ACS Non-English Regional Office Letters Plan

The Census Bureau plans to conduct research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). Cognitive interviews will be conducted to evaluate newly translated Regional Office letters in four languages (Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese) that will be used by Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) interviewers and Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) interviewers of the American Community Survey (ACS). These letters are currently in use in English and Spanish.

The following newly translated letters will be tested:

• Better Understanding Letter (ACS-613(B))

• No One Home Letter (ACS-613(N))

• CAPI Refusal Letter (ACS-613(R))

• CATI Refusal Letter (ACS-15(L))

There will be two different versions of the Better Understanding Letter and the No One Home Letter and one version of each CATI and CAPI letter, in each of the four languages. Each version of the Better Understanding Letter and the No One Home Letter will contain the same message but will be structured differently, based on cultural appropriateness of the wording and language syntax. The documents will be translated by the contractor.

These letters will be used for several purposes:

• To inform non-English-speaking respondents of the purpose of the ACS;

• To inform non-English-speaking respondents about the ways in which the survey data are used;

• To let the non-English-speaking respondents know about the privacy and confidentiality issues;

• To let non-English-speaking respondents know of the mandatory nature of the survey; and

• To persuade them to participate in the survey.

The cognitive interview results will identify possible revisions to the materials and will provide improved participation in the survey.

From December 2010 through the February 2011, 48-64 cognitive interviews will be conducted in Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese by a contractor. The interviews will be divided evenly between the four languages so that there will be between 12 and 16 interviews for each language. During each interview, respondents will be asked about three letters:

• Version 1 of the Better Understanding Letter; Version 2 of the Better Understanding Letter; and the CATI Refusal Letter; or

• Version 1 of the No One Home Letter; Version 2 of the No One Home Letter; and the CAPI Refusal Letter

The English versions of each letter, the interview protocols for each letter, and consent form used by the contractor are enclosed.

We will be targeting native non-English speakers with very limited English proficiency and those who are diverse in regards to educational level, sex, and age. Respondents will be recruited through community based organizations, flyers, newspaper advertisements, and through the contractors’ ties to local communities in Chicago, IL; Raleigh/Durham, NC; and Washington DC metropolitan areas. Interviews will be conducted at the contractor’s facilities, offices of community organizations used to recruit respondents, at local public facilities or locations convenient to interviewees.

Interviews will be conducted using the concurrent think-aloud method. Interviews will be audio-taped, with participants’ permission, to facilitate analysis of the results.

Participants will be informed that their response is voluntary and that the information they provide is confidential and will be seen only by employees involved in the research project. Participants will receive $40 for their participation in this research.

We estimate that these interviews will take approximately one hour. Thus, the maximum burden for this research is 64 hours.

The contact person for questions regarding data collection and statistical aspects of the design of this research is listed below:

Barbara Lazirko

American Community Survey Office

U.S. Census Bureau

4600 Silver Hill Road

Washington, D.C. 20233

(301) 763-2782

Barbara.A.Lazirko@census.gov