The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). The objective of this research is to conduct cognitive testing of the 2008 Be Counted questionnaire that is proposed for the 2010 Census. The Be Counted form is used by the Census Bureau to enumerate people who have otherwise been missed from census operations. Such people likely include people temporarily experiencing homelessness, people tenuously attached to the households with which they stay, and people living in unconventional housing units (e.g., basement apartments, living in business space). During the census, these forms will be available at public locations like convenience stores, libraries and post offices.
Between Census 2000 and now, several changes have been made to the form. The address fields on this form were revised with the aim of improved address reporting so that forms can be geocoded back to the master address file. Additionally, instructions on who should complete the form, and how to complete the form were added to the front cover. Attached is the current draft of the Be Counted form (though the reference date will be changed for the cognitive test). The goal of this cognitive test is to evaluate the effectiveness of those changes.
Between January and February, staff from the Center for Survey Methods Research (CSMR) will conduct about 30 cognitive testing interviews. The cognitive interviews will be semi-structured interviews with respondents who could be missed by regular census operations and who represent a diverse population, varying across races, ethnicities and living conditions. We will recruit respondents who are temporarily experiencing homelessness through places like soup kitchens. We will also recruit respondents who are tenuously attached to their households (e.g., live-in nannies, roomers) and respondents who live in non-traditional housing units (e.g., basement or garage apartments that could be missed by address canvassing). The interviews will be conducted at the cognitive lab in Suitland or at a place more convenient to the respondent, like the soup kitchen or a community center. All participants will be asked to think aloud while they are completing the form, and they will also provide commentary on their experience during a semi-scripted retrospective debriefing. The debriefing will also include short vignettes to investigate residence concepts. Interviews will be conducted in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Cognitive interviews will be tape-recorded, with the participants' permission, to facilitate summary of the results. All participants will be informed that their response is voluntary and that the information they provide is confidential. Respondents will receive $40 for their participation in the interview.
The estimated time for completion of each of these interview is an hour. Thus, the estimated burden for this research is 30 hours.
The contact persons for questions regarding data collection and study design are:
Jennifer Childs
Statistical Research Division
U.S. Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, D.C. 20233
(301) 763-4927
Eleanor Gerber
Statistical Research Division
U.S. Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, D.C. 20233
(301) 763-4890
| File Type | application/octet-stream |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 0000-00-00 |