OMB Justification Part B - CPS Sept 2023 CEV Supplement 6.25.2023

The Office of Management and Budget

Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

Current Population Survey Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement

June 26, 2023

Prepared by:

THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE (OPERATING AS AMERICORPS)

CONTENTS

Part B

STATISTICAL METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

B1 Potential Respondent Universe

B2 Sampling Method and Respondent Universe

B2.1 Sampling Plan

B2.2 Procedures to Deal With Non-Response

B3 Pre-Testing of Procedures

B4 Persons Responsible for Statistical Aspects of the Design

Part B

STATISTICAL METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

B1 Potential Respondent Universe

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the September Civic Engagement and Volunteering (CEV) Supplement in conjunction with the Current Population Survey (CPS), for which the universe is 139 million households. From this universe, the Census Bureau selects a sample of approximately 68,000 households each month, of which approximately 59,000 households are eligible for interview. Approximately 50,000 households are interviewed each month. The items in the CEV are asked, as appropriate, for randomly selected members of these households. All civilian household members aged 16 and up (citizens and non-citizens) are eligible to be selected.

B2 Sampling Method and Respondent Universe

B2.1 Sampling Plan

Attachment A4 provides an overview of the CPS sample design and weighting methodology and response rates. The statistical properties of these supplemental items will fall within those associated with the CPS itself.

B2.2 Procedures to Deal With Non-Response

The U.S. Census Bureau maintains response rates and data accuracy for the CPS at high levels through interviewer instruction, self-study training, and follow-up of refusal interviews with more experienced senior interviewers. Additionally, they closely monitor data output and response rates, and conduct extensive debriefs of CPS interviewers and call center staff to identify potential problems with the survey. (Refer to Attachment A6 for a discussion of the CPS nonresponse.)

B3 Cognitive Testing of Instrument and Interview Procedures

The U.S. Census Bureau conducted two rounds of cognitive testing of the September 2017 CEV questions. The purpose of cognitive testing was to examine new and revised questions included in the combined CEV and assess the feasibility of conducting a survey interview with a single household member who could accurately provide proxy reports for other household members.

Overall, the findings from this research indicate that the majority of questions tested in the combined CEV were clear and comprehensible to the respondents who participated in cognitive testing. Most of the tested questions required only minor revisions, such as abbreviating the reference period, removing redundant phrases, and adding or removing terms or examples from the questions.

Only one question (14) required substantial revision, which included restructuring the question to ask whether the social or political values of a company influenced the respondent, rather than if a respondent decided to buy products or services based on a company’s values, as the question was originally worded. At the conclusion of both rounds of testing, The U.S. Census Bureau recommended dropping this question from the final questionnaire. AmeriCorps opted to include this question as it permits measurement of a concept significant to its stakeholders and users. AmeriCorps provided final, revised wording.

The combined supplement, less several items that were cut based on U.S. Census Bureau concerns about declining response rates, was administered again in September 2019 and 2021. The 2021 CEV included two new items to ensure a more logical transition between the employment-focused CPS questions and questions about civic behaviors like volunteering. These additions were made based on based on Census feedback from the 2019 administration. Scholars with expertise in the subject matter (i.e., civic behaviors and social capital) and with using the survey were consulted to draft the two new items.

The proposed 2023 CEV supplement includes one new sub-item about virtual volunteering, an aspect of formal volunteering that has become significant for the work of data users and agency stakeholders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The wording of the new sub-item mirrors one about virtual organizational engagement that was dropped from the 2017 CEV. Scholars with expertise in the subject matter (i.e., civic behaviors and social capital) and with using the survey were consulted to draft the new item.

B4 Persons Responsible for Statistical Aspects of the Design

The U.S. Census Bureau will collect and process the data. Within the U.S. Census Bureau, the following individuals may be contacted for further information on data collection, operations, and analysis:

Statistical Design

Fekadu Gebru

Survey Statistician

CPS, Associate Directorate for Demographic Programs

U.S. Census Bureau

Tim J. Marshall

Associate Director Demographic Programs

U.S. Census Bureau

4600 Silver Hill Rd.

Suitland, MD 20746

Kyra Linse

Survey Director, Current Population & American Time Use Surveys

Associate Director Demographic Programs

US. Census Bureau

4600 Silver Hill Rd.

Suitland, MD 20746

Attachments

A1. Proposed 2023 CEV Questionnaire

A2. 2018_BC-1428RV (Confidentiality Brochure)

A3. CPS-263 (MIS-1) (L) Atlanta (Advance Letter)

A4. Overview of CPS Sample Design and Methodology

A5. 2014 National Academy of Sciences Report

A6. 2021 CEV Nonresponse Analysis