[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 206 (Wednesday, October 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64950-64951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-26125]


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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: 2013 National Census Contact Test.
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number(s): None
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Burden Hours: 4,667.
    Number of Respondents: 40,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 7 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau is committed to using 
alternative approaches for contacting potential respondents, such as 
cell phones, landlines, text messages and emails in an effort to reduce 
costs by increasing self-response. However, developing and implementing 
successful and secure contact and response strategies during the 2020 
Census requires research throughout the next decade. The Census Bureau 
must conduct a series of research projects and tests to fulfill its 
commitment to provide the public with an option to complete their 2020 
Decennial Census questionnaire using these alternate contact strategies 
through a self-response test.
    The 2013 National Census Contact Test (NCCT), formerly named the 
2013 Alternative Contact Strategy Test, supports this alternate contact 
research. The 2013 NCCT will be conducted over the telephone, using a 
Computer Assisted Telephone Instrument (CATI) with approximately 40,000 
households between January 7, 2013, and February 1, 2013. These 
interviews will enable Census staff to assess the quality of the data 
from vendor files that are under consideration for use in the 
construction of an Alternate Contact Frame. The 2013 NCCT questionnaire 
will ask respondents for basic demographic information collected in a 
Census. Demographic information includes questions such as household 
roster, age, race, Hispanic origin, relationship, and sex. The 
questionnaire also takes the approach of requesting email addresses and 
telephone numbers from the respondents. Afterward, the respondent-
provided address, phone numbers, and email addresses will be matched to 
the vendor data being evaluated as well as to the Master Address File 
(MAF). In addition, the NCCT provides an opportunity for the Census 
Bureau to test potential enhancements to its automated processing of 
responses

[[Page 64951]]

lacking a pre-assigned Census Identification number. ``Non-ID 
Processing,'' as it is known within the Census Bureau, compares 
respondent addresses to the MAF, which is a national inventory of 
living quarters addresses compiled and maintained by the Census Bureau. 
In the case of a non-match, Non-ID processing includes the assignment 
of geographic codes to the respondent address, which enables a record 
to be tabulated to the correct geographic area (e.g. State, 
Congressional District, County, Census tract, etc.). Finally, the 
interview contains a question intended to gauge respondents' attitudes 
regarding the collection of Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinate 
data from a respondent's mobile device, such as cellular phone or 
tablet, made available through technology referred to as ``location 
based services.''
    The Census Bureau designed the 2013 National Census Contact Test to 
inform the 2020 Census testing and planning design. The intent is to 
research and validate the quality of the administrative records files, 
which contain alternate contact data to connect with individuals and 
households, such as email addresses and cell phone numbers, as well as 
evaluate enhancements to the Census Bureau's process for matching and 
geocoding Non-ID'd responses. Additionally, responses to the final 
interview question (regarding collection of respondent coordinate 
location) will be compiled and provide some indication of public 
attitude regarding the use of location-based services on mobile devices 
to derive a respondent's location.
    The results from the 2013 NCCT will influence internal Census 
Bureau planning decisions that will guide the design of additional 2020 
Decennial Census testing later this decade. By testing in 2013, we aim 
to establish a baseline approach for multi-mode testing. Testing 
enhancements to Non-ID processing early in the decade will inform early 
planning for the 2020 Census design, as well as the infrastructure 
required to support large-scale processing of electronic Non-ID 
response data submitted via the Internet or a Census-provided 
questionnaire application designed for mobile devices.
    The Census Bureau plans to make the aggregated results of this 
study available to the public. Data from the research will be included 
in reports with clear statements about the limitations and that the 
data were produced for strategic and tactical decision-making and 
exploratory research and not for official estimates. Research results 
may be prepared for presentation at professional meetings or in 
publications in professional journals to promote discussion between the 
larger survey and statistical community, and to encourage further 
research and refinement.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 United States Code, 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 Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0336, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 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 email ([email protected]).

    Dated: October 18, 2012.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-26125 Filed 10-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P