[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 187 (Friday, September 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60494-60495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21156]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 2021 
National Survey of College Graduates

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request.

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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. This is the second 
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal 
Register, and two comments were received. NSF is forwarding the 
proposed submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, VA 22314, 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).
    Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 infor Title of 
Collection: Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
    OMB Control Number: 3145-0141.
    Summary of Collection: The National Survey of College Graduates 
(NSCG) has been conducted biennially since the 1970s. The 2021 NSCG 
sample will be selected from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 
and the 2019 NSCG, providing coverage of the college graduate 
population residing in the United States. The purpose of this repeated 
cross-sectional survey is to collect data that will be used to provide 
national estimates on the science and engineering workforce and changes 
in their employment, education, and demographic characteristics.
    The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as subsequently 
amended, includes a statutory charge to ``. . . provide a central 
clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data 
on scientific and engineering resources, and to provide a source of 
information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal 
Government.'' The NSCG is designed to comply with these mandates by 
providing information on the supply and utilization of the nation's 
scientists and engineers.
    The U.S. Census Bureau, as in the past, will conduct the NSCG for 
NSF. The survey data collection will begin in February 2021 using web 
and mail questionnaires. Nonrespondents to the web or mail 
questionnaire will be followed up by computer-assisted telephone 
interviewing. The individual's response to the survey is voluntary. The 
survey will be conducted in conformance with Census Bureau statistical 
quality standards and, as such, the NSCG data will be afforded 
protection under the applicable Census Bureau confidentiality statutes.
    Use of the Information: NSF uses the information from the NSCG to 
prepare congressionally mandated reports such as Women, Minorities and 
Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering and Science and 
Engineering Indicators. A public release file of collected data, 
designed to protect respondent confidentiality, will be made available 
to researchers on the internet.
    Expected Respondents: A statistical sample of approximately 169,000 
persons will be contacted in 2021. This 169,000 sample is a 5,000 case 
increase over the sample size listed in the first notice for public 
comment in the Federal Register at 85 FR 23537. The larger sample size 
enables the inclusion of a non-production bridge panel as part of the 
2021 NSCG to quantify the potential impact of question wording 
modifications on key survey estimates. NSF estimates the 2021 NSCG 
response rate to be 65 to 75 percent.
    Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete the 
questionnaire may vary depending on an individual's circumstances; 
however, on average it will take approximately 25 minutes to complete 
the survey. NSF estimates that the average annual burden for the 2021 
NSCG over the course of the three-year OMB clearance period will be no 
more than 17,604 hours [(169,000 sample persons x 75% response x 25 
minutes)/3 years].
    Comments: As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), comments on the 
information collection activities as part of this study were solicited 
through the publication of a 60-Day Notice in the Federal Register on 
28 April 2020, at 85 FR 23537. We received two comments. The nature of 
each comment and our responses are summarized below.
    Comment: On 28 April 2020, Dr. Andrew Reamer of George Washington 
University sent an email to NSF on behalf of the American Economic 
Association's Committee on Economic Statistics. He requested the draft 
information collection request (ICR) materials for the 2021 NSCG and 
asked whether any changes were proposed for the 2021 NSCG compared to 
the 2019 NSCG.
    Response: NSF responded to Dr. Reamer on 7 May 2020, explaining 
that the 2021 NSCG ICR materials were in the process of being prepared 
and that there were no substantive changes planned. He was directed to 
the 2019 NSCG questionnaires on the NSF website, which would be updated 
to reflect the survey year. After NSF

[[Page 60495]]

decided to consider revisions to NSCG questionnaire items to gauge the 
effects of the coronavirus pandemic on workforce issues, a follow-up 
email was sent to Dr. Reamer on 8 July 2020, informing him that revised 
items were being developed for testing and any proposed revisions would 
be included in the ICR submitted to OMB.
    Comment: On 28 June 2020, Dr. Jon Freeman of New York University 
sent an email to NSF on behalf of the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Educational Research 
Association (AERA). He requested that measures of sexual orientation 
and gender identity (SOGI) be included in the 2021 NSCG and other 
future surveys of the National Center for Science and Engineering 
Statistics (NCSES).
    Response: NSF responded to Dr. Freeman on 21 September 2020, 
informing him that NCSES intends to pursue research into the 
feasibility of collecting consistent and reliable SOGI data from 
individuals. However, due to time and resource constraints, no SOGI 
measures would be ready for inclusion in the 2021 NSCG.
    Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; and (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.

    Dated: September 21, 2020.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2020-21156 Filed 9-24-20; 8:45 am]
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