OMB Package Address Canvassing Part B

Department of Commerce

United States Census Bureau

OMB Information Collection Request

Address Canvassing Testing

OMB Control Number 0607-XXXX

Part B – Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Universe and Respondent Selection

The Census Bureau will conduct a mandatory address list data collection activity during the Fall of 2016 to test data collection methods for the 2020 Census. The two selected sites for the Address Canvassing Test are Buncombe County, NC and St. Louis (part), MO. The test site for the Address Canvassing operation in the 2017 Puerto Rico Census Test includes Carolina, Loíza, and Trujillo Alto municipios. To conduct Address Canvassing, the Census Bureau will knock on the door of every structure in the two test areas in an attempt to locate Living Quarters. The Census Bureau expects that they would make contact with residents (i.e., someone is at home) approximately 25 percent of the time.

2. Procedures for Collecting Information

The data collection is a dependent address listing operation. An existing address list is extracted from the Master Address File (MAF), and field staff work from the addresses that exist on the ground to the address list to provide updates to the list. These updates can include updates to an address, such as spelling or number errors, adding an address to the list, marking an address on the list as nonexistent, or validating an existing address record and all the accompanying data. This data collection will be done using the Listing and Mapping Application (LiMA), which is an enterprise automated address listing instrument.

3. Methods to Maximize Response

Interaction with the public is sometimes a by-product of this data collection. Field staff (listers) will knock on doors at every structure in an attempt to ensure the Census Bureau has a complete list of Living Quarters (LQs). If someone answers, the lister will provide a Confidentiality Notice and ask about the address in order to verify or update the information, as appropriate. The listers will then ask if there are any additional LQs in the structure or on the property. If there are additional LQs, the listers will collect/update that information, as appropriate. For Group Quarters, some contact information for the facility as well as address and other information about the facility is required. No other personal data is collected.

4. Tests of Procedures or Methods

In developing these tests, the Census Bureau consulted with a variety of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, academics, national researchers, community and organizational leaders, and the Census Bureau’s Advisory Committees. In addition, external consultants from the National Academy of Sciences provided feedback about the Census Bureau’s research plans and objectives for the Address Canvassing Test and the Address Canvassing operation in the 2017 Puerto Rico Census Test.

The results from this test will be shared widely with Decennial Census stakeholders. To help evaluate and assess the results of the Address Canvassing Test, the Census Bureau will conduct debriefings with field staff who work on the tests.

5. Contacts for Statistical Aspects and Data Collection

For more information, contact Robin A. Pennington (301) 763-8132, [email protected].