Part_A_-_SUPPORTING_STATEMENT_07-16-13CENSUS and omb comments

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Census Bureau

National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR)

Pre-Screener Test

OMB Control Number 0607-<XXXX>

Part A – Justification

Question 1. Necessity of the Information Collection

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Census Bureau conducted (under separate Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance number 1018-0088) the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR) from April 2011 through May 2012. The FHWAR is authorized under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000. The Census Bureau is authorized to conduct the FHWAR under Title 13, United States Code Section 8(b). The FHWAR data, collected approximately every five years, assist Federal and State agencies in administering the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration grant programs and provide up-to-date information on the uses and demands for wildlife-related recreation resources, trends in uses of those resources, and a basis for developing and evaluating programs and projects to meet existing and future needs.

The FHWAR is an address-based survey conducted in three waves whose sample is selected from the Master Address File. In 2011, because of limited funding, we had to modify our data collection procedure from computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) to mostly computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) with limited CAPI to stay within budget. In an attempt to collect household phone numbers for CATI, we had the telephone center conduct a telephone research operation and we matched our addresses to a locating vendor. Unfortunately, neither operation had a high success rate in obtaining the correct phone numbers for our addresses. This caused the Wave 1 CATI response rates to plummet. Wave 2 and Wave 3 CATI did better because the majority of the telephone numbers were provided by the respondents in Wave 1.

Because our 2011 methodology for obtaining phone numbers did not work as expected, we (Census and FWS) would like to research new methodologies to collect household phone numbers for our sample addresses through a pre-screener test. The purpose of the test will be to determine what percentage of households will return a mail or Internet questionnaire with a telephone number that reaches the sample address. This proposed research is directly related to the 2011 FHWAR and is vital for future iterations of the survey since the majority of interviewing will continue in CATI which is less expensive than CAPI.

The pre-screener test is a two-part test. The first part of the test is a mail operation that will ask household respondents to complete a pre-screener survey by paper questionnaire or by Internet for the purpose of obtaining household telephone numbers, verifying the sample address, and obtaining general household-level information on hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching activities. The mail operation will include three panels. The first panel will receive a letter and a self-administered paper pre-screener questionnaire. The letter will ask a household member to complete the paper questionnaire and to return it by mail to the Census Bureau.

The second panel will receive a letter with an Internet invitation for a household member to complete the pre-screener on the Internet. We refer to this panel as the Internet Push Panel. If the household does not respond after the second (follow-up) mailing, the third (final) mailing will include a paper questionnaire which will allow the respondent to complete the survey via Internet or paper questionnaire.

The third panel will receive a letter, paper questionnaire, and information on how to complete an interview by Internet. In this panel, the household member is given a choice for conducting the pre-screener by paper or by Internet. We estimate that both the paper and Internet pre-screener will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. If a household does not complete the pre-screener in the requested time frame, we will mail up to two additional packages (that include the same materials as the initial mailing with the exception of the final Panel 2 package which will also include a paper questionnaire) requesting the household’s participation. The sample size for each of the panels will be 5,000 sample households.

The second part of the test includes delivering the pre-screener questionnaires¹ (completed and returned by the household respondent in part 1of the test) to the Census Bureau’s Jeffersonville Contact Center who will conduct a telephone operation. The purpose of the telephone operation is to verify that the phone numbers collected from the mail and Internet pre-screener either reached, or did not reach, the sample addresses. This telephone interview will last approximately 2 minutes. Interviewers will use a script provided in Job Aid 1 to conduct the interview and record the outcome on the pre-screener questionnaires.

Question 2. Needs and Uses

Since our methodology for reaching our sample addresses by telephone for the 2011 FHWAR yielded poor results, we need to research and analyze alternative methods to help us obtain household phone numbers for the 2016 FHWAR. If we find a methodology that is successful, we will use the results internally to determine the percentage of pre-screeners needed to obtain the 2016 FHWAR sample workload.

As mentioned, in 2011 we obtained phone numbers through a telephone research and a locating vendor which yielded poor results. However, CATI response rates did improve in Wave 2 and Wave 3 because we obtained phone numbers from the respondents directly in Wave 1. With that in mind, we developed a short 10 question “pre-screener” for the purpose of collecting a name and telephone number, verifying the sample address, and obtaining high-level information on hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching activities. We believe this method could improve our success in obtaining correct telephone numbers for sample households since the respondents themselves will provide the information. In addition, a mail pre-screener operation is less expensive than the telephone research operation used for the 2011 FHWAR Survey.

We also plan to test an Internet questionnaire as a pre-screener. In other household and person-based surveys, the Internet has been a successful and a cost effective method for data collection. Both the paper and Internet pre-screener must be tested prior to the 2016 production since we have never used either type of methodology for the FHWAR . If we obtain positive results from testing, that is, sample members return their pre-screeners with telephone numbers that reach the sample households, then in 2016, we will have the potential of reducing costs and increasing response rates by conducting more interviews by telephone.  

