Supporting Statement B - AABS1819

Supporting Statement B: Annual Arts Basic Survey

2. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

B.1. Universe and Respondent Selection

The U.S. Census Bureau will conduct the AABS as a February supplement in conjunction with the CPS. The universe is the more than 130 million housing units in the 3,233 counties and independent cities that make up the United States. From this universe, the Bureau will select a sample of approximately 72,000 households each month, of which approximately 60,000 households are eligible to be interviewed (most of the ineligible housing units are non-residential or unoccupied). About 55,500 households will be interviewed each month. The Bureau will administer the AABS supplement to a random one-quarter of the 60,000 eligible households, or the approximately 15,000 households, who are in two of the CPS months in sample rotations. In larger households, a second supplemental AABS interview will be administered. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated, based on the 2015 AABS, that we should expect approximately 36,000 adults will be eligible for the 2018 and 2019 AABS supplements. Since the AABS allows proxy responses for spouses or partners, we expect that data will be collected on approximately 18,000 adults each year. This is what occurred in the 2015 AABS and 2016 AABS using the same sampling procedures. The exact number will depend on the Supplemental response rate, which is expected to be about 75% (a little lower than the expected response rate of 88% for the overall CPS).

B.2. Procedures for Collecting Information

The main data for the Annual Arts Basic Survey (Arts Creation and Performance module) will be collected as a supplemental survey associated with the February 2018 CPS. The main data for the Annual Arts Basic Survey (Arts Attendance and Arts Learning module) will be collected as a supplemental survey associated with the February 2019 CPS. Attachment H gives an overview of the CPS sample design and weighting.

B.3. Methods for Maximizing Response Rate

One of the main reasons that the NEA has chosen to have the AABS as a supplement to the CPS is historically, the CPS has achieved higher response rates than what would otherwise be possible. To avoid breakoffs, the NEA has kept the number of supplemental questions to a minimum. The NEA also has tested each question to ensure that the questions are easy to answer and will not lead to any significant item nonresponse. As with the SPPA, to avoid lower response rates, the NEA has given permission to the U.S. Census Bureau to collect information via proxy from a knowledgeable adult in the event that the target respondent is unavailable during the CPS field period. Finally, the U.S. Census Bureau’s AABS supplement survey weights will include a nonresponse adjustment, which reduces potential nonresponse bias.

Attachments

A. Title 13, Section 182, United States Code

B. First Federal Register Notice

C. Second Federal Register Notice

D. AABS Questionnaires

E. CPS Advance Letter

F. Confidentiality Brochure

G. Fact Sheet for the Current Population Survey

H. Overview of CPS Sample Design and Methodology

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