[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 50 (Thursday, March 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9383-9384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04731]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Information Collection Activities, Comment Request
AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood,
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting
comments concerning the proposed revision of the ``The Consumer
Expenditure Surveys: The Quarterly Interview and the Diary.'' A copy of
the proposed information collection request can be obtained by
contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses section of this
notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
Addresses section of this notice on or before May 13, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080,
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also
may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll free
number).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer,
at 202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES
section.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Consumer Expenditure (CE) Surveys collect data on consumer
expenditures, demographic information, and related data needed by the
Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other public and private data users. The
continuing surveys provide a constant measurement of changes in
consumer expenditure patterns for economic analysis and to obtain data
for future CPI revisions. The CE Surveys have been ongoing since 1979.
The data from the CE Surveys are used (1) for CPI revisions, (2) to
provide a continuous flow of data on income and expenditure patterns
for use in economic analysis and policy formulation, and (3) to provide
a flexible consumer survey vehicle that is available for use by other
Federal government agencies. Public and private users of price
statistics, including Congress and the economic policymaking agencies
of the Executive branch, rely on data collected in the CPI in their
day-to-day activities. Hence, data users and policymakers widely accept
the need to improve the process used for revising the CPI. If the CE
Surveys were not conducted on a continuing basis, current information
necessary for more timely, as well as more accurate, updating of the
CPI would not be available. In addition, data would not be available to
respond to the continuing demand from the public and private sectors
for current information on consumer spending.
In the Quarterly Interview Survey (CEQ), each consumer unit (CU) in
the sample is interviewed every three months over four calendar
quarters. The sample for each quarter is divided into three panels,
with CUs being interviewed every three months in the same panel of
every quarter. The CEQ Survey is designed to collect data on the types
of expenditures that respondents can be expected to recall for a period
of three months or longer. In general the expenses reported in the
Interview Survey are either relatively large, such as property,
automobiles, or major appliances, or are expenses which occur on a
fairly regular basis, such as rent, utility bills, or insurance
premiums.
The Diary (or recordkeeping) Survey (CED) is completed at home by
the respondent family for two consecutive one-week periods. The primary
objective of the CED is to obtain expenditure data on small, frequently
purchased items which normally are difficult to recall over longer
periods of time.
[[Page 9384]]
II. Current Action
Office of Management and Budget approval is being sought for the
proposed revision of the Consumer Expenditure Surveys: The Quarterly
Interview and the Diary.
As part of an ongoing effort to improve data quality, maintain or
increase response rates, and reduce data collection costs, CE is
seeking clearance for the Large Scale Feasibility Test(LSF) of Online
Diaries. CE is also requesting clearance for an increase in the sample
sizes of both the CEQ and CED surveys to support CPI.
A production sample of 2,500 cases will be used in the LSF Online
Diary test. In order to accommodate LSF Online Diary test, several
modifications will be made to production procedures and collection
including the addition of two question relating to internet access,
implementation of an online Diary, and the addition of debriefing
questions. The study will be fielded from October 2019 to March 2020
with an expected 1,200 completed cases. The large sample size is needed
in order to perform statistically significant analysis of any
differences in data quality between the online diaries and production
(paper) diaries prior to full production implementation. The study
sample will be further divided into two groups, with one group
receiving a $5 incentive.
The CPI program is changing its source of outlet frame information
from the Telephone Point of Purchase Survey (TPOPS) to the CEQ and CED
surveys. As a result, the sample size for the CE surveys will increase.
III. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in
comments that:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility.
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected.
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, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
Title of Collection: The Consumer Expenditure Surveys: The
Quarterly Interview and the Diary.
OMB Number: 1220-0050.
Type of Review: Revision, of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
Total Response Burden for the Quarterly Interview and Diary Surveys
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Average time
Total Frequency Total per response Estimated
respondents responses (minutes) total burden
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Quarterly Interview Survey...... 6.067 4.4799 27,180 63.57 28,798
Diary Survey.................... 7,734 4.1836 32,356 43.65 23,539
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Totals...................... 13,801 .............. 59,536 .............. 52,337
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Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a
matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, DC, on March 11, 2019.
Mark Staniorski,
Division Chief, Division of Management Systems Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2019-04731 Filed 3-13-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P