Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Household Pulse Survey
| Published date | 19 May 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 29922 |
| Record Number | 2020-10650 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Census Bureau,Commerce Department |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 97 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29922-29923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10650]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Household Pulse
Survey
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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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 a
proposed new information collection of the Household Pulse Survey
During COVID-19 Epidemic, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on
or before July 20, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Cassandra A. Logan, Survey
Director, Household Pulse Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill
Road, ADDP, HQ-7H157, Washington, DC 20233 (or via the internet at
[email protected]). You may also submit comments, identified by
Docket Number USBC-2020-0013, to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received are part of the
public record. No comments will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov
for public viewing until after the comment period has closed. Comments
will generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable
Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word,
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions
should be directed to Cassandra A. Logan, U.S. Census Bureau, ADDP HQ-
7H157, Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-1087 (or via the internet
at [email protected]).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau has developed the Household Pulse Survey as an
experimental endeavor in cooperation with five other federal agencies.
Conducting the Household Pulse Survey during the COVID-19 pandemic will
allow the federal statistical system to demonstrate proof of concept
with respect to its ability to produce near real-time data in a time of
urgent and acute need. Changes in these measures over time will provide
insight into individuals' experiences on social and economic dimensions
during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. This survey, conducted
under the auspices of the Census Bureau's Experimental Data Series
(https://www.census.gov/data/experimental-data-products.html), is
designed to supplement the federal statistical system's traditional
benchmark data products with a new data source that provides relevant
and timely information based on a high quality sample frame, data
integration, and cooperative expertise.
Given the urgency of circumstances associated with the pandemic,
the Census Bureau sought emergency clearance from the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), which OMB granted on April 19, 2020 (OMB
No. 0607-1013). The documentation submitted to OMB for Information
Collection Review is available at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewDocument?ref_nbr=202004-0607-005.
Question domains contributed by the Census Bureau (Census),
Economic Research Service (ERS), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES), and the Department of Housing (HUD) seek
to measure employment status, consumer spending, food security,
housing, health, and education disruptions. Many of the questions that
will be asked on this survey have been fielded on other surveys in the
past. However, some of the questions are new, designed to explore
potential impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic response.
II. Method of Collection
The Census Bureau will conduct this information collection online
using Qualtrics as the data collection platform. Qualtrics currently is
used at the Census Bureau for research and development surveys and
provides the necessary agility to deploy the Household Pulse Survey
quickly and securely. It operates in the Gov Cloud, is FedRAMP
authorized at the moderate level, and has an Authority to Operate from
the Census Bureau to collect personally identifiable and Title-
protected data.
The Census Bureau will sample approximately 2,159,000 housing
units, with an additional approximately 1,100,000 housing units each
subsequent week of data collection. The survey was initiated starting
April 23, 2020, and is planned to take place over the course of 12
weeks. Households will be contacted via email and/or SMS text asked to
complete approximately 50 questions focused on employment, spending,
food security, housing, health and educational disruption. The survey
was estimated to take 20 minutes.
Weekly survey estimates will be produced by weighting the results
to the estimate of the occupied number of housing units from the
American Community Survey at the geographic levels of the nation,
state, and metropolitan area. The Census Bureau expects to refine its
weighting processes over time to make better use of available
information and to reduce nonresponse bias in the estimates.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-1013.
Form Number(s): There are no forms. All data collection is web-
based.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: People and Households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total number of respondents is
estimated at 108,000 per week for 12 weeks for a total of estimated
1,296,000 respondents.
Estimated Time per Response: 20 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 427,794.
[[Page 29923]]
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 182
and 196.
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
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-10650 Filed 5-18-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
