New
collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)
No
Emergency
10/29/2021
10/22/2021
Requested
Previously Approved
6 Months From Approved
1,188
0
120
0
5,570,128
0
This is a new request to collect data
from awardees, participants, and staff for an evaluation of an
urgent, short-term project. The data to be collected are not
available elsewhere. Data collection activities are planned for
October 2021 through December 2021. The Association of Science and
Technology Centers (ASTC) has contracted SRI International (SRI) to
evaluate the Communities for Immunity (C4I) project. The C4I
project, administered by ASTC in partnership with the American
Alliance of Museums (AAM) and the Network of the National Library
of Medicine (NLM) and supported by the Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS) and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), supports libraries, museums, and their partners
to engage local communities with the aim of increasing vaccine
confidence and, ultimately, to improve community vaccination rates.
The project also aims to increase libraries’ and museums’
organizational capacity to partner in addressing critical national
and local issues. This data collection fills an urgent need to
understand promising strategies for mitigating vaccine hesitancy
and improving vaccination-seeking behavior and vaccination rates in
communities around the country. More than 700,000 Americans have
died of COVID-19-related causes since February 2020 and, despite
widespread availability of the vaccine in the US, only 68 percent
of adults nationwide are fully vaccinated. In a 2020 survey
measuring potential acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccines, just
two-thirds (66%) of Americans said that they would definitely or
probably get vaccinated when a COVID-19 vaccine became available;
subsequent surveys have shown that vaccine hesitancy is a key
reason for this choice. Sources of vaccine hesitancy included
concerns that fast vaccine approval could reflect lowered quality
standards, concerns about the newness of mRNA vaccine development,
and misinformation circulated on social media—all despite evidence
that vaccines are safe to use. As new COVID-19 variants cause
spikes in rates of severe illness and death, increasing vaccination
rates in the US remains a top national priority. It will also be
vital to quickly build confidence among parents and caregivers in
the vaccine for children ages 5–11 soon to be approved. The new
data collection will provide nationally relevant information. While
numerous strategies have been used to incentivize or motivate
still-unvaccinated eligible people to get vaccines, there is little
evidence of what strategies work well—much less how strategies work
for specific target populations or types of vaccine hesitancy. The
evaluation will identify promising engagement strategies that
libraries, museums, and cultural institutions and their partners
around the country can replicate locally, including strategies that
increase confidence in the vaccine for children ages 5–11.
This data collection
fills an urgent need to understand promising strategies for
mitigating vaccine hesitancy and improving vaccination-seeking
behavior and vaccination rates in communities around the country.
More than 700,000 Americans have died of COVID-19-related causes
since February 2020 and, despite widespread availability of the
vaccine in the US, only 68 percent of adults nationwide are fully
vaccinated. In a 2020 survey measuring potential acceptance of a
COVID-19 vaccines, just two-thirds (66%) of Americans said that
they would definitely or probably get vaccinated when a COVID-19
vaccine became available; subsequent surveys have shown that
vaccine hesitancy is a key reason for this choice. Sources of
vaccine hesitancy included concerns that fast vaccine approval
could reflect lowered quality standards, concerns about the newness
of mRNA vaccine development, and misinformation circulated on
social media—all despite evidence that vaccines are safe to use. As
new COVID-19 variants cause spikes in rates of severe illness and
death, increasing vaccination rates in the US remains a top
national priority. It will also be vital to quickly build
confidence among parents and caregivers in the vaccine for children
ages 5–11 soon to be approved.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.