[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 3, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10272-10274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5268]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census


Census 2000 Test Program

ACTION: Proposed Collection; Comment Request.

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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, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 3, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
5327, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Randall Neugebauer, Bureau of the Census, Room 
BH104-2, Washington, DC 20233; (301) 457-3952.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to test several methodologies, techniques, 
and strategies in a ``census environment.'' It is important to examine 
innovative ideas in the environment for which they are intended to 
accurately measure effectiveness and feasibility. The Census Bureau 
plans four separate tests--which are referred to as experiments because 
they must be done in a census environment. They are referred to as the 
Alternative Questionnaire and Mail Treatment (AQMT) experiment, the 
Administrative Records Census in 2000 Experiment (AREX2000), the Social 
Security Number [SSN], Privacy Attitudes, and Notification (SPAN) 
experiment, and the Response Mode and Incentive Experiment (RMIE).

Alternative Questionnaire and Mail Treatment (AQMT) Experiment

    Objectives of the AQMT are to continue efforts to develop a user 
friendly mailout questionnaire that can be accurately completed by 
respondents and to continue examination of methods to increase mail 
response in a census environment. The design of the residency rules, 
structure of the short form (booklet versus bifold), and navigation 
instructions (intended to assist the respondent through the 
questionnaire accurately) are examined in the AQMT. The AQMT comprises 
nine panels with a mailout size of 5,000 each. The households are 
selected randomly at the national level. Respondents will receive one 
of three short experimental forms or one of four long experimental 
forms instead of the standard census form.
    The success of the experimental forms will be determined by the 
analysis of various statistics calculated from the experimental forms 
and compared to the similar data from ``control'' forms (i.e., data 
from census forms that exclude the experimental factors). The 
statistics include mail response rate, data item nonresponse rates, 
``correctness'' of the count of household members question, and the 
rate at which respondents incorrectly skip questions that they should 
answer.

Administrative Records Census in 2000 Experiment (AREX2000)

    The principle objective of this experiment is to simulate an 
administrative records census for selected test areas and to compare 
the results and costs to Census 2000. An administrative records census 
is defined as a census that uses administrative records as its primary 
data collection method and that provides content and

[[Page 10273]]

geographic detail, which meet reapportionment and redistricting 
requirements.
    AREX2000 will use data from other government agencies to construct 
a person data base for possibly four test sites; this will impose no 
respondent burden. This administrative records data base will be used 
to compare results and cost to Census 2000. Test sites have not been 
determined. There are three supplementary activities that need to occur 
in order to ensure measurable results:
    1. A card mailout to roughly 70,000 P.O. Box addresses to obtain 
physical location addresses.
    2. A Coverage Improvement Survey (CIS) that will be administered to 
18,000 housing units. These interviews will be conducted to estimate 
coverage error and impute missing persons in the administrative records 
census.
    3. A follow up interview to the CIS to about 10,800 housing units 
will be conducted to clarify census day residency status of 
administrative record persons.

Social Security Number (SSN), Privacy Attitudes, and Notification 
(SPAN) Experiment

