2008 Census Dress Rehearsal, 4232-4235 [E7-1410]

Agencies

• Census Bureau
• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4232-4235]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1410]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


2008 Census Dress Rehearsal

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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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 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(C)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before April 2, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Room 6625, 14th and Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at Dhynek@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instruments and instructions 
should be directed to Frank Vitrano, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 3H174, 
Washington, DC 20233-9200, 301-763-3961 (or via Internet at 
frank.a.vitrano@census.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

Background

    In order to design and implement an optimal short-form-only 2010 
Census, the Census Bureau has adopted a robust incremental and 
iterative research, development, and testing program. This program 
includes several special purpose tests (e.g. cognitive tests for the 
wording of the race and Hispanic origin questions), two national mail-
out/mail-back tests (the 2003 National Census Test and the 2005 
National Census Test), two site tests (2004 Census Test and the 2006 
Census Test), a dress rehearsal of the actual 2010 Census plan (2008 
Census Dress Rehearsal), and finally, the 2010 Census. This strategy 
allowed for development of new methods and supporting systems never 
used in previous censuses. This strategy presented a number of 
opportunities to improve overall data coverage and quality, increase 
data processing efficiency, and contain costs.
    The 2003 National Census Test was the first major test that we 
conducted in preparation for the 2010 Census. This was a two-part mail-
out/mail-back test designed to evaluate alternative self-response 
options (paper, Internet, and telephone) and alternative presentations 
of the race and Hispanic origin questions. For more information, see 
Federal Register: June 7, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 110).
    A site test in 2004 (the 2004 Census Test) focused on new automated 
field data collection methods and systems, including the use of hand 
held computers, and studied new methods to improve coverage. For more 
information on the 2004 Census Test, see Federal Register: July 11, 
2003 (Volume 68, Number 133).
    The 2005 National Questionnaire Content Test employed a mail-out/
mail-back methodology designed to evaluate alternative treatments 
including procedures intended to improve the completeness and accuracy 
of reporting for short form items, especially the wording of the race 
and Hispanic origin questions. For more information on the 2005 
National Census Test, see Federal Register: November 1, 2004 (Volume 
69, Number 210).
    A 2006 Census Test expanded on the number of new and refined 
methods evaluated in the 2004 Census Test, and tested integration with 
new systems and new infrastructure. For more information on the 2006 
Census Test, see Federal Register: May 4, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 85).

2008 Census Dress Rehearsal

    The 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal is an opportunity for the Census 
Bureau to conduct an operational test of the overall design of the 2010 
Census. While we have tested certain parts of the plan, the dress 
rehearsal is our first opportunity to see how well all of the pieces 
fit together. The main goal of this dress rehearsal is to enable the 
Census Bureau to integrate the various operations and procedures 
planned for the decennial census under as close to census-like 
conditions as possible. Many aspects of the 2010 Census design, 
including the use of hand held computers, have been tested in selected 
local areas during our last test census using Census Bureau developed 
and implemented software applications and automation infrastructure. 
Additionally, the questionnaire content has been tested nationally over 
the past four years.
    The 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal will be conducted in two sites, one 
urban, and the other one, a mix of urban and suburban. San Joaquin 
County, California is the urban site. South Central North Carolina has 
been selected as the urban/suburban mix test site. This area consists 
of Fayetteville and nine counties surrounding

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Fayetteville (Chatham, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, 
Moore, Richmond and Scotland).
    Prior to actual enumeration, the Census Bureau will conduct the 
2008 Dress Rehearsal Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA), Address 
Canvassing, and Group Quarters Validation. Brief descriptions of these 
operations are included below for reference purposes.
    The 2008 Dress Rehearsal LUCA program provides an opportunity for 
local, State, and tribal governments to review and update individual 
address information or block-by-block address counts from the Master 
Address File (MAF). The goal of LUCA is to improve the completeness and 
accuracy of the MAF.
    The Address Canvassing operation, conducted in May 2007 through 
June 2007, is a field operation where census workers systematically 
canvass all census blocks looking for living quarters and updating the 
address and map information in a hand held computer. The purpose of the 
Group Quarters Validation (GQV) operation is to help us determine the 
status of the addresses identified during Address Canvassing as other 
living quarters. An address can be classified as a group quarter, 
housing unit, transient location, or non-residential. For the 2008 
Dress Rehearsal, this operation will be conducted between September 
2007 and October 2007.

