Note to Reviewer

January 7, 2014

MEMORANDUM FOR: Reviewer of 1220-0050

FROM: JAY RYAN, Chief

Division of Consumer Expenditure (CE) Surveys

Bureau of Labor Statistics

SUBJECT: Non-substantive Change Request for the

Consumer Expenditure Diary Survey (CED) – 2014 Individual Diary Pilot Test

CE is involved in an ongoing effort to improve data quality, maintain or increase response rates, and reduce data collection costs. To further this effort, as specified in the 2013 CE clearance package, CE plans to field an Individual Diary Feasibility Pilot study. This study will test the feasibility and impact of using both individual diaries and multiple modes to collect CE diary expenditures. Consumer Unit (CU) members in the research sample will be offered sequentially a mobile-optimized web diary option and then a web diary (without mobile optimization). These modes will be available for each member of the CU to complete individually. If the CU does not have any internet connection, then the CU is screened out. All CAPI questions will be asked as currently scheduled.

See the following attachments for additional information:

• Attachment A for the study overview

• Attachment B for screenshots of the web diary

• Attachment C for respondent documents including Letter to Respondent, FR Talking Points, and the web diary User Guide

• Attachment D for the CE Mobile Diary Phase I Testing Report

• Attachment E for the Analysis Plan

The study will be fielded for one month during March 2013.

BLS estimates that this pilot study will require 25.19 burden hours. We base this estimate upon the following assumptions:

	Mins.	Sample	Total Hours
Estimated time to be screened for Research sample	2	48	1.60
Estimated time to complete diary (first week)	201	23	7.67
Estimated time to complete diary (second week)	20	23	7.67
Additional time for CAPI questions, total of all visits, asked for all CU’s where a diary was placed	15	33	8.25
TOTAL			25.19

The Web Diary Feasibility Test is now complete. The 535 hours requested for that test are now being removed, for a net decrease of 510 hours for this information collection.

Current OMB approval of the CE surveys is scheduled to expire March 31, 2016.

If you have any questions about this request, please contact Jay Ryan at 202-691-5139 or e-mail at Ryan.Jay@bls.gov or Peggy Murphy at 202-691-6186 or e-mail at Murphy.Peggy@bls.gov.

1 BLS estimates that the web diary and/or mobile-optimized web diary will take 20 minutes to complete per week, based on results of the Web Diary Feasibility Test.