1220-0102 Supporting Statement B

Veterans Supplement to the Current Population Survey

1220-0102 (Extension)

June 2016

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

B.COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1. Respondent Universe

The annual supplement will be conducted one month each year in conjunction with the CPS, for which the universe is 122 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 53,000 households each month. The items in the supplement are asked, as appropriate, of members of the households.

2. Procedures for Collecting Information

This is a supplemental survey associated with the CPS one month each year (August 2016, August 2017, and August 2018). The statistical properties of these supplemental items will fall within those associated with the CPS itself. (See Attachment G. Specifically, sample design and selection are detailed in section 1 and estimation procedures are described in section 2.)

3. Methods to Maximize Response

For the August 2014 basic CPS, the household–level nonresponse rate was 11.0 percent. The person-level nonresponse rate for the Veterans supplement was an additional 11.1 percent. Since the basic CPS nonresponse rate is a household-level rate and the Veterans supplement nonresponse rate is a person-level rate, we cannot combine these rates to derive and 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 Veterans 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 on nonresponse, see Attachments G (section 5) and H. For information about data accuracy, see “Current Population Survey Design and Methodology: Technical Paper 66” (training of interviewers is detailed in Appendix D, design of the instrument is described in Chapter 6, and data processing is described in Chapter 9.), available at http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/tp-66.pdf. Additional information about response rates is available on page 16-3 of Attachment H.

4. Testing of Procedures

No new questions are proposed for the new collection.

The veterans supplement is subject to the same testing procedures as the monthly CPS. This includes instrument testing, output testing, and systems testing. Attachment H discusses the reliability of the estimates produced from the August 2014 Veterans Supplement.

5. Contact Persons

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

Statistical Design:

Yang Cheng

Demographic Statistical Methods Division

Bureau of the Census

Statistical Analysis:

Dorinda Allard

Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics

Division of Labor Force Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Data Collection/Survey Design:

Lisa A. Clement

Survey Director, Current Population 

  and American Time Use Surveys

Associate Directorate Demographic Programs

U.S. Census Bureau

Attachments

A. Supplement Questionnaire

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

C. News release from August 2015 survey

D. CPS Advance letter

E. Confidentiality Brochure

F. Title 13, United States Code

G. Overview of CPS Sample Design and Methodology

H. Source and Accuracy Statement for the August 2014 CPS Microdata File on Veterans

I. Veterans Supplement Laws