ACS NSC CAPI Letters January 2022

Purpose

Request for Nonsubstantive Change to the
2022 American Community Survey
Revisions to Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing Respondent Materials
OMB Control No. 0607-0810
U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Census Bureau

The American Community Survey (ACS) is requesting to revise Computer Assisted Personal
Interviewing (CAPI) respondent materials starting in March 2022. The ACS plans to implement
the change to more clearly communicate and address respondent concerns, with the goal of
gaining interview cooperation.
Background:
The ACS employs a 3-month data collection process for each monthly sample. First through selfresponse and later through in-person and telephone interviews. During the first two months of
data collection, the Census Bureau sends up to five mailings to all mailable, sampled addresses
to solicit a response via the internet or paper questionnaire. After the self-response period,
responding addresses are removed and the unmailable and undeliverable addresses (from the
initial sample) are added to create the universe of addresses eligible for the CAPI nonresponse
followup operation. Of this universe, a subsample is chosen to be included in the CAPI
operation, which starts at the beginning of the month following the fifth mailing. A pressure
seal reminder letter is sent to all mailable addresses sampled for CAPI at the start of the
interviewing month. This letter lets respondents know that a Census Bureau field
representative (FR) may call or visit them to complete the interview and encourages them to
complete the survey online, if possible. Census Bureau field representatives (FRs) first attempt
to interview those selected for CAPI by phone. If the FR is unable to complete a phone
interview, they visit the address to conduct an in-person interview.
Among the tools FRs use to gain cooperation from respondents are a variety of letters and
brochures. These materials are used to address respondent concerns and provide information
about the ACS:
• Attachment A - No One Home Letter (ACS-613N(L)), Stateside English
• Attachment B - No One Home Letter (ACS-613N(L)), Puerto Rico English
• Attachment C - Better Understanding Letter (ACS-613B(L)), Stateside English
• Attachment D - Better Understanding Letter (ACS-613B(L)), Puerto Rico English
• Attachment E - Internet Letter (ACS-INET), Stateside English
• Attachment F - Confidentiality Letter (ACS-CON), Stateside English
• Attachment G - Final Attempt Letter (ACS-FA), Stateside English
• Attachment H - Final Attempt Letter (ACS-FA), Stateside English July 2022 Version
• Attachment I - Refusal Letter (ACS-613R(L)), Stateside English
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Attachment J - Refusal Letter (ACS-613R(L)), Puerto Rico English
Attachment K - Management Letter Building (ACS-MU-1(L)), Stateside English
Attachment L - Management Letter Gated Community (ACS-MU-2(L)), Stateside English
Attachment M - Seasonal Unit Letter (ACS-SEA), Stateside English
Attachment N - Please Call Me Letter (ACS-PCM), Stateside English
Attachment O - Please Call Me Letter (ACS-PCM), Puerto Rico English

These materials are used, as needed, based on the FR’s interactions with the respondent; an
individual respondent does not receive all the materials.
The Better Understanding, No One Home, and Refusal letters are currently available in English,
Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese. The Please Call Me Letter is also available
in Spanish.
Request:
In 2019, the Census Bureau began a project to revise the CAPI respondent materials. An initial
assessment of the current materials indicated that they were written, on average, at the 12th
grade level. 1 According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 34 percent of
American adults read at less than an 8th grade level and about 14 percent read at the first-tothird grade level. 2 The current letters are text dense, do not focus the reader on the main
message of the letter, and hide the Internet User ID and respondent actions. The Census
Bureau applied plain language principles to the materials to improve the readability of the
materials and make them easier to understand for more respondents. The resulting materials
were written, on average, at the 9th grade level.
The materials were also revised to incorporate lessons learned from a separate research project
about messaging and communication, called the Strategic Framework Messaging Project. 3 The
messages in the revised letters were designed to address the specific concern or situation that
the FR encountered. FAQs were included on the back of the letter to address general questions
about the survey without highlighting them in the letter itself or distracting the respondent
from the main message of the letter. The goal of these changes was to reduce the burden of
reading the letters while boosting CAPI response rates.
This nonsubstantive change request includes the English versions of the revised letters. The
revised translated materials in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese will be

Reading levels were calculated using the Flesch-Kindcaid Grade Level score.
See National Center for Education Statistics (2014). Literacy, Numeracy, and Problem Solving in Technology-Rich
Environments Among U.S. Adults: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult
Competencies 2012: First Look. Washington DC: Institute of Education Science, National Center for Education
Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved on December 16, 2021 from
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014008.pdf
3
See Oliver, Heimel, and Schreiner (2017). Strategic Framework for Messaging in the ACS Mail Materials. Retrieved
on December 16, 2021 from https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2017/acs/2017_Oliver_01.html
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included in a subsequent nonsubstantive change request and/or will be included in the
upcoming information collection request.
The Census Bureau also conducted refresher training with the FRs to explain the intent of each
letter and what situations the letters were designed to address, as follows:
Letters
No One Home
Letter

