[Federal Register: October 24, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 206)]
[Notices]
[Page 53774-53775]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24oc01-34]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 5 of the
2001 Panel
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public
and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on
proposed or continuing information collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 24,
2001.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room
6086, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via
the Internet at MClayton@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions
should be directed to Judith H. Eargle, Census Bureau, FOB 3, Room
3387, Washington, DC 20233-0001, (301) 457-3819.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau conducts the SIPP which is a household-based
survey designed as a continuous series of national panels. New panels
are introduced every few years with each panel usually having durations
of one to four years. Respondents are interviewed at 4-month intervals
or ``waves'' over the life of the panel. The survey is molded around a
central ``core'' of labor force and income questions that remain fixed
throughout the life of the panel. The core is supplemented with
questions designed to address specific needs, such as obtaining
information on school enrollment, child support agreements, adult and
child disabilities and employer provided health benefits. These
supplemental questions are included with the core and are referred to
as ``topical modules.''
The SIPP represents a source of information for a wide variety of
topics and allows information for separate topics to be integrated to
form a single,
[[Page 53775]]
unified database so that the interaction between tax, transfer, and
other government and private policies can be examined. Government
domestic-policy formulators depend heavily upon the SIPP information
concerning the distribution of income received directly as money or
indirectly as in-kind benefits and the effect of tax and transfer
programs on this distribution. They also need improved and expanded
data on the income and general economic and financial situation of the
U.S. population. The SIPP has provided these kinds of data on a
continuing basis since 1983 permitting levels of economic well-being
and changes in these levels to be measured over time.
The 2001 Panel is currently scheduled for three years and will
include nine waves of interviewing beginning February 2001.
Approximately 50,000 households will be selected for the 2001 Panel, of
which 37,500 are expected to be interviewed. We estimate that each
household will contain 2.1 people, yielding 78,750 interviews in Wave 1
and subsequent waves. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. Three
waves of interviewing will occur in the 2001 SIPP Panel during FY 2002.
The total annual burden for the 2001 Panel SIPP interviews would be
118,125 hours in FY 2002.
The topical modules for the 2001 Panel Wave 5 collect information
about:
School Enrollment and Financing.
Child Support Agreements.
Support for Non-Household Members.
Adult Disability.
Child Disability.
Employer--Provided Health Benefits.
Wave 5 interviews will be conducted from June 2002 through
September 2002.
A 10-minute reinterview of 2,500 people is conducted at each wave
to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews would require an
additional 1,253 burden hours in FY 2002.
An additional 2,100 burden hours is requested in order to continue
the SIPP Methods Panel testing. The test targets SIPP items and
sections that require thorough and rigorous testing in order to improve
the quality of core data.
II. Method of Collection
The SIPP is designed as a continuing series of national panels of
interviewed households that are introduced every few years with each
panel having durations of one to four years. All household members 15
years old or over are interviewed using regular proxy-respondent rules.
During the 2001 Panel, respondents are interviewed a total of nine
times (nine waves) at 4-month intervals making the SIPP a longitudinal
survey. Sample people (all household members present at the time of the
first interview) who move within the country and reasonably close to a
SIPP primary sampling unit will be followed and interviewed at their
new address. Individuals 15 years old or over who enter the household
after Wave 1 will be interviewed; however, if these individuals move,
they are not followed unless they happen to move along with a Wave 1
sample individual.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0607-0875.
Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
Type of Review: Regular.
Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 78,750 people per wave.
Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes per person, on average.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 121,478.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is their
time.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182.
IV. Request for 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
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized or
included in the request for the Office of Management and Budget
approval of this information collection. They also will become a matter
of public record.
Dated: October 18, 2001.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-26736 Filed 10-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P