Census Group Quarters Enumaration Plan

The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). We will conduct focus groups with group quarters (GQ) staff in group homes for women. This is part of a larger research project that aims to collect information on the 2010 Census Group Quarters (GQ) enumeration, and document and understand the issues that may arise if a second enumeration of GQs is included as part of the Census Bureau’s coverage measurement program in 2020. The purpose of the larger research project is to help develop the most feasible method to evaluate the accuracy of the census count in living arrangement known as “group quarters,” defined as places 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. Group quarters (GQs) can include, but are not limited to, federal detention centers, residential treatment centers, college/university student housing, domestic violence shelters, group homes, and military barracks.

This new study will build upon 12 months of previous decennial ethnographic research in three Midwestern group homes for adult women. In 2010, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the three group homes in the state of Indiana to collect staff’s feedback regarding the 2010 census operation. (The letter requesting approval for this research was submitted to OMB on March 30, 2010.) The goal was to obtain respondents= perceptions about the decennial census and their opinions about how best to conduct a coverage measurement study post-enumeration. The results suggested that group homes for women who are victims of domestic violence had less positive experiences, reported disappointment in the lack of communication by the Census Bureau, as well as the Census enumerators’ lack of training, preparedness and knowledge about working with GQ facilities and staff were concerned about confidentiality for their residents. The goal of this research is to find out whether the group homes in other areas of the country have similar experiences and how we can improve our data collection procedures with this type of group quarters.

This research will assist the U.S. Census Bureau in identifying and analyzing social, cultural and economic factors that may affect its ability to accurately enumerate women housed in domestic violence shelters and to study the best way to collect quality data from these group homes while providing confidentiality to these women. Domestic violence shelters are unlike other group quarters in that many of their residents have a vested interest in remaining anonymous because they fear abusers or other conditions that have placed them in the group home or, in some cases, have mental health conditions or problems with drug or alcohol abuse that may complicate accurate census counts. The economic and family difficulties they face also influence their behavior and beliefs, making them grant a low priority to activities such as census enumeration in the face of other pressing life difficulties Some women may be undocumented migrants and thus fear that accurately completing the census forms or otherwise making themselves visible to what they perceive as authority figures will incur deportation.

From mid-February to mid-March 2011, up to five focus groups will be conducted with staff members at domestic violence shelters in the states of Wyoming and Colorado. Each focus group will be comprised of three to five individuals. Respondents will not be paid for participating, and each focus group will last no more than one hour. All focus groups will be conducted by anthropologist, Professor Susan Dewey, who conducted the original Midwestern research.

The two states were chosen for the proximity to where the researcher is currently residing. Due to the low population density of these mountain states, a convenience sample will be used. The state of Wyoming has approximately twenty residential facilities for victim-survivors of domestic violence, and Colorado has approximately twice that number.

The focus group will consist of discussions organized around four central goals: 1) obtain general background information and impression of the census process; 2) diagnose potential non-response issues; 3) identify alternative data collection procedures and methods; and 4) assess potential issues with new methods. Focus group data will be used to: 1) assess perceptions of the 2010 decennial operation to determine whether there are recurring themes characterizing such facilities’ Census-related experiences; 2) elicit suggestions for improving future enumerations and CCM; and 3) compare the Wyoming and Colorado focus group data to the data collected in the Midwest, thereby providing more and potentially different information on group quarters staff’s perceptions on the Census. A copy of the focus group protocol is enclosed.

The estimated time for completion of the focus groups is one hour. Thus, the maximum estimated burden for this research is 25 hours (5 groups X 5 participants).

The contact person for questions regarding this data collection is:

Anna Y. Chan

Research Social Scientist

Statistical Research Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

(301) 763-8462

anna.y.chan@census.gov