Certification for Farmers Feedback via Social Media - Facebook & Twitter

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0503-0021)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:
Farmers Feedback via Social Media (Facebook and Twitter)

PURPOSE:

USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is seeking feedback from farmers on why they respond, or do not respond, to NASS surveys. One of the ways NASS would like to gather this feedback is by posting a specific question to social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter. This action is a part of a larger ongoing project to improve response rates and find ways to convert non-responders to responders.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The targeted group is farmers that follow NASS on Facebook and Twitter.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [x] Other: Social Media Data Collection

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Kenneth Pick, Survey Methodologist, NASS

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System of Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

NOTE:

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Farmers (Respondents)	120	5 minutes	10 hours
Totals	120		10 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $500.

Notes: Reflects staff time to execute surveys.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

No, the question will be posted on Facebook and Twitter and anyone can respond. There is no list.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail (if no access to internet or email)

[ ] Other: Optional survey via email to customers

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

3