OMB Memo

Generic Information Collection Request

Request: The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the Generic Clearance for Pretesting (OMB number 0607-0725). We propose to conduct a mixed methods approach to collect quantitative and qualitative data to explore the conditions under which respondents may erroneously omit a person form the census roster. As a part of this current submission, we are seeking approval for collection of quantitative and qualitative data through experiments and cognitive interviews conducted by Census Bureau staff.

Purpose:

The purpose of the study is two-fold:

1. The purpose of collecting the quantitative data is to develop statistical models predicting omissions and perceived difficulty of roster completion from individual (e.g., age, relationship), family complexity (single person, nuclear family) and context (e.g., length of stay, characteristics of housing units) factors.

2. The purpose of collecting qualitative data is to develop a conceptual model of the respondent’s decision-making process that leads to omission based on individual and context factors.

Population of Interest: The planned study will focus on assessing the situations under which the general population may erroneously exclude a person from the census form. However, because it is well established in the literature that minorities and people whose main language is other than English are more likely to be omitted from the census, recruitment efforts will be focused in recruiting participants from the Hispanic population.

Timeline: Recruiting and testing will be conducted from January 2020 through June 2020.

Language: Testing will be conducted in English and Spanish, depending on participants’ preference.

Method: Testing will be conducted online and in person. The online sample will answer the questions in the study electronically. The in-person sample will have the option to complete the study in paper or in a Census-issued laptop.

Sample: In order to achieve a .80 power to detect differences in omission across two experimental conditions with an odds ratio of 3 and α = .05 (one-tailed), power analyses using G*Power 3 software indicated that a sample size of n = 77 was required. We plan on testing approximately 40 participants online and 50 participants in person, for a total of 90 participants.

If possible, we plan on running a maximum of six in-person participants per day.

Participants:

Online sample: Half of the sample will be English-speaking participants and half of the sample will the Spanish-speaking participants.

In-person sample: Testing will be conducted in either English or Spanish language, depending on participant’s preference.

The basic requirements for participation for both the online and in-person sample will be:

• At least 18 years of age

• Self-identify as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.

• No previous participation in this study (participation limited to one time per participant)

• Planning on completing the 2020 Census.

Recruitment: In-person participants will be recruited using a combination of word-of-mouth, flyers, online and paper advertisements. Online participants will be recruited as a non-probability sample through online sample services.

Protocol: All participants (online and in-person) will complete a demographics questionnaire (attached) and internet experience questionnaire (attached). Then participants will complete the vignettes and difficulty questions in the experimental task (attached). In-person participants will engage in a think-aloud protocol while completing the experimental task. After completion of the experimental task, in-person participants will answer debriefing questions (attached) to explore their rationale for including or excluding people form the census form.

Use of Incentive: We plan to offer in-person participants an incentive of $40 to offset the costs of participation, such as travel and parking.

For online participants, we will enlist nonprobability panel providers to recruit and distribute invitations to participate in the online testing questionnaire. 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 diverse mass sample, and $3-$5 for the HTC sample. All incentives are distributed upon completion via virtual currency in the form of a correlated point value.

Below is a list of materials to be used in the current study.

1. Protocol (Enclosure 1)

2. Demographic questionnaire (Enclosure 2)

3. Internet use questionnaire (Enclosure 3)

4. Experimental task (Enclosure 4)

5. Debriefing question for in-person participants (Enclosure 5)

Length of interview: We estimate that sessions will last, on average, 30 minutes for online participants, and 60 minutes for in-person participants. The total estimated respondent burden for this request is 60 hours.

The contact person for questions regarding data collection and statistical aspects of the design of this research is listed below:

Alda Rivas

832-775-8844

alda.g.rivas@census.gov

Center for Behavioral Science Measurement

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

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