Better
Understanding
Letter

Internet Letter

Confidentiality
Letter
Final Attempt
Letter

Refusal Letter

Management
Letter for MultiUnit Buildings
Management
Letter for Gated
Communities

Purpose
Sent to an address when the FR is unable to
make contact with anyone at the sample
address but thinks someone lives there. It
emphasizes the confidentiality of the survey
data and the benefits of the survey to
motivate response. The respondent is told to
call the FR or go online to respond.
Used when a respondent requests more
information about the ACS but hasn’t refused.
The letter emphasizes the confidentiality of
the survey data and the benefits of the survey
to motivate response. The respondent is told
to call the FR or go online to respond.
This letter is nearly identical to the letter sent
at the beginning of the CAPI month. It is
intended primarily to be used for nonmailable addresses.
Used when a respondent indicates they have
specific concerns about their response being
kept confidential or their data being secure.
Used at the end of data collection. The letter
is short; it expresses the uniqueness of being
selected for the survey, the legal requirement
for participation, and the different ways to
respond.
Used when a respondent explicitly refuses to
participate in the survey. The letter is short
and to the point regarding confidentiality and
the legal requirements to participate. It
provides response options and emphasizes
that the respondent will be contacted again
soon to complete the interview.
This letter is used to help FRs gain access to
multi-unit buildings when they can’t directly
access the sampled address
This letter is used to help FRs gain access to
addresses located in a gated community.
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Seasonal Unit
Letter

Please Call Me
Letter

Used when the FR suspects that the sampled
address is only used seasonally and cannot
make contact with anyone at the sample
address. FRs may send this letter to someone
who may be able to verify that the unit is
seasonal.
This letter is used to help FRs who can only
reach respondents by phone.

Use of Incentives: None.
Burden: There is no change in response burden to the public associated with this change.
Materials are given to respondent on an as needed basis.
Attachments:
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An Excel file (“ACS_NSC_CAPI_English Letters Jan 2022 Materials Attachment”) that
shows old and new materials, and a summary of changes.
Copies of all the letters in Stateside English and Puerto Rico English.

Contact Information:
Please contact Dameka Reese for further information about this change:
Dameka Reese
American Community Survey Office
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, D.C. 20233
[email protected]
301-763-3804

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Attachment A – No One Home Letter (ACS-613N(L)), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment A – No One Home Letter (ACS-613N(L)), Stateside English
Back

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Attachment B – No One Home Letter (ACS-613N(L)), Puerto Rico English
Front

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Attachment C – Better Understanding Letter (ACS-613B(L)), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment C – Better Understanding Letter (ACS-613B(L)), Stateside English
Back

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Attachment D – Better Understanding Letter (ACS-613B(L)), Puerto Rico English
Front

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Attachment E – Internet Letter (ACS-INET), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment E – Internet Letter (ACS-INET), Stateside English
Back

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Attachment F – Confidentiality Letter (ACS-CON), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment F – Confidentiality Letter (ACS-CON), Stateside English
Back

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Attachment G – Final Attempt Letter (ACS-FA), Stateside English
*This updated version of the letter will be in production until the June 2022 interview month. It
will then switch, from July onward, to a version with updated Spanish to reflect forthcoming
changes to the ACS Landing Page for consistency. *
Front

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Attachment G – Final Attempt Letter (ACS-FA), Stateside English
Back

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Attachment H – Final Attempt Letter (ACS-FA), Stateside English July 2022 Version
*This updated version of the letter will be in production beginning with the July 2022 interview
month. It has updated Spanish to reflect forthcoming changes to the ACS Landing Page for
consistency. *
Front

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Attachment H – Final Attempt Letter (ACS-FA), Stateside English July 2022 Version
Back

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Attachment I – Refusal Letter (ACS-613R(L)), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment I – Refusal Letter (ACS-613R(L)), Stateside English
Back

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Attachment J – Refusal Letter (ACS-613R(L)), Puerto Rico English
Front

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Attachment K – Management Letter Building (ACS-MU-1(L)), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment L – Management Letter Gated Community (ACS-MU-2(L)), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment M – Seasonal Unit Letter (ACS-SEA), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment N – Please Call Me Letter (ACS-PCM), Stateside English
Front

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Attachment O – Please Call Me Letter (ACS-PCM), Puerto Rico English
Front

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