six forms (one control and five 
experimental). We are only including the questions on race and 
ethnicity in this notice because they are pertinent to the survey. If 
you want to obtain a copy of the questionnaire in its entirety, you may 
write to Nampeo R. McKenney, Assistant Division Chief, Population 
Division, at the address listed above. The following is a list of the 
form numbers and prcis of the race and ethnicity questions.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Precis of race and ethnic questions
              Form No.                             on forms             
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DL-1A..............................  Control.                           
DL-1B..............................  Separate Hispanic origin and race  
                                      questions; multiracial category;  
                                      combined ``Indian (Amer.) or      
                                      Alaska Native'' category.         
DL-1C..............................  Separate Hispanic origin and race  
                                      questions; mark more than one     
                                      race; combined ``Indian (Amer.) or
                                      Alaska Native'' category.         
DL-1D..............................  Race question followed by Hispanic 
                                      origin question; combined ``Indian
                                      (Amer.) or Alaska Native''        
                                      category; ``Native Hawaiian''     
                                      category.                         
DL-1E..............................  Combined race, Hispanic origin, and
                                      ancestry; multiracial category.   
DL-1F..............................  Combined race, Hispanic origin, and
                                      ancestry; mark more than one box. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Attachment A, ``Proposed Race and Ethnic Questions for RAETT,'' is 
included to assist with the review of the race and ethnic questions. 
Attachment B contains the race and ethnic questions that will appear on 
forms DL-1A through DL-1F.

II. Method of Collection

     The proposed information collection will be a one-time mailout-
mailback census test needed for planning the 2000 census. The mailing 
operations for the proposed RAETT will be conducted through the U.S. 
Postal Service, using first-class postage rates for all pieces.
     The RAETT will also include a Computer Assisted Telephone 
Interview (CATI) reinterview, which will compare individual responses 
collected on the self-enumeration forms to those collected in the CATI 
reinterview. Measures of response error will be generated from the 
reinterview to estimate the error associated with question wording.
     Repeated callbacks will be made to each household to obtain a 
completed reinterview. The automatic call scheduler in the CATI 
instrument is designed to maximize response by optimizing the callback 
times based on prior call records for the household.

III. Data

    OMB Number: Not Available
    Form Number: DL-1A, DL-1B, DL-1C, DL-1D, DL-1E, and DL-1F.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: Households and Individuals.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 90,000 Households.

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    Estimated Time Per Response: Mailout--10 minutes Reinterview--20 
minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Mailout--15,000 hours; 
Reinterview--15,000 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $2.2 Million.

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 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: November 22, 1995.
Gerald Tache,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of Management and 
Organization.
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[FR Doc. 95-29122 Filed 11-30-95; 8:45 a.m.]
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