[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 59 (Monday, March 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14160-14161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6969]


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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 to the ``American Time Use Survey (ATUS).'' A copy of 
the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by 
contacting the individuals 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 29, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, 202-691-7628. (This 
is not a toll free number.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer, 
202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The ATUS is the Nation's first federally administered, continuous 
survey on time use in the United States.

[[Page 14161]]

It measures, 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, health researchers, 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?
     How does the way people use their time affect their 
health, safety, and well-being?
    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 
ATUS. 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. In this 
interview, respondents are asked to report all of their activities for 
one pre-assigned 24-hour day, which is the day prior to the interview. 
A short series of summary questions and CPS updates follow the core 
time diary collection. After each full year of collection, annual 
national estimates of time use for an average weekday or weekend day 
are available.
    Beginning in January 2010, well-being questions sponsored by the 
National Institute on Aging are proposed to be added to the ATUS. These 
questions will be included in the survey for 12 months (through 
December 2010). These questions will ask respondents to rate on a 0-to-
6 scale how happy, tired, stressed, sad, and in pain they felt during 
randomly selected activities. Respondents will not be asked these 
questions about personal activities. Additional questions will be asked 
about general health, use of pain medications, and interactions with 
others.
    The data from this module will provide a richer description of 
work. Specifically, the results will measure how workers feel during 
work episodes compared to nonwork episodes, and how often and with whom 
workers interact on the job. The results also can be used to measure 
whether the amount of pain varies by occupation and disability status. 
These data will also allow for research into how pain and aging affect 
time usage.
    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 ATUS respondents. Comparisons of activity 
patterns across characteristics such as sex, race, age, disability 
status, 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.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility.
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are 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.
    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 or households.
    Total Respondents: 13,240.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Total Responses: 13,240.
    Average Time per Response: 19.75 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 4,358 hours.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
    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 at Washington, DC, this 24th day of March 2009.
Cathy Kazanowski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 [FR Doc. E9-6969 Filed 3-27-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P