[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 139 (Monday, July 21, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43081-43082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-18407]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Coverage 
Research Follow-up

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 September 19, 
2003.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Room 6625, 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 instruments and instructions 
should be directed to Frank Vitrano, U.S. Census Bureau, Building 2, 
Room 2012, Washington, DC 20233-9200, 301-763-3961.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    Improved coverage (See Definition of Terms) is one of the four 
major goals for Census 2010. As part of the effort to meet this goal, 
the Census Bureau is planning a new operation as part of the 2004 
Census Test that will be conducted in two sites--Queens, NY, and three 
rural counties in Georgia (Colquitt, Tift, and Thomas).
    The Coverage Research Follow-up Operation (CRFU), which is intended 
to evaluate the effectiveness of new procedures for improving coverage 
and reducing duplication, will begin after data capture for the 2004 
Census Test has begun. CRFU will gather information regarding the 
presentation of the residence rules instructions (See Definition of 
Terms) and the usefulness of the coverage questions (See Definition of 
Terms) as presented on the 2004 Census Test questionnaire. In addition, 
the CRFU results will provide the Census Bureau with the types of 
possible person duplicates (e.g., cases in which people have the same 
name but different addresses) that should be contacted in order to 
resolve residence status. Data from the CRFU operation are intended to 
help assure that the residence rules instructions and coverage 
questions are simple and easy to understand.
    Approximately 25,000 households will be included in the universe 
for this operation. Approximately 10,000 households will be chosen 
based on responses to the 2004 Census Test coverage questions. These 
households will be drawn both from 2004 Census Test mail returns and 
the Non-response Follow-up (NRFU--See Definition of Terms) returns. In 
addition, about 15,000 households will be followed-up as a result of 
computer matching that identifies them as potential duplicates.

II. Method of Collection

    After the 2004 Census Test data collection, the Census Bureau plans 
to evaluate the effectiveness of new procedures for improving coverage 
and reducing duplication. The two-part CRFU operation will attempt to:
    1. Identify potential person and whole-household duplicates (See 
Definition of Terms) from data collected using the 2004 Census 
questionnaire,
    2. Identify coverage problems from the sample of respondents who 
receive the follow-up questionnaire, and
    3. Identify the reasons duplication and coverage problems occurred 
in the 2004 Census Test.
    The Unduplication segment of CRFU will first computer match census 
data capture files against themselves in order to find potential 
duplicates. Some of these cases, which are either whole household or 
partial household duplicates, will be followed-up in the field. The 
whole household follow-up will be conducted by personal visits since 
many of these cases are expected to be the result of geocoding problems 
or form-delivery mix-ups.
    Partial household cases will first be interviewed by telephone, and 
the Census Bureau will use a personal visit to attempt to resolve the 
``unable to contact'' cases. The goal for the partial household cases 
is to attempt to determine which types can be easily and effectively 
solved using follow-up techniques.
    The follow-up interview will be used to determine where the person 
or household should be counted using Census bureau residence rules 
guidelines.
    The Coverage section of CRFU consists of a sample of the households 
that responded ``yes'' to the undercount or overcount questions (See 
Definition of Terms) as well as a sample of the households that answer 
``no'' to the coverage questions. These households will be contacted 
either by telephone or personal visit, and the enumerator will conduct 
an interview using the Coverage Research Followup Questionnaire. The 
items included in this questionnaire will be probes that are intended 
to indicate whether respondents understood and properly applied the 
residence rules instructions included on the 2004 Census Test form 
(i.e., whether they included all the appropriate persons on their form, 
and excluded persons who should have been counted elsewhere).
    The follow-up questionnaire section of the test will be conducted 
via telephone or by personal visit beginning in mid-June. Households 
that refuse to give information over the telephone and households that 
telephone interviewers are not able to reach will be selected for 
personal visits. Data gathered as a result of these interviews will be 
processed at the National Processing Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Definition of Terms

    Coverage--How well the Census Bureau counts people and housing 
units in the census.
    Coverage Questions (2004 Census Test)--The undercount coverage 
question, which is intended to identify people who may have been 
missed, will ask the respondent if there is anyone other than the 
individuals already listed who sometimes lives or stays at this 
address. The overcount coverage question, which is intended to identify 
people who may have been misreported, asks whether individuals 
sometimes live or stay at some other place.

[[Page 43082]]

    Non-response Follow-up (NRFU)--An operation developed to obtain 
completed questionnaires from housing units for which the Census Bureau 
did not receive a completed questionnaire in mail census areas 
(mailout/mailback, update/leave). Enumerators visit addresses to 
collect the information.
    Residence Rules--Rules that respondents and the Census Bureau use 
to determine where people should be counted. They are meant to insure 
that everyone is counted once and in the right place. The 2004 Census 
Test questionnaire will include re-worded instructions to help 
respondents apply these rules.
    Whole-household Duplicates--Everyone living at a specific address 
is counted more than once.

III. Data

    OMB Number: None.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 25,000.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 18 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 7,500.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Public: There is no cost to 
respondents except for their time to respond.
    Respondent 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 collected; (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 summarized and/
or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: July 15, 2003.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-18407 Filed 7-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P