During the years preceding the 2020
Census, the Census Bureau is pursuing its commitment to reducing
the cost of conducting the census while maintaining the quality of
the results. Testing of the feasibility of collecting tribal
enrollment information is the primary objective of this test. A
sample of 80,000 households will be drawn for a self-response-only
operation, oversampled in areas with relatively higher
concentrations of people identifying as American Indian or Alaska
Native, as indicated through American Community Survey data. These
households will be mailed census questionnaires and other materials
that provide details about the available modes of response,
including Internet. Census Questionnaire Assistance (CQA) will
offer the option for completing the questionnaire on the telephone,
as well as language assistance with completing the questionnaire
and Interactive Voice Recognition to answer respondent questions
and route calls appropriately. Self-response to the test can occur
through Internet, paper questionnaire or telephone modes. There
will be no follow-up field operation to obtain response. However,
there will be a sample of 15,000 housing units selected for
reinterview. Responses received to both the self-enumeration and
the reinterview will be used for the test results and evaluation. A
second objective is continued testing of the systems designed for
Internet self-response and the integration of the systems
associated with self-response. With the development of these
systems, the Census Bureau has made the transition from in-house
test systems created in prior years to the full systems designed
under the Census Enterprise Data Collection and Processing (CEDCaP)
contract. It is crucial to test and prove in the new systems in
pre-decennial tests, starting with this 2017 Census Test. Internet
Self-Response has been prioritized as the system to complete in
time for the 2017 Census Test. The Internet Self-Response
application will have a Spanish language option. Other key systems
that will be tested are the CQA and the Operational Control System
that is integrated with these two response modes. In addition, the
processes to detect fraudulent questionnaire submissions will be
established and tested. We will also test the ability to provision
and run in a Cloud environment. Further systems will be developed
and tested through the integration stages in the planned 2018
End-to-End Census Test, in particular for the Nonresponse Followup
and Update Enumerate operations. The 2018 End-to-End Census Test
will be the last opportunity to test all systems in an integrated
environment before full implementation in the 2020 Census.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.