June 21 -- The Census Bureau invites comments to OMB by July 24, 2024 regarding the proposed Phase 4.2 of the Household Pulse Survey under the High-Frequency Surveys Program. [Comments due 30 days after submission to OMB on June 24.]
On March 27, 2024, the Department of Commerce received clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 to conduct Phase 4.1 of the Household Pulse Survey (OMB No. 0607-1029, Exp. 01/31/27). The Department is committed to ensuring that the data collected by the Household Pulse Survey continue to meet information needs as they may evolve. This notice serves to inform of the Department's intent to request clearance from OMB to make some revisions to the Household Pulse Survey questionnaire. To ensure that the data collected by the Household Pulse Survey continue to meet emergent information needs as they evolve, the Department submits the following Request for Revision to an Existing Collection for a revised Phase 4.2 questionnaire to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice.
Phase 4.2 includes new questions on access to transportation and the internet and reinstated questions on the shortage of critical items. There are also revisions to the response options for the ages of children question and revisions to the text of the school enrollment question. The question asking if there are any babies or infants in the household and unemployment insurance items were removed. We are also including a test of several different ways of collecting income and expense information to determine which options best lower respondent burden and increase response rates in internet mode. The results of this test will be for internal use only.
It is the Department's intention to commence data collection using the revised instrument on or about July 23, 2024. We invite 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 High-Frequency Surveys Program was established as a natural progression from the creation of the Household Pulse Survey. The Census Bureau developed the Household Pulse Survey to produce near real-time data in a time of urgent and acute need to inform federal and state action in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Changes in the measures over time provided insight into individuals' experiences on social and economic dimensions during the period of the pandemic. It has evolved to include content on other emergent social and economic issues facing households and 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.
Household Pulse Survey:
https://www.census.gov/householdpulsedata
Census submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202406-0607-006 Click IC List for data collection instruments, View Supporting Statement for newly added technical documentation. Submit comments through this webpage.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-13668
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806
