[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 103 (Monday, June 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 26201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12624]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit 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: 2010 Census Integrated Communication Program (ICP) 
Evaluation.
    Form Number(s): Various.
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Burden Hours: 7.100.
    Number of Respondents: 11,200.
    Average Hours per Response: 38 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: Census 2000 was the first decennial census to use a 
paid advertising campaign. The campaign featured use of print and 
broadcast media, as well as outdoor advertising, to emphasize the 
importance of responding to the census. Five advertising agencies were 
used--one to create the core message, and the others to tailor it to 
specific audiences. The Census Bureau also established partnerships 
with many diverse groups at all levels of government, both to publicize 
the census and to encourage participation. Numerous promotions and 
special events were held across the country. The available evidence 
suggests that the Census 2000 Partnership and Marketing Program along 
with other efforts aimed at improving census participation, succeeded 
in reversing a long-term decline in mail response rates (especially in 
traditionally hard-to-enumerate groups), and may also have improved 
cooperation with Census Bureau enumerators, helping to shorten and 
reduce the costs of Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) efforts.
    The 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign (ICC) is 
intended to build on the success of the Census 2000 Partnership and 
Marketing Program. For 2010, the Census Bureau will use an approach 
that integrates a mix of mass media advertising, targeted media 
outreach to specific populations, national and local partnerships, 
grassroots marketing, school-based programs, and special events. By 
integrating these elements with each other and with the Census Bureau's 
2010 operations, the campaign's goal is to more effectively help ensure 
that everyone, especially the hard to enumerate, is reached.
    The Census Bureau will use an independent evaluation of the 2010 
Census ICC to determine if the campaign is achieving its goals. The 
purpose of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the entire 
campaign for paid media/advertising, partnerships, Census in Schools 
program, and other campaign activities. The evaluation will allow 
stakeholders to determine if the significant investment in the 2010 
Census ICC was justified by such outcomes as reduced NRFU burden, 
reduced differential undercount, and increased cooperation with 
enumerators. The 2010 Census Integrated Communications Program (ICP) 
Evaluation is designed as a multi-method approach that will increase 
the depth and breadth of the evidence available for the assessment and 
will support valid, robust, and actionable conclusions about the impact 
of the 2010 Census ICC. The Census Bureau has contracted with the 
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to 
design, conduct, and analyze the 2010 Census ICP Evaluation.
    Complimentary to the NORC evaluation is the Paid Advertising Heavy-
Up Experiment (PAHUE). For this experiment, pairs of DMA's will be 
matched on indicators such as hard to count scores, mail return rates 
in Census 2000, race/ethnic populations, poverty rates, urban/rural 
composition, linguistic isolation population, and number of households. 
Once the DMAs are identified, one-half of each pair will be randomly 
assigned to receive a 50 percent ``heavy-up'' of paid advertising.
    The 2010 Census ICC contract is a major public expenditure and has 
great potential to affect the quality and overall cost of the 2010 
Census. For these reasons, a rigorous and independent evaluation of the 
2010 Census ICC is essential for assessing the success of the 2010 
Census and planning for the 2020 Census.
    The 2010 Census ICP Evaluation must answer the critically important 
questions the Census Bureau has posed about effective communications 
for Census success, and must do this in a statistically rigorous 
manner, defensible to all stakeholders and concerned parties--in the 
Census Bureau; in the U.S. Congress, whose membership, policies, and 
plans depend on the outcome of the decennial census; in other levels 
and entities of government; the Census Advisory Committees; and in the 
research community. Specifically, the evaluation must determine whether 
the 2010 Census ICC achieved its three primary goals: (1) Increasing 
the mail response rate; (2) improving the overall accuracy of the 2010 
Census by reducing differential undercounting of population by race/
ethnicity; and (3) improving cooperation with Census enumerators--all 
by directly and indirectly influencing public awareness, attitudes, 
intentions, and ultimate behaviors.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Sections 141 and 193.
    OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 7845, 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 Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) 
or e-mail ([email protected]).

    Dated: May 27, 2009.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E9-12624 Filed 5-29-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P