OMB Memo

Generic Information Collection Request

Request: The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). We propose to conduct exploratory research online and in-person cognitive/usability testing to gather information about map preference and use. As a part of this current submission we are seeking approval for the online questionnaire. Another submission will be sent later to conduct the second phase of the research -- an in-person usability/cognitive interviews conducted by Census Bureau staff.

Purpose: The results of this study will inform a 2020 Census experiment’s design. The 2020 Census “crowdsourcing” experiment will ask census respondents to identify any vacant units in their neighborhood. If results of the experiment show that neighbors can identify vacant units accurately, then in the 2030 Census, we might implement the experiment’s methods and use the “crowdsourced” data to eliminate follow-up field work to vacant addresses that have not yet completed the census. Specifically, the findings from the current study will be used to help select the type of address display and the number of residential units to include on the display.

The goal of the online exploratory phase of the research is to gather information about how people use maps and address lists, their familiarity with the proposed address displays, and which ones they would prefer to use if they were tasked with identifying their home and their neighbors’ homes. We will also collect the number of neighboring residential units for which they know the occupancy status, how confident they are of that number, and how familiar they are with the residents of those units. The goal of this first phase is to gather information about the address displays and to identify the number of units to display on the map/list to use in the in-person phase of the testing.

Population of Interest: The planned research will focus on assessing and improving the user experience for people who will respond online to the census.

Timeline: The exploratory online research will be conducted at the end of February into March 2019.

Language: Testing will be conducted in English only.

Method: The exploratory phase will use an online survey to gather data.

Sample: For the exploratory phase, we will request 300 completed responses using a Qualtrics panel. Qualtrics will select the participants according to our requirements. If possible, we will request a quota sample that includes participants living in neighborhoods of varying lot sizes and housing unit types, as well as participants who either own or rent. We will also collect approximately 200 responses from the Census Bureau affinity panel of emails. The affinity panel is a list of emails of people who have opted into being contacted for Census Bureau research studies.

Recruitment: Qualtrics will select the sample from their panel for the exploratory phase and will handle their recruitment. We will select a random sample from the Census Bureau affinity frame of 3000 U.S. emails, which assumes a 7 percent response rate to produce around 200 completes.

Protocol: For the exploratory phase, we will collect data using an online questionnaire and will gather data about four address displays and online map use behavior.

Consent: We will inform participants that their response is voluntary and that the information they provide is confidential and will be accessed only by employees involved in the research project.

Use of Incentive: The Qualtrics sample will be given an incentive by the Qualtrics vendor. Per Qualtrics, the exact amount and form that each respondent receives can vary depending on the participants’ profile, how they were recruited, and the form of incentives they have elected to receive (i.e. e-gift cards, points, cash, etc.). Generally speaking, though, respondents receive ~$1.00-$1.50 or a relatively equivalent value for completing a 15 to 20-minute consumer survey.  The Census Bureau affinity sample will not receive an incentive.

Below is a list of materials to be used in the current study.

1. Questionnaire for the online exploratory survey (Enclosure 1) (This questionnaire displays four maps – we might add an additional map if the programming becomes available before fielding. The questions will be identical.)

Length of interview: We estimate 10 minutes for the exploratory online survey.

The total estimated respondent burden for this request is 84 hours.

Table 1. Total Estimated Burden

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Exploratory study	300 Qualtrics 200 Affinity	10 minutes 10 minutes	50 hours 34 hours

The contact person for questions regarding data collection and statistical aspects of the design of this research is listed below:

Elizabeth Nichols

Center for Behavioral Science Methods

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

(301) 763-1724

[email protected]

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