    The purpose of the SPAN is to obtain behavior and attitudinal data 
on several topics related to the use of administrative records. This 
includes how the public responds to requests for Social Security 
numbers (SSNs) on census questionnaires, how the public responds to 
differently worded notifications about the Census Bureau's use of 
administrative records, and what are the public's attitudes on privacy 
and confidentiality pertaining to the notion of an ``administrative 
records census.''
    The SPAN will determine: (a) what effect a request for the SSN for 
every household member has on mail response and item response; (b) what 
effect a request for an SSN for only the person filling-out the 
questionnaire has on mail response and item response; (c) the accuracy 
of the respondent-provided SSNs; and (d) what effect different 
notifications about the Census Bureau's possible use of administrative 
records has on mail and item response rates. The methodology for 
achieving these objectives involves the mailout of six short form and 
two long form panels for a total of 40,000 forms during Census 2000.
    There are two notifications--referred to as ``general'' and 
``specific.'' Each notification is included in the cover letter and 
describes how or why the Census Bureau may use administrative records 
data from other Federal agencies. A ``general'' notification mentions 
the Census Bureau's possible use of statistical data from other Federal 
agencies, while the ``specific'' notification goes further to mention 
actual Federal agencies, such as, the Internal Revenue Service, Social 
Security Administration, and ``social service agencies.''
    The SPAN also includes a telephone Survey of Privacy Attitudes 
(SPA) that measures the public's attitudes on privacy and 
confidentiality issues pertaining to the notion of an ``administrative 
records census.'' The survey is conducted in two stages; a pre-
measurement will be conducted before any Census 2000 promotion, 
outreach, and paid advertising occurs. The post-measurement will occur 
shortly after Census Day, April 1, 2000. The reason for the pre- and 
post-measurements is to enable examination of the ``census 
environment's'' effect on privacy attitudes. Specific objectives are 
to: (a) determine the public's opinion of the Federal government and 
the Census Bureau in general; (b) assess change in the public's 
attitudes on privacy-related issues using results from studies done in 
1995 and 1996; and (c) determine the public's opinion of the Census 
Bureau's use of administrative records, possible interest in collecting 
SSNs in the future, and the notion of an ``administrative records 
census.'' Each measurement group is a national random sample of 2,000 
households.

Response Mode and Incentive Experiment (RMIE)

    Goals of this test are: (a) to see if the use of prepaid calling 
cards as an incentive to respond to the census (using the telephone or 
the Internet) will significantly increase response and (b) to measure 
what extent respondents choose to use these response options. A sample 
of households will receive a prepaid telephone card with their Census 
2000 questionnaire and a letter encouraging respondents to provide 
their response via one of three modes: telephone option 1 where 
respondents are prompted through the short form by machine and pre-
recorded voice (referred to as ``automated spoken questionnaire''), 
telephone option 2 where the respondents are prompted through the short 
form by human operator using a computer assisted telephone 
questionnaire, or by accessing the short form using the Census Bureau's 
Internet site. In addition, a sample of households will be offered the 
same response options but without the calling card incentive to do so. 
A sample of non-responding households to Census 2000 also will be given 
the option to respond using one of the different modes with the 
incentive. After completing an interview, the calling card would be 
activated for use by the respondent. Effects on census costs (i.e., 
printing and mailing, nonresponse field follow up, outreach, data 
processing, and capture) and response to the census will be examined. 
The calling cards will have the Census logo to generate publicity for 
Census 2000, as well as the logo for the telephone card provider.
    For households in the above experiments (excluding all of 
AREX2000), the experimental form is the sole Census 2000 form; i.e., 
households randomly selected for involvement will not additionally 
receive an official Census 2000 form. Households not completing and 
returning the experimental form will be included in the nonresponse 
follow up efforts of Census 2000.
    Because the experimental forms are official census responses and 
replace the standard short- and long-forms that would otherwise be sent 
to the households involved in the experiments, respondent burden is 
already accounted for in the OMB approval for Census 2000 (OMB number 
0607-0856). The burden hour estimate under item III., below, only 
accounts for burden that is additional to Census 2000. The exceptions 
that involve additional burden hours are all of AREX2000, the SPA, and 
the short form panels of the SPAN that include a request for SSN of all 
household members.

II. Method of Collection

    The collection methodology varies between the experiments; please 
see below.

AQMT--Mail out of experimental short and long forms.
AREX2000--Card mail out eliciting physical location address.
    --CIS by personal interview (this may employ a ``computer-assisted 
personal interviewing'' device).
    --CIS Follow up by personal interview using a paper form.
SPAN--Mail out of experimental short and long forms.
    --SPA by list-assisted random digit dialing (RDD) telephone 
interview.
RMIE--Mail out of short forms with phone card and letter insert 
encouraging response either by automated spoken questionnaire 
(telephone option 1), telephone and a human operator, or accessing the 
short form over the Census Bureau's Internet site.

III. Data

    OMB Number: Not available.

[[Page 10274]]

    Form Numbers: Please note that most AQMT, SPAN, and RMIE 
questionnaires are identical to the Census 2000 short and long forms 
but have unique form numbers. Exceptions where differences exist are 
noted in italics, below.

