8756 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 9, 2021 / Notices 

statements to make lending decisions as 

to borrowers’ credit worthiness and to 

assure that loan funds are approved, 

advanced and disbursed for proper RE 

Act purposes. These financial 

statements are audited by a certified 

public accountant to provide 

independent assurance that the data 

being reported are properly measured 

and fairly presented. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 8.17 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Business or other forprofit, Not-for-profit institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents 

and Recordkeepers: 1,300. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1.35. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

1,764. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 14,420 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Lauren Cusick, 

Regulations and Paperwork 

Management Branch, at (202) 720–1414. 

Email: Lauren.Cusick@usda.gov.) 205– 

3660, Fax: (202) 720–8435. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Christopher McLean, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–02600 Filed 2–8–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; American Community Survey 

Methods Panel Tests 

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment on the proposed revision of 

the American Community Survey 

Methods Panel Tests prior to the 

submission of the information collection 

request (ICR) to OMB for approval. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before April 12, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments by 

email to acso.pra@census.gov. Please 

reference American Community Survey 

Methods Panel Tests in the subject line 

of your comments. You may also submit 

comments, identified by Docket Number 

USBC–2021–0002, 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 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to G. Brian 

Wilson, U.S. Census Bureau, American 

Community Survey Office, 301–763– 

2819, George.Brian.Wilson@census.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The American Community Survey 

(ACS) is an ongoing monthly survey that 

collects detailed housing and 

socioeconomic data from about 3.5 

million addresses in the United States 

and about 36,000 addresses in Puerto 

Rico each year. The ACS also collects 

detailed socioeconomic data from about 

195,000 residents living in group 

quarters (GQ) facilities in the United 

States and Puerto Rico. Resulting 

tabulations from this data collection are 

provided on a yearly basis. The ACS 

allows the Census Bureau to provide 

timely and relevant housing and 

socioeconomic statistics, even for low 

levels of geography. 

An ongoing data collection effort with 

an annual sample of this magnitude 

requires that the ACS continue research, 

testing, and evaluations aimed at 

improving data quality, reducing data 

collection costs, and improving the ACS 

questionnaire content and related data 

collection materials. The ACS Methods 

Panel is a research program designed to 

address and respond to survey issues 

and needs. As part of the Decennial 

Census Program, the ACS also provides 

an opportunity to research and test 

elements of survey data collection that 

relate to the decennial census. As such, 

the ACS Methods Panel can serve as a 

testbed for the decennial census. From 

2021 to 2024, the ACS Methods Panel 

may test ACS and decennial census 

methods for reducing survey cost, 

addressing respondent burden, and 

improving survey response, data 

quality, and survey efficiencies. The 

ACS Methods Panel may also address 

other emerging needs of the programs. 

At this time, plans are in place to 

propose several tests related to selfresponse, group quarters, and 

nonresponse follow up data collection 

operations. Tests may also be conducted 

to explore the use of administrative 

records. Because the ACS Methods 

Panel is designed to address emerging 

issues, we may propose additional 

testing as needed. Any testing would 

focus on methods for reducing data 

collection costs, improving data quality, 

improving the respondent experience, 

revising content, or testing new 

questions that have a need to be 

included in the Decennial Census 

Program. The proposed tests are 

outlined below. 

Self-Response Mail Messaging and 

Contact Strategies Testing: In response 

to declining response rates and 

increasing costs, the Census Bureau 

plans to study methods to increase selfresponse, the least expensive mode of 

data collection. The Census Bureau 

currently sends up to five mailings to a 

sampled address to inform the 

occupants that their address has been 

selected to participate in the ACS and 

to encourage them to self-respond to the 

ACS. The proposed tests would evaluate 

changes to the mailings, such as using 

plain language to improve 

communication, changing the look and 

feel of the materials, updating messages 

to motivate response, and adding or 

removing materials included in the 

mailings. Changes to the contact 

method, the number of contacts, and the 

timing of the contacts may also be 

tested. Multiple tests may be conducted. 

Respondent Feedback Pilot Test: 

Currently, ACS participants who want 

to give feedback on their survey 

experience must call, email, or send 

letters directly to the Census Bureau. 

The Census Bureau is considering 

adding a method for participants to 

provide feedback at the end of the 

survey. Because collecting respondent 

feedback of this nature is new to the 

ACS, we conducted cognitive testing to 

inform recommendations on its wording 


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and display. Additionally, we wanted to 

learn about participants’ perceptions 

about having this type of item on the 

ACS generally, including whether they 

understood its purpose. Cognitive 

testing resulted in recommended 

wording for the feedback question and 

indicated that respondents understood 

the purpose of the feedback question 

(Katz, forthcoming). The Census Bureau 

is now ready to pilot a feedback 

question to establish a way to process 

the comments and evaluate the type of 

comments received. Respondents will 

not be required to answer the feedback 

question. 

