SUPPORTING STATEMENT
NATIONAL SURVEY OF UNBANKED AND UNDERBANKED HOUSEHOLDS
PART B
B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
1. Universe and Respondent Selection
The Census Bureau will conduct the June 2019 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households supplement (“FDIC supplement”) in conjunction with the Current Population Survey (CPS), for which the universe is expected to be about 124.6 million U.S. households. From this universe, the Census Bureau selects a statistical sample of approximately 74,000 households each month, of which approximately 61,000 are eligible for the CPS. The Census Bureau actually interviews about 52,000 households each month and will ask these households to participate in the FDIC supplement.
The FDIC supplement represents the sixth administration of this supplement. These surveys were previously conducted in January 2009, and starting in 2011, the survey was conducted every other year in June.. As in previous survey efforts, the enumeration unit will be the household, and the respondent will be a household member who participates in the financial decisions of the household.
In June 2017, the response rate for the basic CPS was 85.6 percent. Although all respondents to the basic CPS will be invited to participate in the FDIC supplement at the conclusion of the basic CPS interview, there may not be a qualified household member available to provide responses to the FDIC supplement, and no follow-up interview attempts will be made. In addition, not all of the invited basic CPS respondents will choose to participate in the FDIC supplement. Based on our experience with the previous supplements, we expect that close to 60 percent of the approximately 52,000 basic CPS respondents will participate in the 2019 FDIC supplement.
The FDIC expects to run analysis to investigate the potential for nonresponse bias by performing some basic comparisons of the characteristics of the households that provide responses to the FDIC supplement to those that provide responses to the basic CPS but not to the FDIC supplement. For example, a comparison will be made for renter or owner-occupied households to see if the percent of renter-occupied households that responded to the FDIC supplement varied from the corresponding percent of households that did not respond to the FDIC supplement. The same type of comparison may be made for other household characteristics that are available, such as type of structure (single or multiple-family) or household size (all persons in the housing unit, including unmarried children under 18 years of age).
If the FDIC finds that the percent of renter-owned units varies much between respondents and nonrespondents to the FDIC supplement, we will check to see if the answers to survey questions vary by renters versus owners, which would give us a measure of the potential for nonresponse bias. The same type of analysis will be conducted for additional household characteristics that are available.
The 2017 unbanked and underbanked supplement overall response rate was 57.9 percent. The FDIC conducted a non-response analysis to determine whether non-response rates varied across household characteristics. To perform the analysis, we implemented a logistic model to examine the probability of supplement response given household characteristics. While the average marginal effects revealed some statistically significant differences in response rates by household characteristic, the magnitudes of these differences were generally small. Additionally, applying household weights will likely help mitigate these differences.
2. Procedures for Collecting Information
The FDIC supplement will be a supplemental survey associated with the CPS in June 2019. Attachment D provides an overview of the CPS sample design and weighting methodology and response rates. As a CPS supplement, the statistical properties of this supplemental survey will be the same as those associated with the CPS itself.
3. Methods to Maximize Response
Response rates and data accuracy for the CPS are maintained at high levels through interviewer instruction, self-study training, and follow-up of refusal interviews with more experienced senior interviewers. Additionally, the Census Bureau closely monitors data output. (Refer to Item 5 of Attachment D for a discussion of the CPS nonresponse.)
4. Testing of Procedures
The 2019 questionnaire retains many of the questions from past surveys that were reviewed and tested by the Census Bureau’s Demographic Surveys Division and the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The FDIC continues to build on past survey experience and survey methods to improve the type and quality of data collected. In order to inform the questionnaire writing, the FDIC retained Westat, Inc. to perform exploratory qualitative research with consumers and to conduct two rounds of cognitive testing of the proposed questionnaire. The testing was conducted in July 2018 and August 2018. The goal of each round of testing was to determine respondents’ comprehension of each question, test the flow of the questions, find major recall difficulties, ascertain the sensitivity of any questions, and gauge the operational feasibility of the supplement.
Contacts Statistical Aspects and Data Collection
The following Census Bureau staff may be contacted on the statistical data collection and analysis operations:
Statistical Design
Yang Cheng Lead Scientist, Current Population Surveys Branch
Demographic Statistical Methods Division
(301) 763-3287
Data Collection/Survey Design
Lisa Clement Survey Director
Current Population Survey
(301) 763-3806
Data Analysis Plan
The main survey estimates to be prepared from the data collected in the June 2019 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households will be the number and percentage of households (and persons 16+) that are “unbanked” (i.e., do not have a deposit account or prepaid card at a bank or credit union). Among households that have an account with a bank or credit union, the survey will also identify different banking status groups based on their use of bank and nonbank financial services, and their satisfaction with banking. These estimates will be prepared for the nation, for states, and for large metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).
Survey results will be used to identify obstacles that prevent unbanked consumers from having a deposit account. Households’ usage levels of a variety of non-bank financial services, such as check cashing, international remittances, bill payment, person-to-person services, payday loans, pawn shop loans, and auto title loans will be estimated. The analysis will also include estimates of usage levels of bank products, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards, and lines of credit.
The economic and demographic information included in the CPS will be used to prepare tables that show, and allow comparisons of, the economic and demographic characteristics of different banking status groups. The FDIC will examine whether the usage of bank and non-bank financial services providers varies across economic or demographic segments of the population.
The FDIC will produce cross-tabulations of many of the basic CPS variables with responses to questions about the following items: account ownership, obstacles to account ownership (for unbanked respondents), the usage of specific transaction, savings, and credit services from banks and nonbanks, methods for accessing banking services, and satisfaction with banks.
Cross-tabulations of survey results will be produced for the nation, for states, and for large MSAs. Please refer to the 2017 Household Survey Report (Attachment A-3A and A-3B) for examples of the type of analysis that will be performed with the survey data.
ATTACHMENTS
A1. 2019 FDIC National Unbanked and Underbanked Household Survey
A2. Redlined version of the survey instrument highlighting differences relative to the 2017 survey.
A3.A. 2017 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households Report
A3.B. 2017 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households Report- Appendices
B. Current Population Survey – Advance Letter and Frequently Asked Questions
C1. Current Population Survey Confidentiality Brochure
C2. Fact Sheet for the Current Population Survey
D. Current Population Survey Design and Methodology Overview, October 2006 (available at the following link: http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/tp-66.pdf
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