Innovations for Public Opinion Research, 63469-63471 [2018-26631]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 236 / Monday, December 10, 2018 / Notices Notice and request for comments. ACTION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to seek approval to conduct a new information collection for surveys funded by NASS’s many cooperators (Federal agencies, State governments, land grant universities, and other organizations). Results from these surveys are important for the cooperators in carrying out their missions, as well as of general interest to the agricultural community. This generic clearance will allow NASS to conduct surveys in a timely manner for the cooperating institutions providing funding for the surveys. DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by February 8, 2019 to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number 0535– NEW, by any of the following methods: • Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. Include docket number above in the subject line of the message. • E-fax: 855–838–6382. • Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD– ROM submissions to: David Hancock, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 2024. • Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand deliver to: David Hancock, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250–2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin L. Barnes, Associate Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 202–720–4333. Copies of this information collection and related instructions can be obtained without charge from David Hancock, NASS— OMB Clearance Officer, at 202–690– 2388 or at ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Quick Response for CooperatorFunded Surveys Generic Clearance. OMB Control Number: 0535–NEW. Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to conduct a new information collection for a period of three years. Abstract: The primary objective of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is to collect, prepare, and issue state and national estimates of crop and livestock production, prices, and disposition; as well as economic statistics, environmental statistics SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:10 Dec 07, 2018 Jkt 247001 related to agriculture; and also to conduct the Census of Agriculture. In addition, NASS has many cooperators from other Federal agencies, State governments, land grant universities, and other organizations that seek NASS’s assistance in collecting agricultural data through surveys. Results from these surveys are important for the cooperators in carrying out their missions, as well as of general interest to the agricultural community. Results from these surveys will be made available to the public by NASS or the cooperators who fund them. This generic clearance seeks approval for NASS to conduct a variety of agricultural surveys which will be paid for entirely by cooperators. NASS anticipates the cooperator-funded surveys will cover topics such as: (1) Farm management practices, (2) food safety, (3) workplace safety, (4) conservation and land use practices, (5) chemical use management practices, (6) crop quality, (7) agri-tourism, (8) local foods, and (9) other agricultural-related topics. This generic clearance is subject to the regular clearance process at OMB with a 60-day notice and a 30-day notice as part of the 120-day review period. Each individual cooperator-funded survey is then subject to a clearance process with an abbreviated clearance package which justifies the particular content of the survey, describes the sample design, provides the timeline for the survey activities, and the questionnaire. The review period for each individual survey is approximately 45 days, including a 30-day Federal Register notice period. Authority: These data will be collected under authority of 7 U.S.C. 2204(a). Individually identifiable data collected under this authority are governed by Section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985 as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2276, which requires USDA to afford strict confidentiality to nonaggregated data provided by respondents. This Notice is submitted in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–113, 44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) and Office of Management and Budget regulations at 5 CFR part 1320. NASS also complies with OMB Implementation Guidance, ‘‘Implementation Guidance for Title V of the E-Government Act, Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA),’’ Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 115, June 15, 2007, p. 33362. Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response. Up to 15 individual surveys PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 63469 are included in this generic clearance to be conducted annually. The estimated sample size for each of the 15 surveys is approximately 5,000. Each of the 15 surveys are expected to be conducted once annually. The estimated number of responses per respondent is 1. Publicity materials and instruction sheets will account for approximately 5 minutes of additional burden per respondent. Respondents who refuse to complete a survey will be allotted 2 minutes of burden per attempt to collect the data. NASS will conduct the surveys initially by mail and/or internet with phone follow-up for non-response. Face-to-face interviews may also be used in limited situations. Respondents: Farmers and ranchers, and others associated with the agricultural industry. Estimated Number of Respondents: 225,000. Frequency of Responses: Once annually for each individual survey. Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: The total estimated burden is 112,000 hours. 