AQMT S-800A.1 through S-800A.3 [short forms]
    S-800A.2 = [Subject matter awaiting final approval of the Census 
Bureau.]
    S-800A.3 = Residence rules designed as booklet
    S-800A.4 = Revised set of residence rules
S-801A.1(L) through S-801A.3(L) [short form cover letters]
S-802A.1 through S-802A.3 [outgoing envelopes-short form]
S-803A.1 through S-803A.3 [return envelopes-short form]
S-800B.1 through S-800B.5 [long forms]
    S-800B.2 = `Go to' Instruction
    S-800B.3 = Reverse Print Instruction
    S-800B.4 = Arrow Format
    S-800B.5 = Right Box Format
S-801B.1(L) through S-801B.5(L) [long form cover letters]
S-802B.1 through S-802B.5 [outgoing envelopes-long form]
S-803B.1 through S-803B.5 [return envelopes-long form]
S-804 [reminder post card]
AREX2000 Forthcoming. Form designations will be in the S-9###.# series.
SPAN S-700A.1 through S-700A.7 [short forms]
    S-700A.2 = Request for SSN added for all persons
    S-700A.3 = Request for SSN added for one person
    S-700A.4 = Request for SSN added for all persons
    S-700A.5 = Request for SSN added for all persons
S-701A.1(L) through S-701A.7(L) [short form cover letters]
S-702A.1 through S-702A.7 [outgoing envelopes-short form]
S-703A.1 through S-703A.7 [return envelopes-short form]
S-704 [reminder postcard]
S-700B.1 through S-700B.3 [long forms]
S-701B.1(L) through S-701B.3(L) [long form cover letters]
S-702B.1 through S-702B.4 [outgoing envelopes-long form]
S-703B.1 through S-703B.4 [return envelopes-long form]
RMIE--Forthcoming.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents:

AQMT = 35,000 (15,000 short form recipients; 20,000 long form 
recipients)
AREX2000 = 98,800 (70,000 post card recipients; 18,000 CIS personal 
interview respondents; 10,800 CIS follow up interview respondents)
SPAN = 44,000 (30,000 short form recipients; 10,000 long form 
recipients; 4,000 SPA respondents)
RMIE = 22,500
TOTAL = 200,300 respondents
    Estimated Time Per Response:

AQMT--10 minutes for the experimental short form
    --38 minutes for the experimental long form
AREX2000--1.5 minutes for the post card
    --12.5 minutes for the CIS
    --7 minutes for the CIS follow up interview
SPAN--10 minutes for the experimental short form
    --11 minutes for experimental short form with the SSN request
    --38 minutes for the experimental long form
    --15 minutes for the SPA
RMIE--less than 10 minutes for the short form automated spoken 
questionnaire
    --less than 10 minutes for the telephone interview with a human 
operator (telephone option)
    --10 minutes for the short form on the Census Bureau's Internet 
home page
    --10 minutes for recipients opting to return hard-copy short form 
questionnaires
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: PLEASE note that only burden 
hours that are in addition to what is already accounted for by Census 
2000 are shown below.
AQMT = Zero (15,165 hours already accounted for)
AREX2000 = 6,758 hours
SPAN = 1,255 hours, for the SPA and the addition of the SSN request to 
the SSN experimental panels (11,340 hours already accounted for)
RMIE = Zero (3,757.5 hours already accounted for--note that estimated 
time for response among the three modes is equal or less than 10 
minutes)
TOTAL = 8,013 hours
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: There is no cost to the respondent 
other than the time to complete the information request.
    Respondent's Obligation:
AQMT--Mandatory
AREX2000--Voluntary
SPAN--Mandatory and Voluntary. Response to short and long form 
questions is mandatory. However, response to the SSN request (which is 
only on the short form), is voluntary. Response to the SPA is 
voluntary.
RMIE--Mandatory

    Legal Authority: Title 13 United States Code, Sections 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: February 26, 1999.
Linda Engelmeier,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-5268 Filed 3-2-99; 8:45 am]
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