[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15896-15897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6120]



[[Page 15896]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Proposed Collection, Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to 
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, 
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed revision of the ``American Time Use Survey (ATUS).'' A copy of 
the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by 
contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses section of this 
notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
Addresses section of this notice on or before May 31, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, telephone number 
(202) 691-5118. (This is not a toll free number.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
telephone number (202) 691-5118. (See Addresses section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    According to economist William Nordhaus, ``Inadequate data on time 
use is the single most important gap in federal statistics'' (1997). 
Approximately 50 other countries collect, or will soon collect, time-
use data. Such data are considered important indicators of quality of 
life. They measure, for example, time spent with children, working, 
sleeping, or doing leisure activities. In the United States, several 
existing Federal surveys collect income and wage data for individuals 
and families, and analysts often use such measures of material 
prosperity as proxies for quality of life. Time-use data substantially 
augment these quality-of-life measures. The data also can be used in 
conjunction with wage data to evaluate the contribution of non-market 
work to national economies. This enables comparisons of production 
between nations that have different mixes of market and non-market 
activities.
    The ATUS develops nationally representative estimates of how people 
spend their time. Respondents also report who was with them during 
activities, where they were, how long each activity lasted, and if they 
were paid.
    All of this information has numerous practical applications for 
sociologists, economists, educators, government policymakers, 
businesspersons, lawyers, and others, potentially answering the 
following questions:
     Do the ways people use their time vary across demographic 
and labor force characteristics, such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, 
employment status, earnings, and education?
     How much time do parents spend in the company of their 
children, either actively providing care or being with them while 
socializing, relaxing, or doing other things?
     How are earnings related to leisure time--do those with 
higher earnings spend more or less time relaxing and socializing?
     Where do people work--at a workplace, in their homes, or 
someplace else?
     For application in personal injury or wrongful death 
cases, how much non-market work, such as child care or housework, is 
done by members of selected demographic groups? This input helps 
lawyers to approximate a value of such work in these cases.
    The ATUS data are collected on an ongoing, monthly basis, so time 
series data will eventually become available, allowing analysts to 
identify changes in how people spend their time.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
revision of the American Time Use Survey. This survey collects 
information on how individuals in the United States use their time. 
Collection is done on a continuous basis with the sample drawn monthly. 
The survey sample is drawn from households completing their final month 
of interviews for the Current Population Survey (CPS). Households are 
selected to ensure a representative demographic sample, and one 
individual from each household is selected to take part in one Computer 
Assisted Telephone Interview. The interview asks respondents to report 
all of their activities for one pre-assigned 24-hour day, the day prior 
to the interview. A short series of summary questions and CPS updates 
follows the core time diary collection.
    Beginning in October 2005, after the summary questions and CPS 
updates, a few questions sponsored by the Economic Research Service of 
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be asked. These 
questions will be included in the survey for up to 27 months (through 
December 2007). An evaluation of question performance will be done 
during the first year to determine the full fielding period. These 
questions will measure time respondents spent doing ``secondary 
eating'' (eating while doing something else). They also will measure 
respondent height and weight in order to enable the computation of 
respondent body mass index (BMI). In addition, there will be questions 
about household grocery shopping and food preparation, participation in 
school meal programs for household children, and eligibility for food 
stamp benefits. After each full year of collection, annual national 
estimates of time use for an average weekday or weekend day will be 
available.
    Because the ATUS sample is a subset of households completing 
interviews for the CPS, the same demographic information collected from 
that survey is available for the ATUS respondents. Comparisons of 
activity patterns, including secondary eating, and answers from other 
USDA-sponsored questions across characteristics such as sex, race, age, 
and education of the respondent, as well as the presence of children 
and the number of adults living in the respondent's household, are 
possible.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: American Time Use Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0175.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Total Respondents: 13,920.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Total Responses: 13,920.
    Average Time Per Response: 24 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 5,568 hours.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.

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III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the collection of this information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information has practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information that is collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those asked to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed in Washington, DC, this 21st day of March, 2005.
Cathy Kazanowski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 05-6120 Filed 3-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P