II. Method of Collection

    Both sites combined contain about 480,000 housing units and a 
variety of group quarters. The Census Bureau will establish temporary 
Local Census Offices (LCOs) in the two dress rehearsal sites to support 
data collection operations and functions. The LCOs will manage the 
staff recruiting, hiring, training, and conduct of all data collection 
operations.
    In the portion of both dress rehearsal sites where city-style 
addresses are used for mail delivery, the Census Bureau will use a 
multiple mailing strategy similar to the one used in mail-out/mail-back 
areas in the 2006 Census Test. The multiple mailing strategy consists 
of:
     An advance notice letter that alerts households the census 
form will be sent to them shortly. For non-city style addresses, the 
advance letter will be delivered between February 26, 2008 and February 
28, 2008 and between March 10, 2008 and March 12, 2008 for city-style 
addresses;
     An initial mailing package with a postage-paid return 
envelope will be delivered about one to two weeks after the advance 
letter. In certain tracts in the San Joaquin County site the 
questionnaire will be in English, in others it will be a bilingual 
(English/Spanish) form. We are examining the possibility of delivering 
bilingual questionnaires to selected tracts in the Chatham, Lee, and 
Montgomery counties within the North Carolina site.
     A blanket reminder postcard that serves as a thank you for 
respondents who have mailed back their questionnaire, or as a reminder 
for those who have not mailed one, will be delivered March 24-26, 2008.
     An English-only replacement questionnaire will be prepared 
and mailed on a flow basis to city-style addresses beginning about 10 
days after the reminder card is mailed only to households who have not 
returned their questionnaire by a pre-determined date.
    The United States Postal Service, via first class postage, will 
deliver all mailing pieces to city-style addresses.
    In predominately non-city style areas in the North Carolina site, 
we will use the Update/Leave (U/L) methodology to deliver 
questionnaires. During Update/Leave, enumerators will deliver addressed 
English-only questionnaires to housing units in their assignment areas 
(one or more census blocks). The Census Bureau is currently researching 
the possibility of delivering bilingual questionnaires to selected 
tracts in the Chatham, Lee, and Montgomery counties within the North 
Carolina site. Concurrent with delivering addressed questionnaires, the 
enumerators also will update the address lists and maps in their 
assignment areas. Additionally, they will prepare and drop off English-
only questionnaires to any added housing units that they find in their 
assignment areas. This operation is scheduled starting March 3, 2008 
through April 7, 2008.
    During Nonresponse Followup (NRFU), between April 21, 2008 and July 
9 2008, enumerators equipped with hand held computers (HHC) will visit 
each of the addresses in both sites for which we have not yet received 
a census response. Enumerators will determine the Census Day (April 1, 
2008) status of the unit and complete a questionnaire on their HHC 
based on that status. Quality check procedures conducted during this 
operation will include coverage edit checks and an independent 
reinterview of a portion of an enumerator's completed cases.
    As Nonresponse Followup is completed in an LCO, we will begin the 
Vacant-Delete Check operation. Vacant-Delete Check is an independent 
follow-up of addresses classified as vacant or nonexistent for the 
first time during NRFU. These addresses will be assigned to an 
enumerator different than the enumerator who made the original 
classification during the NRFU operation. During the Vacant-Delete 
Check operation, enumerators will verify the Census Day status of the 
assigned addresses and complete a short form questionnaire on their HHC 
that reflects the Census Day status.
    Individuals in group living situations (e.g. college residence 
halls, shelters for people experiencing homelessness, or military 
personnel living or staying in barracks or other group quarters on 
base) will not be enumerated using the mail-out/mail-back method or the 
U/L method. Instead, these individuals will be enumerated during the 
Group Quarters Enumeration, the Service-Based Enumeration or the 
Military Enumeration. Prior to enumerating these individuals, we will 
conduct the Group Quarters Advance Visit operation to inform the group 
quarters (GQ) contact person of the upcoming GQ enumeration, address 
privacy and confidentiality concerns, identify any security issues, 
verify the GQ name, address information, contact name and phone number, 
and obtain an expected Census Day population count so that the correct 
amount of enumeration materials can be prepared. This operation will be 
conducted February 8, 2008 through March 21, 2008.
    During the Group Quarters Enumeration (GQE) operation, scheduled 
for April 1, 2008-May 16, 2008, enumerators will visit all group 
quarters, except GQs on military installations in order to verify their 
address information, obtain a list of all residents, and distribute 
questionnaires for completion. Within a few days, the same enumerator 
will return to the GQ to retrieve the completed questionnaires. In 
order to obtain a complete count for everyone who uses the facility, 
the enumerator will ask the GQ contact to provide the census 
information for any missing questionnaires based on the control list 
prepared at the initial enumeration visit. At small GQs (usually nine 
residents or less), enumerators will conduct personal interviews to 
complete a questionnaire for each resident.
    The Service-Based Enumeration (SBE) is designed to enumerate people 
experiencing homelessness who may be missed in the traditional 
enumeration of housing units and group quarters. These individuals will 
be enumerated at places where they receive services such as meals, or a 
bed for the night. The SBE location will include shelters (emergency 
and transitional shelters, hotels and motels providing shelter for 
people experiencing homelessness), soup kitchens and regular stops of

