Attachment M - 2018 SIPP Panel 60 Day Federal Register Notice

Attachment M
Federal Register /Vol. 82, No. 74 /Wednesday, April 19, 2017 /Notices/ pages 18418 - 18419
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; Survey of Income
and Program Participation (SIPP) 2018
Panel
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau,
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Department of
Commerce, as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and
respondent burden, invites the general
public and other federal agencies to take
this opportunity to comment on the
proposed 2018 Survey of Income and
Program Participation, as required by
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: To ensure consideration, submit
written comments on or before June 19,
2017.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance Officer,
Department of Commerce, Room 6616,
14th and Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
Internet at [email protected]).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instrument(s) and instructions should
be directed to Jason M. Fields, U.S.
Census Bureau, ADDP, 4600 Silver Hill
Road, Room HQ–7H153, Washington,
DC 20233–0001, (301) 763–2465 (or via
the Internet at jason.m.fields@
census.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau plans to conduct

the Survey of Income and Program
Participation (SIPP) 2018 Panel in 4
waves beginning in February 2018.
Wave 1 of the SIPP 2018 Panel will be
conducted from February to May of
2018. Wave 2 is scheduled to be
conducted from February to May of
2019. Wave 3 is scheduled to be
conducted from February to May of
2020. Wave 4 is scheduled to be
conducted from February to May of
2021. The SIPP is a household-based
survey designed as a continuous series
of national panels. The SIPP represents
a primary source of information about
annual and sub-annual dynamics of
income, family and household content,
movement into and out of government
programs, and interactions of these
topics in a single, unified database
allowing for in-depth, informed
analyses. Government domestic policy
formulators depend heavily upon SIPP
information concerning the distribution
of income received either directly as
money or indirectly as in-kind benefits
and the effect of tax and transfer
programs on that distribution. They also
rely on data that provides improved and
expanded information on the dynamics
of income and the general economic and
financial situation of the U.S.
population, in the context of the
household situation, which the SIPP has
provided on a continuing basis since
1983. The SIPP has measured levels of
economic well-being and permitted
measurement of changes in these levels
over time.
A portion of the 2018 SIPP Panel will
use an Event History Calendar (EHC)
that facilitates the collection of dates of
events and spells of coverage. The EHC
is a tool to assist the respondent’s ability
to recall events accurately over the one
year reference period and provide
increased data quality and inter-topic
consistency for dates reported by
respondents. The EHC is intended to
help respondents recall information in a

Attachment M
more natural ‘‘autobiographical’’
manner by using life events as triggers
to recall other economic events. The
EHC was previously used in the 2014
Panel. The content of the 2018 SIPP
Panel will match that of the 2014 SIPP
Panel very closely. As with the 2014
Panel, the 2018 Panel SIPP design does
not contain freestanding topical
modules; however, a portion of
traditional SIPP topical module content
is integrated into the 2018 SIPP Panel
interview. Examples of this content
include questions on medical expenses,
child care, retirement and pension plan
coverage, marital history, and adult and
child well-being.
The 2018 SIPP Panel begins with a
new ‘‘Wave 1’’ sample of survey
respondents who were not interviewed
in the previous 2014 SIPP Panel. The
2018 SIPP Panel Wave 1 will interview
respondents about the previous calendar
year, 2017, as the reference period and
will proceed with annual interviewing
going forward. The 2018 SIPP Panel will
use the same interviewing method
structure as in the 2014 Panel, in which
adults (age 15 years and older) who
move from the prior wave household
will be followed. Consequently, future
waves will incorporate dependent data,
which is information collected from the
prior wave interview brought forward to
the current interview as a way to reduce
respondent burden and improve data
quality.
The Census Bureau plans to continue
to use Computer Audio-Recorded
Interview (CARI) technology for all of
the respondents during the 2018 SIPP
Panel. CARI is a tool available during
data collection to capture audio along
with response data. With the
respondent’s consent, a portion of each
interview is recorded unobtrusively and
both the sound file and screen images
are returned with the response data to
Census Headquarters for evaluation.
Census staff may review the recorded
portions of the interview to improve

questionnaire design and for quality
assurance purposes.
Approximately 20,000 households are
expected to be interviewed for the 2018
SIPP Panel. We estimate that each
household contains 2.1 people age 15
and above, yielding approximately
42,000 person-level interviews per wave
in this panel. Completing the SIPP
interview will take approximately 60
minutes per adult on average,
consequently the total annual burden
for 2018 SIPP interviews will be 42,000
hours per year in FY 2018, 2019, 2020,
and 2021.
II. Method of Collection
The 2018 SIPP Panel will use the
Computer-Assisted Personal
Interviewing (CAPI) method of data
collection. The instrument will consist
of one interview per person per wave
(year) resulting in four total interviews
over the life of the panel. Each interview
will reference the previous calendar
year depending on the wave. A field
representative will conduct the
interview in person with all household
members 15 years old or over using
regular proxy-respondent rules. In the
instances where the residence is not
accessible or the respondent makes a
request, the field representative will
conduct the interview by telephone.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607–0977.
Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated
Instrument.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Individuals or
Households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
42,000 people per wave.
Estimated Time per Response: 60
minutes per person on average.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 42,000 hours per wave.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $0.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United

Attachment M
States Code, Sections 141 and 182.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Departmental Lead, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017–07884 Filed 4–18–17; 8:45 am]
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