[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 112 (Monday, June 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34338-34339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14016]


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 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Survey of 
Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2013 Event History Calendar--
Field Test

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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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: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before August 10, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 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 instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Nathaniel McKee, Census Bureau, Room HQ-7H137 
Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-5244 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to conduct a field test for the 2013 SIPP 
Event History Calendar (SIPP-EHC) from January to March of 2013. The 
SIPP is a household-based survey designed as a continuous series of 
national panels. The SIPP represents a source of information for a wide 
variety of topics and allows the integration of information for 
separate topics to form a single, unified database allowing for the 
examination of the interaction between tax, transfer, and other 
government and private policies. Government domestic policy formulators 
depend heavily upon the SIPP information concerning the distribution of 
income received directly as money or indirectly as in-kind benefits and 
the effect of tax and transfer programs on that distribution. They also 
need improved and expanded data on the income and general economic and 
financial situation of the U.S. population, which the SIPP has provided 
on a continuing basis since 1983. The SIPP has measured levels of 
economic well-being and permitted measurement of changes in these 
levels over time.
    The SIPP-EHC is molded around a central ``core'' of labor force and 
income questions that are supplemented with questions designed to 
address specific needs in complementary subject areas. The 2013 SIPP-
EHC again uses an Event History Calendar (EHC) that facilitates the 
collection of dates of events and spells of coverage, as did the 2010, 
2011, and 2012 SIPP-EHC.
    The content of the 2013 SIPP-EHC will match that of the 2012 SIPP-
EHC very closely. The SIPP-EHC design does not contain freestanding 
topical modules; however, a portion of traditional SIPP topical module 
content is integrated into the 2013 SIPP-EHC interview. Examples of 
this content include questions on medical expenses, child care, 
retirement and pension plan coverage, marital history, adult and child 
well-being, and others. The EHC should assist the respondent's ability 
to recall events accurately over the longer reference period and 
provide increased data quality and inter-topic consistency for dates 
reported by respondents.
    The 2013 SIPP-EHC field test will revisit survey respondents who 
were first interviewed in the 2011 SIPP-EHC field test and then again 
in the 2012 SIPP-EHC field test. The 2013 SIPP-EHC will interview 
respondents using the previous calendar year 2012 as the reference 
period and is the final evaluation in the transition of the SIPP 
program to annual interviewing. The 2013 SIPP-EHC will be the second 
test of the revised interviewing method structure that will follow 
adults (age 15 years and older) who move from the prior wave household, 
as well as the second test incorporating dependent data from the prior 
wave in the current EHC interview. Dependent data, which is information 
collected from the prior wave interview brought forward to the current 
interview, is a crucial component added to the 2012 SIPP-EHC to reduce 
the possible impact of seam bias for longitudinal uses of the monthly 
data. The 2013 SIPP-EHC will be the first opportunity to evaluate 
situations where original sample people (OSP) have the chance to have 
moved out in the prior wave and then return. The 2013 SIPP-EHC will be 
the last opportunity before full production to refine instrument 
improvements, evaluate the ability to follow movers, implement 
dependent data use, and produce an initial evaluation of attrition 
related to the new instrument design and interview interval. Although 
the sample is limited to high-poverty strata in 20 states and cannot 
represent the characteristics of the test if implemented in a full 
nationally representative sample, we can effectively compare the same 
geographies and characteristics for the same period in the 2008 panel 
of the production SIPP. As with the 2012 field test, 2013 SIPP-EHC will 
be a critical final test for the functionality of all of the 
interrelated systems to locate and re-interview respondents after a 
year.
    The Census Bureau plans to use Computer Assisted Recorded Interview 
(CARI) technology for some of the respondents during the 2013 SIPP-EHC. 
CARI is a data collection method that captures audio along with 
response data during computer-assisted personal and telephone 
interviews (CAPI & CATI). With the respondent's consent, a portion of 
each interview is recorded unobtrusively and both the sound file and 
screen images are returned with the response data to a central location 
for coding. The CARI technology will be used in conjunction with the 
2013 SIPP-EHC and add about 1,000 burden hours to the overall total for 
2013. The CARI respondents for the 2013 field test were first 
interviewed and recorded during the 2012 SIPP-EHC CARI field test, 
which was a separate sample utilizing a CARI enabled version of the 
2012 SIPP-EHC instrument. In 2013, the CARI sample will be combined 
with the SIPP-EHC sample, which will test the capability of the SIPP-
EHC instrument to perform multiple paths during the same interview 
period. The SIPP-EHC

[[Page 34339]]

CARI sample is a Wave 2 interview, while the 2012 SIPP-EHC sample will 
be in its third wave for 2013. The CARI recordings will not be limited 
to only the previously recorded cases; instead, the sample will contain 
both previously recorded cases and some Wave 3 cases that will be 
recorded in 2013. This is a critical evaluation, as evidence from 
external surveys suggests that simply asking the consent question could 
be associated with a significant increase in survey length. External 
researchers at the Institute for Social Research at the University of 
Michigan suspect that improved FR adherence to protocol is one of the 
sources for the longer interviews. Additionally, we need information on 
the association between CARI, interview length, and interview quality.
    By reviewing the recorded portions of the interview, quality 
assurance analysts can evaluate the likelihood that the exchange 
between the field representative and respondent is authentic and 
follows critical survey protocol as defined by the sponsor and based on 
best practices. The 2013 SIPP-EHC field test instrument will utilize 
the CARI Interactive Data Access System (CARI System), an innovative, 
integrated, multifaceted monitoring system that features a configurable 
web-based interface for behavior coding, quality assurance, and 
coaching. This system assists in coding interviews for measuring 
question and interviewer performance and the interaction between 
interviewers and respondents.
    Approximately 3,000 households are expected to be interviewed for 
the 2013 SIPP-EHC field test, which is comprised of approximately 2,000 
cases returning for a third wave from the 2012 SIPP-EHC and 
approximately 1,000 cases returning for a second wave from the 2012 
SIPP-EHC CARI. We estimate that each household contains 2.1 people aged 
15 and above, yielding approximately 6,300 person-level interviews in 
this field test. Interviews take 60 minutes per adult on average, 
consequently the total annual burden for 2013 SIPP-EHC field test 
interviews will be 6,300 hours in FY 2013.

II. Method of Collection

    The 2013 SIPP-EHC field test instrument will consist of one 
household interview that will reference the calendar year 2012. The 
interview is conducted in person with all household members 15 years 
old or over using regular proxy-respondent rules.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0957.
    Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,300 people.
    Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes per person on average.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,300.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is their 
time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182.

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 information; 
(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 be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: June 5, 2012.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-14016 Filed 6-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P