Testing the Use of Administrative 

Data: The Census Bureau has made 

significant progress exploring the use of 

administrative data in surveys and 

censuses, potentially as a substitute for 

questions asked of respondents. 

Administrative data refer to data 

collected by government agencies and 

other sources for the purposes of 

administering programs or providing 

services. The Census Bureau has 

evaluated the availability and suitability 

of several different data sources for use 

in the ACS to replace or supplement 

questions pertaining to telephone 

service, the year a residence was built, 

condominium status, income, residence 

one year ago, and self-employment 

income. We are currently exploring 

administrative data use to replace or 

supplement questions pertaining to 

property values, property taxes, and 

acreage. Similarly, we plan to evaluate 

the availability and suitability of using 

administrative records in lieu of 

enumeration for institutional GQs (U.S. 

Census Bureau, 2017). 

Administrative data may also be used 

to reduce burden of existing questions 

by allowing for modification of the 

questions. For example, the ACS asks 

respondents to provide their total 

income for the past 12 months as well 

as income received from various sources 

(wages, interest, retirement income, 

etc.). By supplementing data collection 

on income with administrative records, 

we may be able to modify questions to 

only ask about the source of income 

rather than the amount. We are 

cognitively testing this change as well as 

changing the reference year from the 

past 12 months to the previous calendar 

year to align with administrative records 

sources. As a continuation of this 

research, the Census Bureau proposes a 

field test of revised content for income 

as well as other topics both for the 

housing unit questionnaire as well as 

the GQ questionnaire. Some questions 

may be modified while others would be 

removed. Multiple tests may be 

conducted. 

Group Quarters Testing: The ACS 

samples about 19,000 GQ facilities each 

year. A GQ is a place where people live 

or stay in a group living arrangement 

that is owned or managed by an entity 

or organization providing housing and/ 

or services for the residents. There are 

two categories of GQs: Institutional and 

noninstitutional. Institutional GQs 

include places such as correctional 

facilities and nursing homes. 

Noninstitutional GQs include college 

housing, military barracks, and 

residential treatment centers. Most 

interviews conducted in GQs are 

interviewer-administered (94 percent of 

interviews in institutional GQs and 75 

percent in noninstitutional GQs), but 

some GQ respondents self-respond 

using a paper questionnaire. The Census 

Scientific Advisory Committee Working 

Group on Group Quarters in the ACS 

recommended that the Census Bureau 

consider making ‘‘an internet version of 

the ACS available to noninstitutional 

GQ residents, especially in college 

dorms, military barracks, and group 

homes.’’ Additional support was 

identified for this proposal in a 

workshop held in 2016 with the 

National Academies of Science 

Committee on National Statistics 

(National Academies of Sciences, 

Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). The 

Census Bureau proposes a field test of 

an internet ACS self-response GQ form 

for residents in noninstitutional GQs. 

We would evaluate the quality of the 

data received from the internet 

instrument compared with traditional 

data collection methods for GQs (paper 

questionnaires and intervieweradministered) as well as assess 

operational issues with offering the 

internet option, including feedback from 

interviewers. 

Content Testing: Working through the 

Office of Management and Budget 

Interagency Committee for the ACS, the 

Census Bureau solicited proposals from 

other Federal agencies to change 

existing questions or add new questions 

to the ACS. These proposals included 

changes to the following questions: 

Household roster, educational 

attainment, health insurance, disability, 

means of transportation to work, 

income, weeks worked, Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 

condominium fees, and home heating 

fuel. Additionally, three new questions 

on solar panels, electric vehicles, and 

sewage disposal were proposed. The 

objective of content testing is to 

determine the impact of changing 

question wording and response 

categories, as well as redefining 

underlying constructs, on the quality of 

the data collected. The Census Bureau 

proposes evaluating changes to current 

questions by comparing the revised 

questions to the current ACS questions. 

For new questions, the Census Bureau 

proposes comparing the performance of 

two versions of any new questions and 

benchmark results with other wellknown sources of such information. The 

questions would be tested using all 

modes of data collection. Response bias 

or variance may also be measured to 

evaluate the questions by conducting a 

follow up interview with respondents. 

Multiple tests may be conducted. 

Additional content testing may include 

a shift in the content collection strategy 

for the fifth person in the household on 

the paper questionnaire. In order to 

reduce respondent burden for large 

households who self-respond using the 

paper questionnaire, as well as 

potentially increase self-response by 

reducing the size of the paper 

questionnaire, one testing proposal 

includes no longer collecting detailed 

data for Person 5 on the paper 

questionnaire (i.e., the same items 

collected for Person 1 through 4) and 

only collecting basic demographic 

information (as is currently done for 

Person 6 through Person 12). Detailed 

person information for households with 

five or more people would be collected 

through a telephone follow-up, similar 

to what is currently done for households 

with six or more people. 