Information quality is an integral part of the pre-dissemination review of the information disseminated by the Census Bureau (fully described in the Census Bureau’s Information Quality Guidelines). Information quality is also integral to the information collections conducted by the Census Bureau and is incorporated into the clearance process required by the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Question 3. Use of Information Technology

We estimate that we will collect fifty percent of the data via mailout – mailback mode using a paper questionnaire and fifty percent of the data via the Internet. The Internet method will involve the transmission of electronically submitted responses. We plan to test three panels: one panel will receive a paper pre-screener; a second panel (Internet Push Panel) will receive an invitation for an Internet pre-screener, and if applicable, will also receive a paper questionnaire in the third (final) mailing to provide the respondent a choice of conducting the pre-screener by either Internet or paper questionnaire; and a third panel will receive the choice of conducting the pre-screener by either Internet or paper questionnaire.  

Question 4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

The American Community Survey (ACS) conducted two Internet tests in April and

November 2011. The Internet tests focused on evaluating the feasibility of providing an Internet response mode to ACS sample addresses. The main objective of the tests was to determine the best way to present the Internet mode in the ACS mailings and to maximize self-response. The ACS panels are similar to that of FHWAR pre-screener test in that it included a paper only, an Internet Push, and choice panels. After discussing the ACS research results with the program manager and based on her recommendation and ACS results, we changed our methodology for the second panel from Internet only to an Internet push which includes a paper questionnaire as part of the third and final mailing.

Question 5. Minimizing Burden

Small Businesses or other small entities are not asked to report information.

Question 6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection

The FHWAR is conducted at a 5-year frequency which is appropriate for current and projected management purposes. The FHWAR data users have indicated that they need the data updated at least every 5 years.

The FHWAR Pre-screener Test is a one-time test to determine a better methodology for conducting telephone interviews for future FHWAR iterations.

Question 7. Special Circumstances

No special circumstances exist.

Question 8. Consultations Outside the Agency

On March 15, 2013 we published in the Federal Register (Vol. 78 No. 51) p.16464 - 16465, a notice of our intent to request information collection authority from OMB, “Proposed Information Collection; National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife- Associated Recreation pre-screener Test.” In that notice, we solicited public comments for 60 days, ending on May 14, 2013.

We received one correspondence via email which generally opposed the collection of the survey data and one comment suggesting that the FHWAR is redundant but that they would be willing to participate either by email or by mail but not by telephone.

Question 9. Paying Respondents

Respondents will not be paid for participation.

Question 10. Assurance of Confidentiality

The Census Bureau will collect data in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and the OMB Circular A-130. All information given by respondents to Census Bureau employees is held in strict confidence under Title 13, United States Code, Section 9. Each Census Bureau employee has taken an oath to that effect and is subject to a jail penalty or substantial fine if he or she discloses any information. A survey letter will be included in all mail packages and will contain this guarantee of confidentiality. These letters include the information required by the Privacy Act of 1974, explain the voluntary nature of the survey, and state the estimated time required for participating in the survey.

Question 11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

This survey does not ask questions of a sensitive nature.

Question 12. Estimate of Hour Burden

The sample size is 15,000 households (5,000 X 3 panels). Part 1 of the test is the mail operation. The paper and Internet questionnaire will both take approximately 5 minutes for respondents to complete. Part 2 of the test is the telephone operation. Interviewers using Job Aid 1 and the paper or Internet (printed in PDF form) questionnaires will verify the telephone number and address provided by the household respondents in part 1 of the test, and record the outcome on the questionnaires. Each phone call will take approximately two minutes. The total burden hours for the entire pre-screener test is approximately 1,750 hours for 15,000 respondents.

The estimated time to completed part 1 and part 2 of the pre-screener test is based upon internal review and familiarity with other surveys of similar length and content.

Question 13. Estimate of Cost Burden

There are no costs to respondents other than that of their time to respond.

Question 14. Cost to Federal Government

We estimate that the total cost to conduct the FHWAR pre-screener test will be approximately $135,070. This cost is shared between the FWS and the Census Bureau.

Question 15. Reason for Change in Burden

The increase in burden is attributable to the test data being submitted as new.

Question 16. Project Schedule

A high-level project schedule for test activities follows.

2013
January – March	Planning Stages for Test
March 1 – March 29	Draft Mail Materials
April 1 – May 31	Finalize, Receive Census Bureau Approval/ Signature, and Design Mail Materials
May 1 – May 31	Develop Web instrument
June 3 – June 28	Test/Finalize Web Instrument
June 3 – June 28	Choose Sample for 3 Test Panels
July 15 – August 9	Print Mail Materials
August 12	Initial Mailing
August 26	Follow-up Mailing
September 9	Final Mailing
September 16	Deliver Mail and Web Data to Telephone Contact Center for Telephone Verification Operation
July 1 – August 30	Develop Training for the Contact Center Operation
September 16 – 20	Conduct Training for Contact Center Operation
September 23 – October 14	Contact Center Conducts Telephone Verification Operation
October 15 – December 13	Data Analysis

Question 17. Request to Not Display Expiration Date

We will display the expiration date on the information collection forms and letters.

Question 18. Exceptions to the Certification

There are no exceptions to the Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.

1 Internet data will be converted to PDF form and printed for the interviewers use during the telephone operation.

Created by DSD/SSB Page 6 1/29/2021