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 will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (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 those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, technological, or other forms of information technology collection methods. All responses to this notice will become a matter of public record and be summarized in the request for OMB approval. Signed at Washington, DC, November 26, 2018. Kevin L. Barnes, Associate Administrator. [FR Doc. 2018–26657 Filed 12–7–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–20–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of the Census [Docket Number 181016954–8954–01 ] Innovations for Public Opinion Research Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce. AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\10DEN1.SGM 10DEN1 63470 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 236 / Monday, December 10, 2018 / Notices Notice and Request for Information (RFI). ACTION: The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is publishing this notice in the Federal Register to request comments from the public and other government agencies on innovations for measuring and tracking public opinion towards the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau is looking to encourage and promote statistical, research, and methodological collaborations that seek to measure perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes toward the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau is interested in ongoing research methodologies that would be able to assess how current events affect public perception toward the Census Bureau as they unfold with the goal of making informed decisions related to the Census Bureau operations before and during the 2020 Census. DATES: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before February 8, 2019. ADDRESSES: Please direct all comments electronically to the following email address: ADRM.PCO.PM@census.gov. Response to this Request for Information (RFI) is voluntary. Any personal identifiers (e.g., names, addresses, email addresses, etc.) will be available to the public when responses are compiled. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your response. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only. It should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), or the Census Bureau. Neither the DOC, nor the Census Bureau, intend to make any awards based on responses to this RFI or to otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the government’s use of such information. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information should be directed to Jennifer Hunter Childs, Research Psychologist, Center for Survey Measurement, Research and Methodology Directorate, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233; telephone: (202) 603–4827, Jennifer.Hunter.Childs@ census.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The data collected by the decennial census determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives—a process called apportionment—and the distribution of SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:10 Dec 07, 2018 Jkt 247001 $675 billion in federal funds to local communities (Hotchkiss & Phelan, 2017). Even though responding to the census is required by law, the public’s willingness to participate by completing the census questionnaire by selfresponse directly impacts the cost of the operation. If a household does not selfrespond, a great deal of time and resources must be expended going doorto-door to personally enumerate nonresponding units. Public opinions, behaviors, and attitudes toward the census can make a dramatic difference in both the public’s willingness to selfrespond and the quality of information collected. The Census Bureau needs to stay aware of public opinion as the 2020 Census approaches. The Census Bureau plans to use traditional methods to observe public opinion (via survey research and standard social media methods). This RFI is seeking information about certain information that may add value to those methods or identify innovative methods for further public opinion research. This RFI seeks to identify published works and descriptions of best practices using innovative methods to make use of already available public opinion data or big data at the national, regional, and state levels as well as by demographic group. In particular, the Census Bureau is interested in the use of ‘‘real-time’’ data that might relate to decennial census participation, and the ability to research issues that may quickly arise and have potential to impact attitudes towards and knowledge of the Census Bureau. To support this effort, information is requested on: (1) Innovations for measuring and tracking public opinion towards the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census across time at the national level, at regional or state levels, and by demographic groups using methods other than active data collection by survey research methods. (2) Innovations to capture online information-sharing and informationseeking behaviors that have the potential for affecting: a. decennial census participation, and/or b. public attitudes towards and knowledge of the decennial census or the Census Bureau generally. The Census Bureau needs to make informed decisions related to operations before and during the 2020 Census. We are interested in whether innovations in this area could yield novel information for the Census Bureau. For example, useful information may lead to a change in decennial census messaging or a series of advertising purchases targeted towards certain demographics or PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 geographies. Useful information may also alert Census Bureau staff to potential issues related to the data collection process or the quality of census returns. To support this effort, the Census Bureau is requesting information on published works involving innovative public opinion research into areas in which the Census Bureau does not already have expertise (such as innovative methods for measuring public opinion via online informationseeking and -sharing behaviors), but might be useful for consideration in the 2020 Census planning and management. In particular, the Census Bureau seeks to