[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2578-2579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1061]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Census 2000 Evaluation of Non-English Speaking Respondents

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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(C)(2)(A)).

DATES:  Written comments must be submitted on or before March 20, 2000.

ADDRESSES:  Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
5027, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via 
the Internet at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Requests for additional information 
or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Erin Whitworth, U.S. Census Bureau, SFC-2, Rm. 
2228, Washington, DC, 20233-0001, 301-457-8024, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Abstract

    The Census Bureau must provide everyone living or staying in the 
United States on Census Day the opportunity to be counted in Census 
2000. Many programs for non-English speaking respondents have been 
developed to assist in questionnaire response. These programs include 
questionnaires and Be Counted forms in Spanish, Korean, Chinese, 
Tagalog, and Vietnamese; Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs), which 
provide Language Assistance Guides (LAGs) in 49 additional languages; 
bilingual enumerators during follow-up operations, and Telephone 
Questionnaire Assistance (TQA) in

[[Page 2579]]

Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. The Census Bureau 
anticipates that many of the non-English speaking respondents will use 
these programs. However, others may not use these programs for a 
variety of different reasons (i.e., lack of awareness, fear, apathy, 
etc.).
    The U.S. Census Bureau would like to better understand how non-
English speaking respondents cope with the Census. To do this the 
Census Bureau is proposing to conduct a follow-up interview of long-
form respondents that indicate they speak a language other than English 
at home. The types of information collected during the interview will 
address their awareness of the QACs, Be Counted forms, and LAGs; their 
ability to have completed the questionnaire on their own (i.e. did the 
non-English speaking respondent obtain help from a neighbor or someone 
else that speaks English?); and the language of the interview in 
Nonresponse Follow-up (NRFU).

II. Method of Collection

    The reinterview will be conducted by telephone with specially 
trained bilingual interviewers. A telephone reinterview of 
approximately 5,000 cases will be conducted to result in approximately 
1,000 completed cases for each of three languages. The reinterview will 
be done in Spanish, one language to be selected from the remaining four 
in which there are non-English questionnaires (Korean, Chinese, 
Tagalog, and Vietnamese), and one other language to be selected from 
those that have no non-English questionnaires. We plan to select the 
language groups for which the census process is expected to be most 
difficult based on linguistic isolation and other potential barriers to 
enumeration. The prevalence of the non-English language will also be a 
decision factor. The sample will be post-stratified based on the mode 
of response (i.e., English form, non-English form, or enumerator form). 
We will conduct this operation in two waves with the first wave 
composed of those respondents returning a form through the mail, and 
the second wave composed of those respondents enumerated in NRFU. In 
the reinterview, we will attempt to determine: (1) If the respondents 
were aware of the QACs, LAGs, and Be Counted Forms, (2) Why the 
respondents did or did not use those services, and (3) For those 
responding in English yet indicating they do not speak English well, it 
is desired to know from whom they obtained assistance. The interviews 
will be performed May-July 2000, after the availability of the 
appropriate data files from which the sample will be obtained.

III. Data

    OMB Number: Not available.
    Form Number: Not available.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 5000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,667 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: There is no cost to the respondent 
other than the time to provide the requested information.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    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 a 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 respondent; 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: January 12, 2000.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst,
Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-1061 Filed 1-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P