[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 14, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 52932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-20502]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    DOC has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance the following proposal for collection of information under 
the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: 2003 National Census Test.
    Form Number(s): DA-11A Questionnaires: DA-1B, DA-1C, DA-1D, DA-1DD, 
DA-1(RH-1), DA-1(RH-2), DA-1(RH-3), DA-1(RH-4), DA-1(RH-5), DA-1(RH-6), 
DA-1(RH-7) Guides: DA-3IVR, DA 3I/IVR.
    Agency Approval Number: None.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Burden: 40,000 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 240,000.
    Avg Hours Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests authorization from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct the two-part 2003 
National Census Test. The first part, which tests self-response 
options, is planned to take advantage of evolving technology. The 
Census Bureau needs to research various self-response options in order 
to develop a strategy that encourages the public to respond to the 
census using either paper or electronic means before Nonresponse 
Followup (NRFU) occurs. This part will examine the impact of offering 
various options on overall response rates and data quality. These 
options include mail, Internet, Telephone Interactive Voice Response 
(IVR), and a combination of Internet and IVR. Also, part of this test 
is designed to address questions about the effectiveness of various 
types of contacts with respondents.
    In part one of this test, we hope to answer the following 
questions:
    1. What is the effect of offering alternative data collection modes 
on response (e.g., increase, decrease, shift)?
    2. What is the effect of new or additional contact strategies on 
overall response?
    3. Do any of the alternative panels offer a gain over the Census 
2000 approach?
    The goal of the self-response options part of the test is to 
identify for further testing, in 2004, the best strategy for increasing 
self-enumerated response to the census, thus reducing the NRFU 
workload. Successful accomplishment of this goal will greatly reduce 
the cost of data collection while improving the data quality of Census 
2010.
    The second part of the test will examine revisions to the question 
on Hispanic origin and race. The goal of this portion of the test is to 
develop question wording and content that will lead to improved self-
reporting of both race and Hispanic origin in the census and surveys. 
In order to obtain more complete reporting of these detailed groups, 
the revisions will include additional examples of ``Other Hispanic, 
``Other Asian'', and ``Other Pacific Islander'' groups for these 
response categories. Adding examples of these groups may improve 
comparability between the decennial census and survey data.
    In addition, we will examine the effect of dropping the ``Some 
other race'' (SOR) response option to the question on race. Although 
the Census Bureau received an exception from the OMB which allowed it 
to include a SOR category in past decennial censuses, this category is 
a source of non-comparability between the decennial census and survey 
data produced by other agencies.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 141 and 193.
    OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter, (202) 395-5103.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Madeleine Clayton, Departmental Paperwork 
Clearance Officer, (202) 482-3129, Department of Commerce, room 6608, 
14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the 
Internet at [email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk Officer, room 10201, New Executive Office 
Building, Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: August 8, 2002.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-20502 Filed 8-13-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P