[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 240 (Monday, December 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80813-80814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27427]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7024-N-52]


30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: 2021 American 
Housing Survey; OMB Control No. 2528-0017

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment 
from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. 
The purpose of this notice is to allow for 30 days of public comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: January 13, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: HUD Desk Officer, Office of 
Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 
20503; fax:202-395-5806, Email: OIRA [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, QMAC, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20410; email her at [email protected] or 
telephone 202-402-5535. This is not a toll-free number. Person with 
hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by 
calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Copies 
of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Guido.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is 
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in 
Section A. The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on 
the information collection for a period of 60 days was published on 
Friday August 4, 2020 at 85 FR 47981.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: 2021 American Housing Survey.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-0017.
    Type of Request: Revision of currently approved collection.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
purpose of the American Housing Survey (AHS) is to supply the public 
with detailed and timely information about housing quality, housing 
costs, and neighborhood assets, in support of effective housing policy, 
programs, and markets. Title 12, United States Code, Sections 1701Z-1, 
1701Z-2(g), and 1710Z-10a mandates the collection of this information.
    Like the previous surveys, the 2021 AHS will collect ``core'' data 
on subjects, such as the amount and types of changes in the housing 
inventory, the physical condition of the housing inventory, the 
characteristics of the occupants, housing costs for owners and renters, 
including a redesigned mortgage section, the persons eligible for and 
beneficiaries of assisted housing, remodeling and repair frequency, 
reasons for moving, the number and characteristics of vacancies, and 
characteristics of resident's neighborhood. In addition to the ``core'' 
data, HUD plans to collect supplemental data on the renter housing 
search process, intent to move, housing characteristics that increase 
wildfire risk, household pets, delinquent payments and notices for 
mortgage, rent, or utility bills, and smoking.
    In 2015, the AHS began a new longitudinal panel. The sample design 
has two components: an integrated longitudinal national sample, and an 
independent metropolitan areas longitudinal sample. The integrated 
longitudinal national sample includes three parts: (1) 35,731 national 
cases representative of the US and 9 Census Divisions outside the top 
15 metropolitan areas; (2) 12,060 HUD-assisted oversample cases; and 
(3) 47,175 sample cases of the top 15 metropolitan areas in the US. The 
total integrated longitudinal national sample for 2021 will consist of 
94,966 housing units. In addition to the integrated national 
longitudinal sample, HUD plans to conduct 10 additional metropolitan 
area longitudinal samples, each with approximately 3,000 housing units 
(for a total 30,000 metropolitan area housing units). The 10 additional 
metropolitan area longitudinal samples were last surveyed in 2017.
    To help reduce respondent burden on households in the longitudinal 
sample, the 2021 AHS will make use of dependent interviewing 
techniques,

[[Page 80814]]

which will decrease the number of questions asked. Policy analysts, 
program managers, budget analysts, and Congressional staff use AHS data 
to advise executive and legislative branches about housing conditions 
and the suitability of public policy initiatives. Academic researchers 
and private organizations also use AHS data in efforts of specific 
interest and concern to their respective communities.
    HUD needs the AHS data for the following two reasons:
    1. With the data, policy analysts can monitor the interaction among 
housing needs, demand and supply, as well as changes in housing 
conditions and costs, to aid in the development of housing policies and 
the design of housing programs appropriate for different target groups, 
such as first-time home buyers and the elderly.
    2. With the data, HUD can evaluate, monitor, and design HUD 
programs to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
    HUD intends to test the use of incentives to reduce nonresponse 
bias in the AHS. The proposed incentive project will test whether 
offering incentives to respondents in units both at high risk of 
nonresponse and likely to introduce bias can successfully increase 
responses from groups that would contribute to nonresponse bias. The 
incentive study will compare the sample characteristics of respondents 
randomly selected to receive incentives according to their predicted 
risk of nonresponse and likelihood of introducing bias to the sample 
characteristics of respondents randomly selected to receive incentives 
at random. Additionally, the incentive amounts will be randomly varied 
among respondents selected to receive incentives. Conditions will be 
compared to determine sensitivity to the amount of the incentive in 
motivating response compared to a no-incentive control.
    The incentive project will address the following research 
questions:
    1. Can incentives reduce non-response bias in the AHS?
    2. Where is the inflection point for diminishing marginal returns 
for monetary incentives?
    3. What are the effects of introducing incentives into a panel 
survey on responses in later survey waves?

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                                             Number of     Frequency of    Responses per    Burden hour    Annual burden    Hourly cost
         Information collection             respondents      response          annum       per response        hours       per response     Annual cost
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Occupied Interviews.....................       86,962.00            1.00       86,962.00             .66       57,395.00           $0.00           $0.00
Vacant Interviews.......................       12,788.00            1.00       12,788.00             .33        4,220.00            0.00            0.00
Non-interviews..........................       24,298.00            1.00       24,298.00             .00            0.00            0.00            0.00
Ineligible..............................         3837.00            1.00        3,837.00             .00            0.00            0.00            0.00
    Subtotal............................      127,885.00            1.00      127,885.00             .00             .00            0.00            0.00
Reinterviews............................        8,952.00            1.00        8,952.00             .17        1,522.00            0.00            0.00
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    Total...............................      136,837.00  ..............      136,837.00  ..............       63,137.00  ..............  ..............
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B. Solicitation of Public Comment

    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in 
Section A on the following:
    (1) 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;
    (2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond; including through the use of appropriate 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
    (5) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to 
these questions.

    Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
44 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

Anna P. Guido,
Department Reports Management Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-27427 Filed 12-11-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P