Justification for change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE

Pilot Elwha River Restoration Survey,

OMB Control Number 0648-0683

As NOAA has moved closer to administering the Elwha River Restoration Survey and collecting data under the previously approved Information Collection Request, there are a set of non-substantive changes that NOAA is seeking approval to apply to the survey prior to implementation. These changes have little impact on the purpose, cost, sample size, length, or public burden of the survey. In fact, some of the changes actually reduce public burden and survey length. The proposed changes are described below and can be reviewed in the attached survey instrument.

1. Internet survey module recruitment mechanism. NOAA originally requested and received approval to administer the internet survey module via Knowledge Network’s KnowledgePanel™. NOAA requests approval to administer the same module to a sample recruited specifically for this survey by a different survey firm. The recruitment mechanism will mirror the mail recruitment already approved, which uses an address-based sample, a pre-notification letter, a cover letter and invitation with a URL to complete the online survey, a thank you/reminder notecard, and a second invitation with a URL to complete the online survey . Sample size and geographic distribution of the sample will not change, and overall burden will likely decrease due to the changes described below.

2. Demographic questions added. Under the previously approved plan to administer the survey via the KnowledgePanel™, relevant demographic information was already available for each respondent in the panel. With our new proposed approach to administer the surveys via the mail, we no longer have this information. This information will be collected via a set of simple questions at the end of the survey. The relevant information needed is age, gender, education, ethnicity, race, and family income. These questions are short, straightforward, common in many types of surveys, and will not add an appreciable burden to the respondent. The specific demographic questions added are:

• Page¹ 18:

• 15. In what year were you born?”

• 16. Are you male or female?”

• 17. What is the highest degree or level of school you have COMPLETED? Check  one box. If currently enrolled, mark the previous grade or highest degree received.

• Page¹ 19:

• 18. Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?

• 19. Please choose one or more of the races shown here that you consider yourself to be.

The next question is about your family income. This includes income from jobs, pensions, social security, interest, child support, dividends, profits from businesses or farms, or any other sources of income.

If you live alone, your family income is just your income.

If you live with other family members, your family income includes your total income plus the incomes of any of the family members who live with you.

• 20. During 2014, what was your total income before taxes? Please check  one box.

3. Changes to the questionnaire to improve understanding. Following additional review of the instrument by new survey experts, a number of non-substantive changes to the wording and layout of the instrument were proposed to increase comprehension and reduce the cognitive burden of the survey. Some open ended questions were removed and information on several pages was consolidated, decreasing the overall survey length. These changes, summarized below, decrease the time required to complete the survey and limit burden on the respondent.

• Open ended questions removed:

• Page² 6, question 6.

• Page² 10, question 8.

• Page² 15, question 10.

• Previously loose map insert placed on page³ 3.

• Information on pages² 6, 7, and 8 consolidated to pages³ 7 and 8.

• Information on pages² 11, 12, 13 consolidated to pages³ 11 and 12.

• Information on pages² 15, 16, 17, 18 consolidated to pages³ 14 and 15.

• Page³ 18: Debriefing questions added:

• 13. Do you think that the restoration projects described in this survey would be effective in restoring the Elwha River ecosystem? Please check  one box.”

• 14. Would you say you think of yourself as not an environmentalist at all, slightly an environmentalist, a moderate environmentalist, a strong environmentalist, or a very strong environmentalist? Please check  one box.

• Page³ 20 is now blank and serves as the back cover of the survey.

• All the questions are now overlaid on a light blue background.

1 Page numbers refers to new version of survey.

2 Page number refers to old version of survey.

3 Page number refers to new version of survey.