NSC Justification for Executive Order 14168 and SPD-15

Non-Substantive Change Request
US Census Bureau Generic Pretesting Clearance
OMB Control No. 0607-0725
July 1, 2025

Summary of request

The US Census Bureau requests approval for a non-substantive change to the currently approved screening questionnaire for its generic pretesting clearance (0607-0725). This change is to comply with the recent executive order following the guidance provided by OMB in the memorandum “Guidance on Implementing Section 3(e) of the Executive Order 14168 in Accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Privacy Act” on February 11, 2025, and to update the race/ethnicity items for compliance with the SPD-15 revision.

Description of changes requested

This update involves revision to existing questions. Below, we show the currently approved question wording and the new question wording that will replace the current wording. Both English and Spanish will be updated. For sex, the question stem will vary depending on whether the question is being read by the respondent on the web or by a researcher on the phone. This is to optimize respondents’ comprehension of the question and minimize its cognitive burden. For race/ethnicity, we will use the minimum categories with examples for web and the minimum categories for the telephone. Since we are not creating estimates from the race question, a less detailed version is sufficient for the purposes of this study (the collection of demographic information for potential cognitive interview participants, from a convenience sample) while limiting respondent burden.

Burden

We are not requesting any change in burden hours.

Contact person

Jessica Holzberg, Senior Methodologist
Center for Behavioral Science Methods
US Census Bureau
[email protected]
301-763-2298

Table: Current Wording and New Wording

	CURRENT	NEW
English	What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original birth certificate? Male Female Do you currently describe yourself as male, female, or transgender? Male Female Transgender None of these	(Web) What is your sex? (Phone) Are you female or male? Female Male
	Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin? Yes No What is your race? Please select one or more. (Phone only: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander?) White Black or African American American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	(Phone) What is your race and/or ethnicity? Select all that apply. White Hispanic or Latino Black or African American Asian American Indian or Alaska Native Middle Eastern or North African Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (Web) What is your race and/or ethnicity? Select all that apply. White For example, English, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, Scottish, etc. Hispanic or Latino For example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Guatemalan, etc. Black or African American For example, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Somali, etc. Asian For example, Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, etc. American Indian or Alaska Native For example, Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, Nome Eskimo Community, Aztec, Maya, etc. Middle Eastern or North African For example, Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Israeli, etc. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander For example, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, Fijian, Marshallese, etc.
Spanish	¿Qué sexo le asignaron al nacer en su acta de nacimiento original? Hombre Mujer Actualmente, ¿se describe a sí mismo(a) como hombre, mujer o transgénero? Hombre Mujer Transgénero Ninguna de las anteriores	(Web) ¿Cuál es su sexo? (Phone) ¿Es usted de sexo femenino o masculino? Femenino  Masculino
	¿Es usted de origen hispano, latino o español? Sí No ¿Cuál es su raza? Seleccione una o más. ¿Blanca, negra o afroamericana, indígena de las Américas o nativa de Alaska, asiática, nativa de Hawái o de otra de las Islas del Pacífico? Blanca Negra o afroamericana Indígena de las Américas o nativa de Alaska Asiática Nativa de Hawái o de otra de las islas del Pacífico	(Web) ¿Cuál es su raza y/o el origen étnico? Seleccione todas las opciones que correspondan. Blanco(a) Por ejemplo, inglés, alemán, irlandés, italiano, polaco, escocés, etc. Hispano(a) o latino(a) Por ejemplo, mexicano, puertorriqueño, salvadoreño, cubano, dominicano, guatemalteco, etc. Negro(a) o afroamericano(a) Por ejemplo, afroamericano, jamaiquino, haitiano, nigeriano, etíope, somalí, etc. Asiático(a) Por ejemplo, chino, indio asiático, filipino, vietnamita, coreano, japonés, etc. Indígena de las Américas o nativo(a) de Alaska Por ejemplo, Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, Nome Eskimo Community, azteca, maya, etc. Del Medio Oriente o del Norte de África Por ejemplo, libanés, iraní, egipcio, sirio, iraquí, israelí, etc. Nativo(a) de Hawái o de las islas del Pacífico Por ejemplo, nativo de Hawái, samoano, chamorro, tongano, fiyiano, de las Islas Marshall, etc. (Phone) ¿Cuál es su raza y/o el origen étnico? Seleccione todas las opciones que correspondan. Blanco(a) Hispano(a) o latino(a) Negro(a) o afroamericano(a) Indígena de las Américas o nativo(a) de Alaska Del Medio Oriente o del Norte de África Nativo(a) de Hawái o de las islas del Pacífico

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