NSC Request Letter to OMB

August 12, 2020

TO:

Desk Officer for the U.S. Census Bureau
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs/OMB

FROM:

JEFFREY
Victoria Velkoff, Associate Director for Demographic Programs SISSON
U.S. Census Bureau

SUBJECT:

Request for Approval for Non-Substantive Change: Household Pulse Survey

Digitally signed by
JEFFREY SISSON
Date: 2020.08.12 16:01:32
-04'00'

The Census Bureau is writing to request approval of a Non-Substantive Change related to the
Household Pulse Survey (OMB No. 0607-1013). On July 31, 2020, the Office of Management
and Budget provided approval to extend emergency clearance authorizing “Phase 2” of the
Household Pulse Survey, to continue data collection through October 31, 2020. The Household
Pulse Survey is an experimental effort designed to provide data on the social and economic
experiences of households during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Survey. That approval was
conditioned upon OMB’s final review and approval of the Household Pulse Survey
questionnaire. The Census Bureau has proposed revisions to the questionnaire to ensure the data
collection remain timely and relevant with regard to how American households are managing
over the course of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The revised, “Phase 2” Household Pulse Survey questionnaire, in English and Spanish, can be
found in Attachment NSC-1. Many of the questions – for example, questions relating to
employment, mental health, access to care, health insurance, food security, housing security and
demographics – remain the same, providing data continuity over time. Other questions have been
added to support an understanding of a fuller complement of household experiences as the
pandemic continues. Such additions include:
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Questions to understand the degree to which people are teleworking, as well as
transportation-related questions designed to understand household trips for shopping,
public transportation use, and wider travel plans.
Questions related to the application and receipt of unemployment insurance.
Questions related to the application and receipt of Social Security, Supplemental Security
Income and/or Medicare benefits.
Expanded questions related to understand spending patterns and availability of financial
resources.

2

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Additional questions related to food security to capture data on receipt of SNAP benefits.
Additional questions on housing security to capture more specific information on the
experiences of homeowners, renters, and concerns about foreclosure or eviction.
New questions about educational plans in light of the upcoming school year, including
questions on internet availability, teacher engagement, and instructional mode (e.g.,
distance learning;
New questions about post-secondary education experiences.

Additionally, we have attached the language available to the public about the Household Pulse
Survey via the census.gov website. This information is designed to:
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provide information to households invited to complete the survey on its purpose and the
importance of their participation, and provide verification that the source of email
invitations and SMS text messaging about the survey are coming from the Census
Bureau;
provide transparency about the experimental nature of the Household Pulse Survey and
its data products; and
make the data available and useful to the public in near real time through tables and an
interactive data tool.

Attachment NSC-2 includes these messages and examples of Household Pulse Survey data
products available on census.gov.
Finally, we have included the Household Pulse Survey contact scripts, revised to include Spanish
translation. Please see Attachment NSC-3 for contact scripts in English and Spanish.
Thank you for your consideration. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns with
this request.