Supporting Statement B (1220-0176)

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1. Respondent Universe

The September 2011 supplement will be conducted in conjunction with the CPS, for which the universe is 111 million households. From this universe, the Census Bureau selects a sample of approximately 72,000 households each month, of which approximately 60,000 households are eligible for interviews. The Census Bureau actually interviews about 55,000 households each month. The items in the supplement are asked, as appropriate, for members of the households.

2. Procedures for Collecting Information

This is a supplemental survey associated with the CPS one month each year (September 2011, September 2012, and September 2013). The statistical properties of these supplemental items will fall within those associated with the CPS itself. Additional information specific to this supplemental survey is available in Attachment 16 of the technical documentation on the volunteer supplement, which is available at http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpssep09.pdf.

3. Methods to Maximize Response

For the September 2010 basic CPS, the household–level nonresponse rate was 8.4 percent. The person-level nonresponse rate for the Volunteer supplement was an additional 11.8 percent. Since the basic CPS nonresponse rate is a household-level rate and the Volunteer supplement nonresponse rate is a person-level rate, we cannot combine these rates to derive an overall nonresponse rate. Nonresponding households may have fewer persons than interviewed ones, so combining these rates may lead to an overestimate of the true overall nonresponse rate for persons for the Volunteers supplement.

Response rates and data accuracy for the CPS are maintained at high levels through internal consistency edits in the computerized instrument, interviewer instructions, training, and close monitoring of these data. For additional information, see Chapter 7 and Appendix D of Technical Paper 66, available at http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/tp-66.pdf.

4. Testing of Procedures

Testing of these supplemental items was not required since the same survey was conducted in September 2010.

5. Contact Persons

The following individuals may be consulted concerning the statistical data collection and analysis operation:

Statistical Design:

Samson Adeshiyan

Demographic Statistical Methods Division

Bureau of the Census

(301) 763-5874

Statistical Analysis:

Dorinda Allard

Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics

(202) 691-6470

Data Collection/Survey Design:

Lisa Clement

Demographic Surveys Division

Bureau of the Census

(301) 763-5482

Attachments:

A. Supplement Questions

B. Title 29, United States Code, Sections 1 through 9

C. CPS Advance letter

D. Confidentiality Brochure

E. Title 13, United States Code