NSC_PES_PIPFU_PI Reopening January 2021

OMB Nonsubstantive Change Request

Department: Commerce

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau

Title: 2020 Census Post-Enumeration Survey Person Interview and Person Followup

OMB Control Number: 0607-1011

Expiration Date: 01/31/2023

Request: As in previous censuses, the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) for the 2020

Census is conducted to provide estimates of census net coverage and components of census coverage for housing units and people living in housing units. The independent roster of housing units is obtained during the PES Independent Listing (IL) operation, while the independent roster of people is obtained during the PES Person Interview (PI) operation. The PES PI operation will collect specific information for people in housing units. The PES PI Reinterview is a quality control operation.

For each case identified during matching with discrepancies between the PES PI and census, the Census Bureau will conduct a PES Person Followup (PFU) for selected people in the household. During the PES PFU operation, interviewers will use paper questionnaires to obtain information about the selected people. The PES PFU operation will collect the information needed to determine where each selected person should be counted on Census Day. The PES PFU Reinterview is a quality control operation.

In January 2021, the outcome of 2020 Census PES PI data collection was presented to the Data Quality Executive Guidance Group (EGG). The presentation showed that 2020 PI response rates in many states and the District of Columbia are low compared with previous PES PI operations. The EGG decided that we should reopen PES PI field operations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to try to improve response rates. Puerto Rico will not be included in this effort.

This nonsubstantive change is to request schedule changes to the approved information collection for the 2020 Census PES PI and PFU field operations.

The PES PI and PI Reinterview operations (September 2020- January 2021) experienced low response rates due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as lockdowns and travel restrictions in areas throughout the country due to surges in coronavirus cases. Thus, the Census Bureau is proposing to reopen PES PI and PI Reinterview operations (February 2021- March 2021) to attempt to increase response rates.

As noted in the Federal Register, the PES PFU and PFU Reinterview operations were to occur February 2021 through March 2021. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic and reopening PES PI, the Census Bureau is proposing to change the data collection schedule for the PES PFU and PFU Reinterview operations from what was previously stated in the Federal Register on June 5, 2019 (Vol. 84, No. 108, p. 26067) to June 2021 through August 2021.

The revised date to release the PES National Person Estimation Report is December 2021 (instead of November 2021) and the PES Housing Unit Estimation Report is April 2022 (instead of February 2022).

Table: Schedule Revisions

Activity	Original Date	Revised Date
PES PI Reopen		Feb 2021 - March 2021
PES PFU	Feb 2021 - March 2021	June 2021 - August 2021
*PES Final Housing Unit Followup	May 2021 - June 2021	Oct 2021 - Nov 2021
PES National Person Estimation Report	November 2021	December 2021
PES Housing Unit Estimation Report	February 2022	April 2022

*The PES Final Housing Unit Followup field operation is part of 2020 Census Post-Enumeration Survey Initial and Final Housing Unit Follow-up Operations package (OMB control number: 0607-1010). A nonsubstantive change request for that package is forthcoming.

There are no substantive changes to the program resulting from this schedule modification. The respondent burden does not change.

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