Internet Instrument Testing: In 2013, 

the ACS incorporated the use of an 

internet instrument to collect survey 

responses. The design of the instrument 

reflected the research and standards of 

survey data collection at that time. With 

a growing population using the internet 

to respond to the ACS, as well as the 

increased use of smartphones and other 

electronic devices with smaller screens, 

an evaluation and redesign of the 

internet instrument is needed. Design 

elements will be developed and tested 

based on input from experts in survey 

methodology and web survey design. 

Testing may include revisions focused 

on improving login procedures and 

screen navigation, improving the user 

interface design, as well as methods to 

decrease respondent burden. Multiple 

tests may be conducted. 

Respondent Help Testing: If 

respondents need help completing the 

ACS or have questions, they can call the 

Telephone Questionnaire Assistance 

(TQA) toll-free hotline. When 

respondents call the TQA, they enter an 

Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) 

system, which provides some basic 

information on the ACS and recorded 

answers to frequently asked questions. 

Callers can also request to speak directly 


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to a Census Bureau employee. The 

Census Bureau is proposing potential 

testing of changes to the IVR system to 

improve content and efficiencies in the 

system. Other methods of offering help 

to respondents may also be explored 

and tested, such as the use of chatbots 

and live online chat assistance. 

Nonresponse Follow up Data 

Collection Testing: The Census Bureau 

is proposing to evaluate the use of 

adaptive survey design techniques for 

the ACS nonresponse follow up 

operation (typically referred to as the 

ACS CAPI operation). Models and rules 

would be developed to predict case 

outcomes and determine interventions 

for a case, such as assigning a case to a 

refusal specialist. The models and rules 

would also prioritize cases based on the 

likelihood of completing an interview. 

The adaptive approach would be 

evaluated by comparing results to 

traditional methods of case assignment 

and progress. 

II. Method of Collection 

The American Community Survey is 

collected via the following modes: 

internet, paper questionnaire, telephone 

interview, and in-person interview 

(CAPI). The Census Bureau sends up to 

five mailings to eligible housings units 

to encourage self-response. Respondents 

may receive help by utilizing an IVR 

system (though response cannot be 

provided by IVR). Respondents can also 

call our TQA for help or to respond. 

Interviewers may visit a housing unit or 

sampled GQ facility to conduct an 

interview in person or may conduct the 

interview by phone. Administrative 

records are also used to replace, 

supplement, and support data 

collection. ACS Methods Panel Tests 

use all of these modes of data collection 

or a subset of the modes, depending on 

the purpose of the test. Specific modes 

for the tests are noted below. 

Self-Response Mail Messaging and 

Contact Strategies Testing evaluate 

mailout materials that solicit selfresponse using internet, paper 

questionnaire, and telephone responses. 

Tests will include housing units only. 

The Respondent Feedback Pilot 

would be conducted with self-response 

modes of data collection. The pilot 

would include housing units only. 

The Use of Administrative Data Test 

would test replacing or substituting all 

or parts of the ACS with administrative 

data. Respondents could be presented 

with a new version of the ACS with 

some questions not asked and others 

modified, as compared to production 

ACS. Evidence suggests that the type of 

response mode that respondents choose 

(internet, paper questionnaire, or 

interviewer-administered) is correlated 

with different socioeconomic 

characteristics. Therefore, this test will 

include all modes of data collection. 

This test would include respondents in 

both HUs and GQs. 

Group Quarters Testing would test the 

addition of an internet self-response GQ 

form for residents in noninstitutional 

GQs. A sample of GQ respondents will 

be given the option of completing the 

survey via self-response using an 

internet instrument. Other residents will 

continue to be interviewed by paper 

questionnaire or intervieweradministered modes. 

Content Testing for item-level changes 

will be conducted as a split-sample 

experiment, with half of the sampled 

addresses receiving one version of the 

questions and the other half receiving a 

different version of the questions. All 

modes of ACS data collection are 

included in the test. Additionally, a 

follow-up reinterview may be 

conducted with all households that 

respond to measure response bias or 

response variance. Comparisons will be 

made between the treatments to assess 

data quality. Changes to the person-level 

content collection strategy will also be 

conducted as a split-panel experiment 

involving only the paper questionnaire; 

comparisons will be made between 

treatments to assess response and data 

quality. 

Internet Instrument Testing will 

assess modifications to the internet 

instrument conducted via split-sample 

experiments. Only the internet mode of 

self-response is included in the testing. 

Respondent Help Testing of 

modifications to respondent help may 

include telephone and internet modes. 

These tests focus on evaluating 

mechanisms to answer questions and 

provide help to respondents. 

