[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 168 (Thursday, August 31, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41432-41433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18472]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the 
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and 
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 on the National 
Science Foundation Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. 
NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless the 
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number 
and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to the 
collection of information that such persons are not required to respond 
to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid 
OMB control number.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including 
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be 
collected; (d) ways to 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.

DATES: Comments regarding these information collections are best 
assured of having their full effect if received October 2, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to: Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science 
Foundation, 725 17th Street NW., Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, and 
to Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1265, Arlington, Virginia 
22230 or send email to [email protected]. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (including federal 
holidays).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton at 
[email protected]. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by 
calling 703-292-7556.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is the second notice for public comment 
on plans to obtain OMB clearance for the Survey of Public Attitudes 
Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology (S&T Attitudes 
Survey); the first notice was published in the Federal Register at 82 
FR 15240, and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed 
renewal submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second notice. 
The full submission may be found at: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    Title of Collection: Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and 
Understanding of Science and Technology.
    OMB Approval Number: 3145-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: Established within the NSF by the America 
COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 Sec.  505, codified in the 
National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, the National 
Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) serves as a 
central Federal clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, 
analysis, and dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, 
technology, and research and development for use by practitioners, 
researchers, policymakers, and the public. The Survey of Public 
Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology (``S&T 
Attitudes Survey'') is part of this NCSES system, focused on public 
support for, understanding of, and attitudes toward science and 
technology. The S&T Attitudes Survey is conducted as one module of the 
General Social Survey (GSS), one of the three large, high quality 
social surveys funded under a grant by the National Science Foundation.
    Use of the Information and Means of Dissemination: The S&T 
Attitudes Survey was established to gather high-quality data on public 
attitudes toward and understanding of science for the NCSES biennial 
publication, Science and Engineering Indicators (SEI). SEI is a 
congressionally mandated report on the status of the science and 
engineering enterprise in the United States, including comparisons with 
other countries. The ``Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and 
Understanding'' chapter of the report is dedicated to public 
understanding of and attitudes toward science and technology. These 
attitudes and understandings may influence students' decisions to 
pursue STEM careers, public support for funding scientific research, 
what technologies are adopted and how, and what public policies are put 
in place. It is expected that the information in Chapter 7 will be used 
by policymakers, journalists, government agencies, researchers, and the 
general public.
    NSF will publish statistics from the survey in NCSES' SEI report 
and possibly in InfoBriefs that focus on particular research topics. 
SEI, Infobriefs, and data tables and figures will be made available 
electronically on the NSF Web site. Public use data files will also be 
developed and made freely available via the Internet.
    Expected Respondents: GSS respondents are a probability sample of 
all noninstitutionalized English and Spanish speaking persons 18 years 
of age or older, living in the United States. The expected number of 
participants is 1,250.
    Estimate of Burden: In the 2014 GSS data collection cycle, 
respondents took an average of 20 minutes to respond to the S&T 
Attitudes Survey module. This is not expected to change. In addition, 
while the target number of participants is 1,250, this can vary 
depending on the systematic assignment of GSS respondents to the S&T 
Attitudes Survey and patterns of non-response. No more than 1,313 
participants are expected for the 2018 GSS. Thus, the total number of 
person-hours expected for the 2018 GSS is at most (20/60) * 1,313 or 
438 hours.
    Updates: Relative to the first Federal Register notice, there is 
one substantive change. The first notice described an older 
methodology. The current methodology is as follows. The sample is a 
multi-stage area probability sample. The geographical units employed 
are national frame areas (NFAs) which are comprised of Metropolitan 
Statistical

[[Page 41433]]

Areas (MSAs) and non-metropolitan counties. The sample is selected 
using the United States Postal Service postal delivery sequence file 
(DSF) and, where the DSF has poor coverage (90% or less), field 
listing. The 17 largest MSAs are included with certainty, while other 
NFAs are sampled with probability proportionate to size (PPS) and with 
implicit stratification by geographic and demographic characteristics. 
Within all selected NFAs, tracts or block groups are further selected 
with PPS and implicit stratification by additional geographic and 
demographic characteristics. The tertiary sampling units, addresses, 
are a random sample from the DSF or, alternatively, a field inventory 
of addresses. When a housing unit is visited by a field interviewer, 
one person is selected to be interviewed from the housing unit at 
random. Not all GSS respondents are given the S&T Attitudes survey, 
which is a module on the GSS. Which GSS respondents get the S&T 
Attitudes module is determined by systematic sampling conducted to 
ensure that each NFA and segment (tract or block group) in the sample 
has an equal number of S&T Attitudes surveys.

    Dated: August 28, 2017.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2017-18472 Filed 8-30-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P