Government Units Survey Pretesting Plan

The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). We will conduct usability testing with the electronic version of the Government Units Survey (GUS). The GUS, which will be fielded in October of 2011, collects information on the funding that local governments receive and the services they provide. The survey collects this information for four different types of local government entities: special districts (e.g., airports, libraries, or transit agencies), county governments, townships, and municipalities.

We have previously conducted two rounds of pretesting for the GUS. In November and December of 2010, we conducted two rounds of cognitive interviews to develop and test the questionnaire content. In February of 2011, the Governments Division (GOVS) conducted a pilot study that included respondent debriefings to further refine the questionnaire and evaluate production procedures for the paper instrument. (These activities were approved via separate requests under the Census Bureau’s generic clearance, in a letters dated September 22, 2010 and January 27, 2011, respectively.) In order to refine the GUS electronic questionnaire, the Governments Division will be conducting usability testing.

In August, 2011, staff from the Response Improvement Research Staff (RIRS) within the Census Bureau’s Office of Economic Planning and Innovation will interview 16 respondents from local government entities in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. GOVS will provide us with a list of local governments from which we will recruit. The interviews will take place at the government site. They will focus on respondents’ reactions to the layout of and ability to navigate the electronic survey. Additionally, subject area specialists from GOVS will accompany the researcher on most, if not all, of the interviews. They will assist with respondent debriefing, especially in cases where additional clarification of the subject matter is required.

We will record the interviews with the participants’ permission, to aid researchers in accurately reporting findings and recommendations. Before beginning the interviews, we will inform participants that their response is voluntary. We also will inform the participants that the information they provide is confidential. We will not be providing respondents monetary incentives to participate in this study.

We estimate that it will be necessary to interview only one participant at each government entity. We estimate the length of the interviews will average 1 hour. Therefore, the maximum estimated burden for this research is 16 hours.

Enclosed are screen shots of the electronic instrument and the protocol we will be using for the usability testing.

The contact person for questions regarding this research is:

Jennifer Beck

Response Improvement Research Staff

7K033N

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

(301) 763-1736

jennifer.l.beck@census.gov