OMB Memo

Generic Information Collection Request (ICR):
2020 Census Integrated Communications Campaign (ICC) –2020 Census Tracking Survey Field Test

Request: The U.S. Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the Generic Clearance for Internet Nonprobability Panel Pretesting (OMB Control Number 0607-0978). The Census Bureau’s Integrated Partnership and Communications (IPC) program plans to conduct a public opinion tracking survey as part of the 2020 Integrated Communications Campaign (ICC). Results of this field test will create a baseline of measurement for the 2020 Tracking Survey. In this current submission, we are seeking approval to conduct a field test of the data collection, collecting data monthly from September 2019 through December 2019. A later submission will seek approval for the January through June 2020 timeframe and will include a full study plan.

Purpose: The goal of the 2020 Census Tracking Survey is twofold:

• To track US public sentiment concerning matters that may bear upon 2020 Census participation;

• To examine how attitudes and perceptions change during the Census.

Populations of Interest: The Tracking Survey aims to reflect the general U.S. population.

Timeline: Dates are September 2019 - December 2019.

Language: English and Spanish only

Questionnaire: The questionnaire consists of the following components:

• Awareness of the upcoming census (Key tracking indicator)

• Intent to participate in the upcoming census (Key tracking indicator)

• Favorability measures

• Knowledge

• Confidentiality measures

• Baseline measures

• Civic engagement measures

• Demographics

For the first month, the measures of awareness, intent to participate and use of federal statistics will be a split-panel test to baseline the 2020 version of the questions back to questions asked in 2010 and 2012-2018, respectively. Awareness and Intent are key tracking variables for 2020 Census advertising. Use of federal statistics will be used as a demographic predictor.

As a part of this pretest period, a factor analysis will be used to determine if we can collapse some of these items into a scale for reporting purposes. For example, the battery of favorability, knowledge, and confidentiality concern questions may be reported as scales in the forthcoming larger study.

The "Civic" series of questions will only be asked in a subset of interviews (October 2019). These are to be used to understand predictors of survey participation and whether intent to participate or self-reported participation are predicted by these civic engagement variables above and beyond the demographic predictors.

The benchmark questions were chosen because they provide national benchmark data overall and particularly for Asian and Hispanic subgroups, which are the two groups that the Communications Team were concerned about being under-represented in the phone portion of the survey. These benchmark questions allow analysis of the representativeness of each of the data collection methods and will inform how we analyze and report the 2020 survey data.

Method: Collection of data under the 2020 Census Tracking Survey shall begin no later than September 9, 2019. The contractor shall collect and deliver data of 1400 completed cases at the end of each month representing a national randomized probability sample.

The data shall be produced through Random Digit Dial (RDD) telephone interviews with a probability sample of US adult residents. This is considered the Primary Tracking Survey. The survey can be part of an ongoing omnibus or a stand alone survey. The sampling frame for the study shall cover all fifty states and the District of Columbia. The samples will permit analysis of opinion in different demographic subgroups of the population, including, but not limited to race/origin (white, black, Hispanic, Asian), age (18-24;25-44;45-64;65+) and geography.

In 2020, these data shall allow examination of how attitudes and perceptions change before and during the Census measurement period (mid-March through June, 2020). In addition to delivering data to the Census team, the contractor shall analyze data collected and identify relevant findings that would be of use for assessing potential campaign optimization efforts covered by this order. These findings shall be shared with the Campaign Optimization Team for further action.

The specifications of the data collection are:

• The data shall reflect a cross-sectional national random probability sample of the U.S. population yielding 1400 completed cases monthly in 2019.

• The data shall include interviews conducted in both English and Spanish.

• The sample shall include cases in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Contractor may exclude remote areas of Alaska and Maine from calling (because they are enumerated differently than the remainder of the country).

• The data shall be weighted to match demographic targets from the U.S. Census Bureau including age, sex, region, education, ethnicity, nativity and race. The contractor shall follow the prescriptions in Buskirk and Best (2012) to construct weights:

https://ww2.amstat.org/sections/srms/Proceedings/y2012/files/304351_72969.pdf

• The Contractor shall use benchmark questions on the survey for the purpose of performing nonresponse bias analyses by comparing weighted and unweighted distributions to the benchmarks. To the extent possible, these analyses will focus on survey estimates and not just on demographic variables.

• The Contractor shall maintain responsibility for respondent privacy and confidentiality protections. The contractor shall provide sample data at the level that the contractor maintains respondent confidentiality. Language shall be added to the interview to notify respondents that their information will not be made available in any way that would personally identify them.

• The Contractor shall provide the information on calculation of the response rate in accord with the Standard Definitions, published by the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Nonprobability Supplement

Similar to the probability survey described above, the Census Bureau requires the delivery of supplemental nonprobability sampled data which will focus on representativeness of the hard-to-survey populations as needed for campaign optimization. Contractor shall propose sample source, data collection platform, frequency and sample size. These data shall be collected parallel to the 2019 monthly probability-based data collections for comparison purposes.

The nonprobability supplement shall include the following characteristics:

• Using the same questions as the probability survey, though modified for self-administration and prescreening to apply quotas

• Fully cross-sectional, meaning that no sample participant is re-interviewed throughout the course of the data collection

• Quotas that reflect nationally representative populations across the following characteristics:

  • Age/gender

  • Race and Hispanic Origin

  • Census Region

  • Education

  • Language (English and Spanish)

• Weighting will be based on 3-day rolling average using the following variables:

  • Age/gender

  • Education/gender

  • Age/Education

  • Census Region

  • Race and Hispanic origin

  • Nativity

• Sample sizes

  • 2100 per month in the 2019 time period

  • Reflecting a composition of approximately 15% Hispanic, 12% Black or African American, 11% Asian, 62% White

• Data Quality controls including:

  • Digital Fingerprinting – checking IP address for multiple responses from the same respondent

  • Checks for speeding, straight-lining, and other relevant quality checks and edits

• Data may be reported as 3-day rolling averages

Additional Survey Questions

The Contractor shall have the capability of adding up to 3 open-ended and up to 5 close-ended into the survey for one week with 24-hour’s notice. During the period of September through December, no more than 2 additional questions will be asked per month for a maximum of 8 total additional questions. These are included in the burden estimate. OMB will receive the request for additional questions, documented in an excel spreadsheet as a non-substantive change to this request.

Incentives: There will be no financial incentives for the RDD survey.

For the non-probability web supplement, the contractor will enlist several nonprobability panel providers to recruit and distribute invitations to participate. Panels incentivize their panel members to complete studies via a points-based incentive system. Panel members redeem points earned over time for a variety of prizes or cash incentives. The average range for the points-based incentive value is $0.75-$3.00 for a general population sample, and up to $3-$5 for the hard-to-count sample. All incentives are distributed upon completion via virtual currency in the form of a correlated point value.

Length of Interview: 20 minutes

Burden:

	N per month	Minutes per interview
RDD Phone	1400*4 months = 5600	20
Non-Prob Web	2100*4 months = 8400	20
Total	14000 interviews	280,000 minutes or 4,667 hours

Enclosures:

Attachment A: RDD Questionnaire

Attachment B: Web Questionnaire

The contact person for questions regarding data collection and study design is:

Jennifer Hunter Childs

Center for Survey Measurement

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

202-603-4827

jennifer.hunter.childs@census.gov