[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76215-76216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30960]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Evaluation of Responses to the Question on Race

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 February 5, 
2001.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Madeleine Clayton, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
6086, 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 Christine Hough, Bureau of the Census, Building 
2, Rm: 1801-MOD B, Washington, DC 20233-9200, 301-457-4248.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    On October 30, 1997, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
issued revised standards by which all federal agencies, beginning with 
Census 2000, are to collect, tabulate, and present data on race and 
ethnicity. Included in these standards was the identification of five 
racial categories--White, Black or African American, American Indian or 
Alaskan Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 
For the 1990 census, sixteen specific racial response categories that 
collapsed into the 1977 four racial categories were used--White, Black 
or African American, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Asian or 
Pacific Islander. The standards also included changes in the 
terminology used for each group and the sequencing of the questions on 
race and Hispanic origin. In the 1990 census, the question on race 
preceded the question on Hispanic origin with two intervening 
questions. For Census 2000, the question on Hispanic origin is

[[Page 76216]]

immediately before the question on race with a note to respondents to 
answer both questions. The most profound change to the standards was 
that of allowing respondents to report more than one race if they chose 
to do so. Some of the impetus for the OMB change to allow the reporting 
of one or more races came from the increasing number of interracial 
marriages and births to parents of different races in the past 25 to 35 
years. For many census data users, both governmental and non-
governmental as well as the private sector, there is a need to 
understand how the Census 2000 race distributions relate to race 
distributions from previous censuses and current surveys where 
respondents were instructed to report only one race.
    Data by race from most federal surveys currently reflect a 
collection methodology of asking respondents to mark only one race 
category. Users of the Census 2000 data on race will need to compare 
the race distribution from Census 2000 to these other sources. The 
objective of the study is to produce data that will improve users' 
ability to make comparisons between Census 2000 data on race that 
allowed the reporting of one or more races, and data on race from other 
sources that allow single race reporting. The primary goal is to 
improve comparisons of 1990 and Census 2000 race distributions, at 
national and lower geographic levels. Other goals are to facilitate 
comparisons between Census 2000 and Census Bureau surveys which 
instruct respondents to mark one race, and with data from the vital 
records system which uses census data to calculate such indicators as 
birth and death rates.

II. Method of Collection

    The methodology for the evaluation requires that the sample 
households be contacted twice to provide information on race. The 
sample households are mailed an initial questionnaire which they are 
scheduled to receive around July 1, 2001. Approximately one month 
later, the sample households are re-contacted by telephone to collect 
additional race and other information. The evaluation requires the 
administration of both the 1990 question on race and the Census 2000 
question on race in a split panel design. A total sample of about 
50,000 addresses will be selected containing respondents who reported 
more than one race, as well as addresses where respondents reported a 
single race in Census 2000.
    For the initial data collection, one panel of about 25,000 housing 
units will be enumerated using a questionnaire similar to the Census 
2000 short form with the 1990 census instruction to the question on 
race, that is, to ``mark one race.'' The other panel of about 25,000 
housing units will be enumerated using the identical questionnaire, 
except the instruction to the question on race will include the wording 
``mark one or more races.'' Census 2000 data collection methods will be 
used including the mailout/mailback procedure along with personal 
interviewing for those addresses that do not respond via mail. We are 
assuming a 50 percent initial mail response rate. Therefore, 
nonresponse follow-up procedures similar to those used for Census 2000 
will be implemented. Results from each of the panels will be matched to 
their Census 2000 results. The match variables will include the name, 
age, date of birth, and sex of the sample housing unit members. Every 
effort will be made to capture data for people who moved into the 
sample address and ascertain the previous address at which they were 
enumerated in Census 2000. However, no efforts will be made to trace 
movers; that is, we will not ask information about people who have 
moved out of the sample addresses since April 1, 2000.
    A reverse questionnaire design procedure will be used to re-contact 
housing units that participated in the initial data collection. Sample 
housing units that participated in the intial data collection with the 
mark one or more races instruction will be re-contacted by telephone 
and asked to report one race. Those housing units that received the 
mark one race instruction will be asked to mark one or more races. For 
housing units for which there is no telephone, personal interviews will 
be conducted to collect the re-contact information. The questions on 
both the re-contact instruments will be similar; only minor 
modifications will be made to probe for additional information in 
instances where respondents are reluctant to report a single race when 
asked to do so. During the re-contact, every effort will be made to 
speak with the individual who completed the initial questionnaire. To 
facilitate this effort, data from the initial questionnaires will be 
transcribed onto the re-contact instruments. During the re-contact 
interview, respondents will be asked to provide additional relevant 
information, including the race of biological parents, and other 
pertinent social, demographic, and economic data.
    The goal is to produce reliable estimates that replicate, to the 
extent possible, the Census 2000 race distributions in terms of the 
percent reporting a single race, more than one race, and the 
distribution of the responses among a pre-determined number of possible 
race combinations. It is likely that less than 20 combinations will be 
identified.

III. Data

    OMB Number: Not available.
    Form Number(s): S-698A, S-698B.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 25,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: There is no cost to respondents except 
for their time to respond.
    Respondents Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 of the 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: November 30, 2000.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-30960 Filed 12-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P