Nonresponse Follow up Data 

Collection Testing will focus on inperson and telephone interviews 

conducted by Census Bureau field 

representatives (FRs). As part of their 

interaction with respondents, FRs also 

encourage response online. Respondents 

may also mail back a paper 

questionnaire they received during the 

self-response phase of the ACS. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0936. 

Form Number(s): ACS–1, ACS–1(GQ), 

ACS–1(PR)SP, ACS CAPI(HU), and ACS 

RI(HU). 

Type of Review: Regular submission, 

Request for a Revision of a Currently 

Approved Collection. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

Test Estimated number of respondents 

Self-Response Mail Messaging and Contact Strategies Testing ............................. Test A–60,000. 

Test B–60,000. 

Test C–60,000. 

Test D–60,000. 

Test E–60,000. 

Test F–60,000. 

Respondent Feedback Pilot ...................................................................................... 100,000. 

Use of Administrative Data Test ............................................................................... 100,000. 

Group Quarters Testing ............................................................................................ 500. 

Content Testing ......................................................................................................... Test A–70,000. 

Test B–70,000. 

Content Testing Follow-up Interview ........................................................................ Test A–40,000. 

Test B–40,000. 

Internet Instrument Testing ....................................................................................... Test A–60,000. 

Test B–60,000. 

Test C–60,000. 

Test D–60,000. 

Test E–60,000. 

Test F–60,000. 

Respondent Help Testing ......................................................................................... 40,000. 

Nonresponse Follow up Data Collection Testing ..................................................... 100,000. 


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Estimated Time per Response: 

Test Estimated time per response 

(in minutes) 

Self-Response Mail Messaging and Contact Strategies Testing ............................. 40. 

Respondent Feedback Pilot ...................................................................................... 42 (40 minutes for the production ACS interview and 2 minutes for the optional follow-up questions). 

Use of Administrative Data Test ............................................................................... 40. 

Group Quarters Testing ............................................................................................ 40 (including the facility interview). 

Content Testing ......................................................................................................... 40. 

Content Testing Follow-up Interview ........................................................................ 40. 

Internet Instrument Testing ....................................................................................... 40. 

Respondent Help Testing ......................................................................................... 10. 

Nonresponse Follow up Data Collection Testing ..................................................... 40. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 

Test Estimated number 

of respondents 

Estimated 

time per 

response 

(in minutes) 

Total burden 

hours 

Self-Response Mail Messaging and Contact Strategies Testing ........... Test A–60,000 ................................

Test B–60,000 ................................

Test C–60,000 ...............................

Test D–60,000 ...............................

Test E–60,000 ................................

Test F–60,000 ................................

40 Test A–40,000. 

Test B–40,000. 

Test C–40,000. 

Test D–40,000. 

Test E–40,000. 

Test F–40,000. 

Respondent Feedback Pilot ................................................................... 100,000 .......................................... 42 70,000. 

Use of Administrative Data Test ............................................................. 100,000 .......................................... 40 66,667. 

Group Quarters Testing .......................................................................... 500 ................................................. 40 334. 

Content Testing ...................................................................................... Test A–70,000 ................................

Test B–70,000 ................................

40 Test A–46,667 

Test B–46,667 

Content Testing Follow-up Interview ...................................................... Test A–40,000 ................................

Test B–40,000 ................................

40 Test A–26,667 

Test B –26,667. 

Internet Instrument Testing ..................................................................... Test A–60,000 ................................

Test B–60,000 ................................

Test C–60,000 ...............................

Test D–60,000 ...............................

Test E–60,000 ................................

Test F–60,000 ................................

40 Test A–40,000 

Test B–40,000. 

Test C–40,000. 

Test D–40,000. 

Test E–40,000. 

Test F–40,000. 

Respondent Help Testing ....................................................................... 40,000 ............................................ 10 6,667. 

Nonresponse Follow up Data Collection Testing ................................... 100,000 .......................................... 40 66,667. 

Total (over 3 years) * ....................................................................... 1,280,500 ....................................... ........................ 837,003. 

Annual Burden Hours ...................................................................... 426,834 .......................................... ........................ 279,001. 

* Note: This is the maximum burden requested for these tests. Every effort is taken to use existing production sample for testing when the 

tests do not involve content changes. 

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: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 

Sections 141, 193, and 221. 

IV. Request for Comments 

We are soliciting public comments to 

permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) 

Evaluate whether the proposed 

information collection is necessary for 

the proper functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 

accuracy of our estimate of the time and 

cost burden for this proposed collection, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (d) Minimize the 

reporting burden on those who are to 

respond, including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include, or 

summarize, each comment in our 

request to OMB to approve this ICR. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you may ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2021–02606 Filed 2–8–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 


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