[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58683-58684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23880]


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

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.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: American Community Survey Methods Panel Tests, 2020 
Specialized Mail Materials Test.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0936.
    Form Number(s): ACS-1(X) (2020), ACS internet.
    Type of Request: Non-Substantive Change Request.
    Number of Respondents: 2,016,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 40 minutes for the average household 
questionnaire.
    Burden Hours: No additional burden hours are requested under this 
non-substantive change request.
    Needs and Uses: The American Community Survey (ACS) collects 
detailed socioeconomic data from about 3.5 million housing units in the 
United States and 36,000 in Puerto Rico each year. The ACS also 
collects detailed socioeconomic data from about 195,000 residents 
living in Group Quarter (GQ) facilities. An ongoing data collection 
effort with an annual sample of this magnitude requires that the ACS 
continue research, testing, and evaluations aimed at reducing 
respondent burden, improving data quality, achieving survey cost 
efficiencies, and improving ACS questionnaire content and related data 
collection materials. The ACS Methods Panel is a research program 
designed to address and respond to issues and survey needs.
    Households in sample for the ACS in 2020 are legally required to 
respond to both the ACS and the decennial census. Receiving two sets of 
mailings in one calendar year can be confusing to respondents, which 
can increase the perception that the ACS is burdensome and intrusive 
and decrease the rate of self-response. During the 2010 Census, ACS 
response rates were higher than usual in the first few months of the 
year but were lower than usual in the spring and summer months (Chesnut 
and Davis 2011, Baumgardner 2013). The increased response rates early 
in the year were attributed to the decennial census communications 
campaign while the decrease later in the year was attributed to 
respondent confusion or burden, as respondents had already filled out 
the decennial census form.
    To mitigate these issues, a set of modified mail materials were 
developed with language that directly addresses the difference between 
the ACS and the 2020 Census, in order to differentiate the two. These 
materials will be used during the main response period for the 2020 
Census, March through September. The language modifications in the 2020 
ACS materials are based on an evaluation conducted by the Census Bureau 
in 2010 to examine the use of modified language, color, and branding to 
create a distinct identity for the ACS (Chesnut and Davis 2011). 
Additionally, cognitive interviews of the 2020 ACS modified materials 
were conducted in the fall of 2018.
    In order to assess the effect of the modified messaging in the ACS 
materials the Census Bureau is proposing to conduct the 2020 
Specialized Mail Materials Test. From March through September, the ACS 
will use mail materials that help clarify that these mailings are not 
for the 2020 Census. This will be the control treatment for the 
experiment and will be sent to approximately 264,000 sampled addresses 
each month. The experimental treatment will not contain the modified 
language but otherwise will be the same as the control materials. These 
materials will be sent to approximately 24,000 sampled addresses each 
month from March through September and will also be used for ACS 
production for the remainder of the year (January, February, and 
October through December).

[[Page 58684]]

    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: One-time test, over seven months.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141, 193, 
and 221.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-23880 Filed 10-31-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P