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mobile food vans. Between March 26, 2008 and March 28, 2008, 
enumerators will visit these facilities to enumerate the clients using 
the service at the time of the enumeration.
    The Military Group Quarters Enumeration operation is a special 
component of GQE designed to enumerate military personnel living or 
staying in GQ such as barracks and other group quarters on base. The 
enumeration for military GQs will be coordinated with the military 
installation Point of Contact (POC). Census staff will meet with the 
POCs, swear them in and leave materials for the enumeration. Any 
personnel assigned to participate in conducting the enumeration on the 
installation will also be sworn in. The POC determines how the 
questionnaires are distributed on the installation for completion. 
Census Bureau staff will then return to the installation to collect the 
questionnaires, obtain census information for any missing cases, and 
provide the completed questionnaires to the local census office. 
However, those military families living in housing units on base will 
be enumerated using the mail-out/mail-back methodology.
    For those areas where a transient population may exist, the Census 
Bureau will conduct the Enumeration at Transitory Locations (ETL) 
operation between March 17, 2008 and April 18, 2008. Transitory 
Locations include recreational vehicle (RV) parks, campgrounds, 
marinas, racetracks, hotels, motels (civilian and military) and 
carnivals.
    During this operation, enumerators will visit these identified 
areas and complete census questionnaires for residents who have no 
other place of residence for which they can be counted.
    To support data collection activities, respondents will be able to 
call the toll-free telephone number to obtain information about the 
dress rehearsal. Census Bureau employees at the call center will 
provide telephone questionnaire assistance by answering questions about 
the census questionnaire and about the dress rehearsal and provide 
fulfillment services for respondents who request a replacement 
questionnaire, a questionnaire in a language other than English, or a 
language assistance guide. In addition, beginning in late March 2008, 
the Census Bureau will be placing unaddressed Be Counted forms in 
community locations and Walk-in Assistance Centers throughout the dress 
rehearsal sites for respondents to use to submit their census 
information. The Census Bureau intends to make these forms available in 
the English, Spanish and Chinese languages.
    As part of the 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal, the Census Bureau will 
conduct the 2008 Coverage Followup operation and the 2008 Census 
Coverage Measurement operation. Information collection requests for 
these operations will be submitted separately for OMB review. Brief 
descriptions of these operations are included below for reference 
purposes.
    The 2008 Coverage Follow-up operation is designed to improve 
coverage by collecting additional information from households 
identified with the following criteria, such as:
     Unresolved potential duplicate persons based on the 
unduplication operation;
     Count discrepancies on their mail-back questionnaires as a 
result of the coverage edit;
     Yes responses to the coverage probes on the mail-back 
questionnaires;
     Large households (more than six persons) on their mail-
back questionnaires; and,
     Persons identified on administrative records but not 
included on their census questionnaire.
    Coverage Follow-up will be conducted on the telephone. We will 
contact the above households from a commercial call center and complete 
a Coverage Follow-up web-based questionnaire.
    The 2008 Census Coverage Measurement (CCM) operations are designed 
to rehearse all of the planned coverage measurement operations to 
ensure they are working as expected, and that they are integrated with 
the appropriate census operations. This is particularly important 
because the dress rehearsal is the first time in the 2010 census cycle 
that coverage measurement operations for housing units will be 
conducted. The CCM operations planned for the dress rehearsal, to the 
extent possible, will mirror those that will be conducted for the 2010 
Census to provide estimates of net coverage error and coverage error 
components (omissions and erroneous enumerations) for person and 
housing units. Because the dress rehearsal is being conducted in only 
two sites, our ability to produce good estimates of omissions and 
erroneous enumerations will be limited.

III. Data

    OMB Number: Not available.
    Form Number(s): DX-1--(Initial Mailback Questionnaire, also used 
for Replacement and U/L).

DX-1(UL)--Update Leave (ADD)
DX-1(E/S)--Bilingual (English/Spanish)
DX-1(C)--FULFILLMENT--Mailback Language Questionnaire (Chinese)
DX-10--Be Counted (English)
DX-10(S)--Be Counted (Spanish)
DX-10(C)--Be Counted (Chinese)
DX-15--Transient Enumeration
DX-20--ICR (English)
DX-20(S)--ICR (Spanish)
DX-21--Military Census Report
DX-61--Informational copy of Mailback Questionnaire
DX-61(E/S)--Informational copy of Bilingual Questionnaire (English/
Spanish)
DX-351--Other Living Quarters Validation Electronic Data Collection:
DX-1(EE)--NRFU (English)
DX-1(ESE)--NRFU (Spanish)
DX-1(ERE)--NRFU Reinterview (English)
DX-1(ERSE)--NRFU Reinterview (Spanish)

    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated number of Respondents: Approximately 480,000 housing 
units for NRFU and Vacant Delete Check. Approximately 16,450 housing 
units for Reinterview. Approximately 42,421 residents in group living 
situations.
    Estimated Time Per Response: All housing unit questionnaires will 
require approximately 10 minutes for response. The ICR questionnaires 
will require approximately 5 minutes for response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 80,000 hours for 
the housing units that responded by mail or during NRFU. Approximately 
2,742 hours for Reinterview. Approximately 3,535 hours for Group 
Quarters Enumeration, Service-Based Enumeration and Military 
Enumeration combined.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: There is no cost to respondents except 
for their time to respond.
    Respondent Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 of the United States Code, Sections 141 
and 193.

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

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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.

    Dated: January 24, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E7-1410 Filed 1-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P