[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 48476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22613]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 18, 2017 / 
Notices  

[[Page 48476]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; 30-Day Federal 
Register Notice; National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Title: Fast Track Generic Clearance for the Collection of 
Qualitative Feedback on Customer Satisfaction Surveys.
    OMB Control Number: 0535--New.
    Summary of Collection: Executive Order 12862 directs Federal 
agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the 
best service available in the private sector. Improving National 
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) programs requires ongoing 
assessment of service delivery, by which we mean systematic review of 
the operation of a program, the quality, usability, and ease of 
accessing our surveys and public information compared to a set of 
explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the 
continuous improvement of the program.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information collection 
activity will garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in 
an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's 
commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we 
mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and 
opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative 
results that can be generalized to the population of study. This 
feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder 
perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of 
issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, 
training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or 
services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 
actionable communications between NASS and its customers and 
stakeholders. It will allow feedback to contribute directly to the 
improvement of program management.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance will provide useful 
information, but it will not yield data that can be generalized to the 
overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative 
information will not be used for quantitative information collections 
that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as 
monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such 
data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target 
population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, 
the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the 
precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed 
sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing 
potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any 
testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior fielding the 
study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to 
have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for other 
generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; Business or other for-profit; 
Not-for-profit Institutions and State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 120,000.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 8,375.

Charlene Parker,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-22613 Filed 10-17-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-20-P