Supporting Statement B

Supporting Statement B: Statistical Methods

Data collection methods and procedures will vary; however, the primary purpose of these collections is to solicit public comment on planning initiatives. When collected as part of an informal or informal public comment activity, the NCPC will publicly post comments pursuant to NCPC privacy and open government guidance. Other collections are typically used for internal purposes and are not published or otherwise released.

Universe and Respondent Selection

The activities under this clearance may involve samples of self-selected customers, as well as respondents selected to cover a broad range of interested parties or geographies, or to include specific characteristics related to the particular planning initiative. Results will not be used to make statements representative of the universe of study, to produce statistical descriptions (careful, repeatable measurements) or to generalize the data beyond the scope of the sample. The specific sample planned for each individual collection and the method for soliciting participation will be described fully in each collection request.

Qualitative surveys are tools used by planning project managers to develop, review, or improve planning products. The accuracy, reliability and applicability of the results of these surveys are adequate for their purpose. The samples associated with these collections are not subject to the same scrutiny as scientifically drawn samples where estimates are published or otherwise released to the public.

Procedures for Collecting Information

Data collection methods and procedures will vary and the specifics of these will be provided with each collection request. The NCPC expects to use a variety of methodologies for these collections, described in more detail in Part A. For example, NCPC may use commercial public comment software to automate information collection. In addition to physical copies, information collection instruments may be electronically disseminated and/or posted on NCPC’s website or social media pages. Telephone or personal interviews and focus groups with professional guidance and moderation may also be used.

Methods to Maximize Response

Information collected under this generic clearance will not yield generalizable quantitative findings; it can provide useful public comment, but it does not yield data about customer options that can be generalized.

Testing of Procedures

Pretesting may be done with internal staff a limited number of external colleagues, and/or members of the public who are familiar with NCPC’s programs and products. If the number of pretest respondents exceeds nine members of the public, NCPC will submit the pretest instruments for review under this generic clearance.

Contacts for Statistical Aspects and Data Collection

As appropriate, NCPC will obtain information from statisticians in the development, design, conduct and analysis of public surveys. This statistical expertise will be secured from partner federal agencies or contractors. NCPC will include the names and contact information of persons consulted in the specific information requests submitted under the generic clearance.