[Federal Register: May 28, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 103)]
[Notices]
[Page 30602-30603]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28my08-34]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management
and
[[Page 30603]]
Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. chapter 35).
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
Title: The American Community Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0810.
Form Number(s): ACS-1, ACS-1(SP), ACS-1PR, ACS-1PR(SP), ACS-1(GQ),
ACS-1(PR)(GQ), GQFQ, ACS CATI (HU), ACS CAPI (HU), ACS Reinterview
(HU), GQ Reinterview.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Burden Hours: 1,994,500.
Number of Respondents: 3,220,000.
Average Hours Per Response: Household Questionnaire--38 minutes;
Group Quarters Facility Questionnaire--15 minutes; Group Quarters
Individual Questionnaire--25 minutes; Reinterview--10 minutes.
Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests authorization from
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to continue conducting the
American Community Survey (ACS). The Census Bureau has developed a
methodology to collect and update every year demographic, social,
economic, and housing data that are essentially the same as the ``long-
form'' data that the Census Bureau traditionally has collected once a
decade as part of the decennial census. Federal and state government
agencies use such data to evaluate and manage federal programs and to
distribute funding for various programs that include food stamp
benefits, transportation dollars, and housing grants. State, county,
and community governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the
general public use information like housing quality, income
distribution, journey-to-work patterns, immigration data, and regional
age distributions for decision-making and program evaluation.
In years past, the Census Bureau collected the long-form data only
once every 10 years, which become out of date over the course of the
decade. To provide more timely data, the Census Bureau developed the
ACS. The ACS blends the strength of small area estimation with the high
quality of current surveys. There is an increasing need for current
data describing lower geographic detail. The ACS is now the only source
of data available for small-area levels across the Nation and in Puerto
Rico. In addition, there is an increased interest in obtaining data for
small subpopulations such as groups within the Hispanic, Asian, and
American Indian populations, the elderly, and children. The ACS
provides current data throughout the decade for small areas and
subpopulations.
The ACS began providing up-to-date profiles in 2006 for areas and
population groups of 65,000 or more people, providing policymakers,
planners, and service providers in the public and private sectors with
information every year--not just every 10 years. The ACS program will
provide estimates annually for all states and for all medium and large
cities, counties, and metropolitan areas. For smaller areas and
population groups, it will take 3 to 5 years to accumulate information
to provide accurate estimates. After that period of time, the multiyear
estimates will be updated annually.
Using the Master Address File (MAF) from the decennial census that
is updated each year, we will select a sample of addresses, mail survey
forms each month to a new group of potential households, and attempt to
conduct interviews over the telephone with households that have not
responded. Upon completion of the telephone follow-up, we will select a
sub-sample of the remaining households, which have not responded,
typically at a rate of one in three, to designate a household for a
personal interview. Census will also conduct interviews with a sample
of residents at a sample of group quarters (GQ) facilities. Collecting
these data from a new sample of housing unit (HU) and GQ facilities
every month will provide more timely data and will lessen respondent
burden in the 2010 Census.
Census will release a yearly microdata file, similar to the Public
Use Microdata Sample file of the Census 2000 long-form records. In
addition, we will produce total population summary tabulations similar
to the Census 2000 tabulations down to the block group level. The
microdata files, tabulated files, and their associated documentation
are available through the Internet.
The goals of the ACS are to:
Provide federal, state, and local governments an
information base for the administration and evaluation of government
programs;
Improve the 2010 Census; and
Provide data users with timely demographic, housing,
social, and economic data updated every year that can be compared
across states, communities, and population groups.
For the 2009 ACS, modified data collection materials based upon
results of the 2007 ACS Content Test will be used. The content of the
proposed 2009 ACS questionnaire and data collection instruments for
both HU and GQ operations reflect 2007 tested changes to content,
instructions, and forms design.
Census plan to add a new question on field of degree (FOD) of a
person's bachelor's degree beginning in 2009. We also plan to reinstate
a `duration of vacancy' question asked of contacts for vacant units
during the non-response follow-up modes of data collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Frequency: Monthly.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 141, 193 and 221.
OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at
dhynek@doc.gov).
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice
to Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245)
or e-mail (bharrisk@omb.eop.gov).
Dated: May 22, 2008.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-11858 Filed 5-27-08; 8:45 am]
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