Justification for Non-substantive Change (Collecting 2 years of data at once)

State Government Research and Development Survey (SGRD) 0607-0933

Request for Non-substantive Change

 

The purpose of the survey: The survey is conducted by the Census Bureau for the National Science Foundation.  The purpose of the survey is to collect data expenditures to measure research and development supported and performed by state governments in the United States from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and one outlying area: Puerto Rico. Each of these elements is considered a population unit and is surveyed with certainty. A unit has responded when the state coordinator submits the data reported by the state agencies and departments. Data are to be reported at the unit (state) level.

It is an NSF Sponsored Survey that is conducted annually by the Census Bureau’s Educational Finance Special Statistics Branch NSF Survey Team.  The Census Bureau serves as the primary data collection agent. NSF and the Census Bureau are authorized to collect SGRD Survey data by Congress under Title 13, Section 8(b) of the United States Code, which allows the Secretary of Commerce to “make special statistical compilations and surveys, for departments, agencies and establishments of the Federal Government.” Title 15, Section 1525 of the United States Code also authorizes the Secretary of Commerce “upon the request of any person, firm, organization, or others, public or private, to make special studies on matters within the authority of the Department of Commerce.”

 

The respondents to the survey:  There are 52 respondents in the survey universe.  Each State, DC, and the 1 Outlying Areas have 1 state coordinator and multiple agency respondents:

• A State Governor: first point of contact which designates the survey contact (person who will be amassing agency data and responding to the form).

• A Survey Coordinator Contact: assigned by the State Governor to be the Census Bureau’s contact for amassing agency data and responding to the form). These responsibilities are:

• First, we ask the coordinator to confirm the names and contact information for their state departments and agencies that are most likely to contribute to R&D investments. These departments and agencies will receive the web survey questionnaire with five questions about R&D activities, which include both performing and funding R&D.

• Second, the coordinator serves as the authorizing official for their state’s survey response after all departments and agencies complete their survey questionnaires.

The NSF Survey is collected entirely on the Web from March 5-September 30:  Data are submitted on the Web, NSF respondents can submit/edit survey data. The SGRD Web URL address is: http://harvester.census.gov/nsf

 

The Changes to the survey form: Additional FY 2010 column data collection and a new Question 4 Energy breakout data variable with definitions and an additional 2 definitions in the Other category of Criminal Justice and Forensic Science.

 

The reasons for the survey form changes: This is a relatively new survey conducted intermittently until recently.  The National Science Foundation has decided to collect information for two years of data:  FY 2010 and 2011 in an attempt to establish data trending.  The latest survey information to date is for FY 2009.  This change results in a minimal survey form change asking the respondent to provide the same data variables for FY 2010 and 2011 as were only previously provided solely for FY 2009.

 

How the changes will affect the Respondent Burden: Upon completion of the FY 2009 Survey of State Government Research and Development, NSF and Census Bureau staff conducted a series of debriefing interviews with a small sample of State Coordinators and Agency Respondents. The debriefing interviews included questions regarding respondents’ reactions to providing two years of data.

The impact on the State Coordinators of asking for 2 years of data is minor -- reviewing 2 years rather than one.  We estimate the additional time it will take State Coordinators to review two years of data, rather than one, is 5 minutes. Therefore, the total additional burden would be less than 5 hours (52 state coordinators times 5 minutes).  The current State Coordinator burden estimate is 4 hours, which likely includes enough time to cover the additional 5 minutes.

 

When queried, the Agency Respondents we spoke with felt it would not be difficult to provide a second year of data.  For instance, several were quoted as saying:  "Fine, no issues"; "No problem.  Easy"; "Perfectly reasonable, numbers are there".  We estimate the additional time it will take agency respondents to provide two years of data, rather than one, is 15 minutes.  Therefore, the total additional burden would be 125 hours (500 agency respondents times 15 minutes).  The current agency respondent burden estimate is 1 1/2 hours, so we recommend upping that burden estimate to 1 hour, 45 minutes to cover the additional burden of collecting two years of data at the same time on the same collection instrument.

This minimal increase actually turns out to be a reduction of burden over the life of the collection cycle. In other words, instead of a burden of 1.5 hours every year, a burden of 1.75 hours every other year is actually a reduction in total burden. This results in a reduced total burden estimate, creating cost savings by collecting two years of data once every other year as opposed to collecting annually.

Revised Burden Calculation:

Respondents Burden Per Response Reporting Burden

52 State Coordinators 4 hours 208

500 Department/Agencies 1.75 hours 875

1,083 biennially

(542 annually)