Description - SSI Internet Use Survey FY 15

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Internet Survey

SSA SUB-NUMBER: C-04

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY:

BACKGROUND

Through the SSI program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) pays benefits to 6.1 million disabled and blind adults and children who have limited income and resources. The proposed survey is designed to identify the extent of Internet use in this population and gauge their inclination to use electronic services for conducting Social Security business. This information will help SSA plan for the future and meet the service delivery needs of this population.

SURVEY

Description of Survey

In designing the questionnaire, we drew from our previous surveys of SSI recipients and on our surveys of prospective clients which both explored customers’ experience and interest in conducting various types of business electronically over the Internet.

The SSI Internet Survey questionnaire includes the following questions:

• Questions 1 – 4 ask sampled individuals if they had any recent business with SSA, the number and method of those contacts, and their preferred method for conducting business with SSA in the future.

• Questions 5 – 10 ask sampled individuals about their current Internet use. Sampled individuals who use the Internet rate their level of experience and identify how and where they access the Internet. The survey asks sampled individuals who do not currently use the Internet to explain why.

• Question 11 asks all sampled individuals how likely they would be to use a self –service kiosk placed in a public location, such as a library, to access SSA online services.

• Questions 12 – 21 ask Internet users how often they conduct some common online activities, such as send email or make purchases, using either a personal or laptop computer or a wireless handheld device.

• Question 22 asks Internet users whether they have already created a my Social Security online account. Questions 23 - 29 asks those who have not yet created a my Social Security account how comfortable they would be providing personal information online and having that personal information matched against other types of records to confirm their identity.

• Question 30 asks Internet users how likely they would be to create a my Social Security account to conduct future SSI business. Question 31 asks those who are not inclined to create an account for the main reason why. Their responses will help SSA identify their most important concerns which we could address through service enhancements and targeted marketing.

• Questions 32 ‑ 34 ask Internet users how likely they would be to use several features that SSA is considering adding to help people do business online, e.g., online chat.

• Question 35 asks for sampled individuals’ education level as a means of identifying differences in the attitudes and expectations for service among various subgroups. Other demographic information such as the age and sex of sampled individuals is available from SSA records.

Statistical Information

Sample Selection

About 4.8 million disabled or blind adults age 18-64 currently receive SSI benefits; 34 percent of this group have a representative payee. Another 1.3 million SSI recipients are disabled or blind children under age 18; nearly all (99.9 percent) have a representative payee.

Using the agency system that maintains these records, we will select a random sample of blind or disabled SSI recipients nationwide who are in current pay status. We plan to stratify the sample by selecting 3,000 records from the three categories shown below so we can compare the attitudes about Internet use in these groups.

• Disabled or blind adults age 18-64 who do not have a representative payee,

• Disabled or blind adults age 18-64 who have a representative payee, and

• Disabled or blind children under age 18.

Methodology

Shortly after sample selection, an SSA‑approved contractor will send all sampled individuals a written prenotice advising them that they have been selected for the survey and encouraging them to participate. We will include both the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Privacy Act explanations in the prenotice letter. The contractor will conduct the survey by telephone. The contractor will translate the survey questionnaire into computer‑assisted interviewing (CATI) software so that interviewing and data input of the individual’s responses occur simultaneously. The CATI software also ensures that we ask only questions pertinent to the individual’s circumstances, allowing for complicated question paths while still minimizing response burden.

Response Rate

SSA will take the following steps to maximize the response rate for this survey:

• The contractor will send a prenotice of selection for the survey so that sampled individuals are aware that the telephone contacts are legitimate.

• The contractor will make at least 15 attempts to reach the sampled individual in an effort to obtain the highest possible response rate.

• In addition to daytime hours, the contractor will make call attempts in the evenings and on the weekend.

• The contractor will arrange callbacks and leave messages for the sampled individual as necessary, and provide a toll-free number for return calls to encourage participation.

• The contractor will make appointments so the survey can be conducted at the sampled individual’s convenience.

In prior surveys of SSI recipients, we have achieved response rates around 75 to 80 percent using a similar methodology. We anticipate an equally good response rate in the upcoming survey. Note that SSA routinely conducts a non-responder analysis to identify any significant differences in the responder and non-responder populations and their potential impact on the survey results.

Sampling Variability

The key variable for this survey is the likelihood of creating a my Social Security account to conduct future SSI business on SSA’s website, i.e., the percent giving a rating of very likely or somewhat likely (VL/SL). Based on earlier surveys of SSI Internet users, we estimate the VL/SL rate among disabled or blind adults without a representative payee will be 60 percent. Assuming a 75 percent response rate, our proposed sample size of 3,000 is large enough to provide a sampling variability at the 95‑percent confidence level of +/-2.0 for this stratum.

We estimate that the VL/SL rate among disabled or blind adults and children with a representative payee will be 75 percent. Assuming a 75 percent response rate, our proposed sample size of 3,000 is large enough to provide a sampling variability at the 95‑percent confidence level of +/-1.7 for both of these strata.

SSA’s Office of Quality Review will perform all sampling and data analysis. Dan Zabronsky, Director of SSA’s Division of Modeling in the Office of Quality Improvement, will provide statistical support. Dan’s phone number is (410) 965-5953.

IF FOCUS GROUP MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE A PAYMENT, INDICATE AMOUNT (No more than $25 can be authorized under OMB rules):

We will not compensate participants for this survey.

USE OF SURVEY RESULTS:

SSA will use the results of this study to identify the extent of Internet use among SSI disabled or blind recipients and gauge their inclination to use electronic services for conducting Social Security business. This information will help SSA plan for the future and meet the service delivery needs of this population.

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response time (/60) = annual burden hours):

Number of Responses: 9,000

Estimated Response Time: 10 minutes

Annual Burden Hours: 1,500 hours

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Deborah A. Larwood

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 410-966-6135

Generic Clearance FY 2015 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Internet Survey

August 2014