[Federal Register: May 30, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 103)]
[Notices]
[Page 29956-29958]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30my07-38]
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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 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.
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 Reinterivew.
Agency Approval Number: 0607-0810.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Burden: 1,994,500 hours.
Number of Respondents: 3,220,000.
Average Hours Per Response: 37 minutes.
Needs and Uses: 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
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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once every ten years, which become out of date over the course of the
decade. To provide more timely data, the Census Bureau developed an
alternative called the American Community Survey (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 small subpopulations.
In its reengineering efforts for Census 2010, the Census Bureau is
working to achieve a simplified census based on addressing the needs of
different population groups, creating an integrated system for data
capture, processing, and tabulation, and conducting early testing and
evaluation to achieve operational efficiencies. Decennial census data
collection efforts will now be spread throughout the decade. The
operations, and the systems and technologies that support them, will be
revised and improved to support a continuous data collection program.
Currently, the Census Bureau is implementing an alternative census
design. The design retains a short form to conduct a census count and
collect a few basic characteristics and removes the long form from the
decennial census, opting instead to replace the once-a-decade long-form
survey with a continuous annual survey, the American Community Survey.
Given the escalating complexity of collecting data, the separation of
long-form data collection from the 2010 Census is critical. The
American Community Survey achieves this goal.
The American Community Survey provides more timely information for
critical economic planning by governments and the private sector. In
the current information-based economy, federal, state, tribal, and
local decision-makers, as well as private business and nongovernmental
organizations, need current, reliable, and comparable socioeconomic
data to chart the future.
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 ten 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 three to five years to accumulate
information to provide accurate estimates. After that period of time,
the multiyear average estimates will be updated annually.
Using the Master Address File (MAF) from the decennial census that
is updated each year, Census 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, Census
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 HU and GQ
facilities every month will not only provide more timely data but will
lessen respondent burden in the decennial census.
We 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.
For the 2008 ACS, we will use modified data collection materials
based upon results of the 2006 ACS Content Test. The content of the
2008 American Community Survey questionnaire and data collection
instruments for both residential and group quarters operations reflect
2006 tested changes to content, instructions, and forms design. These
survey instruments will also include changes based on wording, format
and instructions of the 2010 Census form for gender, age, relationship,
race, Hispanic origin, and tenure.
The 2006 ACS Content Test resulted in a Census Bureau
recommendation to OMB to modify twelve (seven housing and five
population) question series on the ACS. The modified housing questions
are: Year Structure Built, Value of Property, Number of Rooms, Number
of Bedrooms, Kitchen Facilities, Plumbing Facilities, and Telephone
Service Availability, and Food Stamp Benefit. The modified population
questions are: School Enrollment, Educational Attainment, Residence 1
Year Ago, Disability, and Labor Force Status.
Two ACS questions, veteran years of military service and seasonal
residence, will no longer be included in the ACS. The Veterans
Administration has determined that these data are no longer needed
annually at small geographic areas. The seasonal residence question was
included in the ACS for the Census Bureau to evaluate seasonality
effects. We now have enough data and do not need to continue this data
collection.
The Census Bureau proposes including three new subjects on the ACS:
Health insurance coverage, marital history, and veteran's service-
connected disability ratings.
Census is beginning the once-a-decade process of confirming the
statutory basis of each question on the ACS. Census will be seeking
documentation and confirmation from other Federal agencies to ensure
that every ACS question is fully justified and that data are needed
annually at small geographic areas. This documentation will be
submitted to Congress by March 31, 2008, as required by statute, and to
OMB and the public as well.
Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-
profit organizations, not-for-profit institutions, Farms.
Frequency: Monthly. Respondents are required to provide a response
only once.
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
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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 23, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-10335 Filed 5-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P