Fast Track Requst

Request for Approval

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Online Cognitive Testing of Application Form for Free and Reduced Price Meals

PURPOSE: We seek approval for an online cognitive test of the Food and Nutrition Service application for free and reduced price school meals. The Census Bureau is currently conducting traditional, in-person cognitive testing of this form, previously approved under OMB number 0607-0978. As part of the current submission, we are seeking approval for a remote, asynchronous data collection by Census Bureau staff, from which we will then compare the results to the traditional in-person testing.

Online cognitive testing, or web probing, is typically conducted with the general population, but testing some surveys and forms requires recruiting respondents who meet specific criteria such as children receiving free school meals. When these more specific populations are needed, researchers currently screen within the online instrument or recruit elsewhere (e.g., Craigslist) then direct respondents to the Web. These methods are not always feasible. Alternatively, using an online panel as a recruitment source allows researchers to preemptively restrict online cognitive interview respondents based on demographic characteristics. While panels do not allow us to stipulate families with children receiving free and reduced price lunches as a recruitment criterion, we know the demographic characteristics of this population. Conducting online cognitive interviewing with members of a similar population may provide an inexpensive method of cognitive testing that complements more traditional methods.

Findings from this OMB submission will be compared with results from the traditional in-person cognitive interviews with adults who applied for free or reduced price meals for household children. We will compare responses to similar probes between the two groups, and administer additional probes online that could not be included in person due to time restrictions. This research will determine the usefulness of testing materials online with a population that demographically approximates a specific population of interest.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: 100 respondents who have opted in to the SurveyMonkey Audience panel and have a household income below $50,000 and are parents of school-age children.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[x] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group

[ ] Other:

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: ________________________________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [x] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [x] Yes [ ] No

Incentive is non-cash (sweepstakes entry or donation to charity) given by SurveyMonkey. It is not paid directly by the Census Bureau, but instead included in the fee for service.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Remote Interviews	100	10 mins	17 hrs

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is minimal.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe?

[x] Yes [ ] No

100 respondents will be selected by SurveyMonkey from their panel. The selection will not be scientific, and no statistical estimates will be produced as a result of this research.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[x] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[] Other:

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

1.      Line of Business – General Government

2.      Subfunction - Central Records & Statistical Mgt

3.      Number of Respondents for small entity - 0

4.      Affected Public – Individuals and Households

5.      Percentage of respondents reporting electronically – 100%

Please submit all instruments, instructions, correspondences (emails, letters, etc.) to respondents, and scripts as separate documents along with this request document.

Every instrument must have the following displayed –

OMB Control No. 0690-0030

Expiration Date: 6/30/17