This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.
Study for SNAP Participation on FS ARRA
Overall, the Docket is thorough in explanation and seems to make sense statistically, with consideration and plans to account for known and unknown biases. No prior knowledge of the CPS-FSS made following pieces of the report difficult, possibly including more information about the methodology would assist in better understanding of how the data will be used in the current study. Below are recommended changes/updates to the report; some are simply formatting/grammatical and/or nit-picky, but others are more substantial.
Page 1: SNAP and ARRA are mentioned prior to defining the acronyms.
Page 5: “A copy of the notice and the comment are attached in Appendix E.” Appendix E does not appear to contain a copy of the federal register notice.
Page 6: “In particular, our design carefully constructs comparison groups and uses large samples, rich data, and statistical modeling to control for selection bias.” Consider using a word other than “rich”, possibly robust, in a docket about studying those with limited funds.
Page 29: In sampling states, is the District of Columbia somehow included?
Page 35: “For the full sample, these sample sizes yield high levels of precision…” change to “For the households interviewed at both points in time, these sample sizes…”. The term “full sample” is confusing, the sample size between baseline and follow-up was 7,558 and the sample size of the baseline 11,000; while the reference is for the 4,001 matching respondents with good cooperation.
Page 40: Section B.3 “Methods to Maximize Response Rates and to Deal with Nonresponse” does not include any mention of the $30 post-pay incentive for completing the 90 minute in-depth interview, this should be added.
Appendix D, number 35: “We take a grocery cart and enter.” Not everyone grabs a grocery cart; some use a basket, other their own reusable bags are used to carry items, others their own wheeled cart. I would suggest taking this sentence out or asking their method of carrying items.
Appendix E: “This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.”, center like all others.
Appendix G: “Post card” in the title is one word, postcard.
Appendix F and H are more personal using the respondent’s name, whereas Appendix I and J are very impersonal using “Sir/Madam”. I recommend changing I and J to match F and H.
Appendix J: “In this interview, we will questions about your participation in the SNAP program…” add the word ask, to read “In this interview, we will ask questions…”
Appendix J: “You will also receive a $XX as a token of appreciation for participating in this discussion.” Re-write to “You will also receive a $XX [store] gift card as a token…” as it appears in the respondent letter.
Review conducted by
Sharyn Lavender
Statistical Methods Branch
Statistics Division, NASS/USDA
202-690-0901
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Margaret Hallisey |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-02-01 |