know: (1) Do you seek to measure public opinion or perception in a way other than surveys? If so, in what ways and with what level of accuracy? (2) Do you have access to online information-seeking or -sharing behaviors, like social media, web scraping, google search data or other ‘‘big data’’ for research purposes? If so, provide some example of research you conduct using these data. (3) The Census Bureau also is considering the possibility of entering into equitably apportioned joint projects of mutual interest with nonprofit organization and local, state, or federal government agencies to pursue collaboration or research into these areas. Would your organization be interested in this kind of agreement? Submissions could identify or inform joint projects to assess how recent events and the information media environment affect attitudes toward, knowledge of, and participation in Census Bureau data collections as they unfold. A secondary desirable endresult would be to gather information that would enable the Census Bureau to make informed decisions related to Census Bureau planning for the 2030 Census. Finally, these potential projects must provide a mutual benefit to the Census Bureau and the partnering nonprofit organization or local, state, or federal government agency, such as forwarding the field of public opinion research. Projects of interest might make use of dependent variables including actual census response, census data quality or proxies thereof. Projects might be interested in independent variables such as sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., neighborhood, housing, and family characteristics), behaviors gathered using passive data collection tools, and self-reported attitudes or knowledge about the census. Data already available to the Census Bureau via public datasets or E:\FR\FM\10DEN1.SGM 10DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 236 / Monday, December 10, 2018 / Notices datasets available for purchase is of less interest than information that is not necessarily public, like behaviors on internet search or social media networking sites. Dated: December 3, 2018. Ron S. Jarmin, Deputy Director, Performing the NonExclusive Functions and Duties of the Director, Bureau of the Census. [FR Doc. 2018–26631 Filed 12–7–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–07–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [C–570–978] High Pressure Steel Cylinders From the People’s Republic of China: Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2016 Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers/exporters of high pressure steel cylinders from the People’s Republic of China (China) for the period of review January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016. DATES: Applicable December 10, 2018. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Toby Vandall, AD/CVD Operations, Office I, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–1664. AGENCY: Background Commerce published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the CVD order on steel cylinders from the PRC on July 10, 2018.1 On November 6, 2018, we postponed the final results of this review until November 30, 2018.2 In this review we examined Beijing Tianhai Industry Co., Ltd. (BTIC), the sole company for which a review was requested. Based on an analysis of the comments received, Commerce has made certain changes to the subsidy rate that was preliminarily 1 See High Pressure Steel Cylinders from the People’s Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2016, 83 FR 31951 (July 10, 2018) (Preliminary Results) and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum (PDM). 2 See Memorandum, ‘‘High Pressure Steel Cylinders from the People’s Republic of China: Extension of Deadline for Final Results of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2016,’’ November 6, 2018. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:10 Dec 07, 2018 Jkt 247001 determined for BTIC. The final subsidy rate is listed in the ‘‘Final Results of Administrative Review’’ section below. Scope of the Order The products covered by this order are seamless steel cylinders designed for storage or transport of compressed or liquefied gas (‘‘high pressure steel cylinders’’). High pressure steel cylinders are fabricated of chrome alloy steel including, but not limited to, chromium-molybdenum steel or chromium magnesium steel, and have permanently impressed into the steel, either before or after importation, the symbol of a U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (‘‘DOT’’)-approved high pressure steel cylinder manufacturer, as well as an approved DOT type marking of DOT 3A, 3AX, 3AA, 3AAX, 3B, 3E, 3HT, 3T, or DOT–E (followed by a specific exemption number) in accordance with the requirements of sections 178.36 through 178.68 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or any subsequent amendments thereof. High pressure steel cylinders covered by this order have a water capacity up to 450 liters, and a gas capacity ranging from 8 to 702 cubic feet, regardless of corresponding service pressure levels and regardless of physical dimensions, finish or coatings. Excluded from the scope of the order are high pressure steel cylinders manufactured to U–ISO–9809–1 and 2 specifications and permanently impressed with ISO or UN symbols. Also excluded from the order are acetylene cylinders, with or without internal porous mass, and permanently impressed with 8A or 8AL in accordance with DOT regulations. Merchandise covered by the order is classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (‘‘HTSUS’’) under subheading 7311.00.00.30. Subject merchandise may also enter under HTSUS subheadings 7311.00.00.60 or 7311.00.00.90. Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise under the order is dispositive. Analysis of Comments Received The issues raised by the Government of China (GOC), BTIC, and Norris Cylinder Company (the petitioner) in their case and rebuttal briefs are addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum.3 The issues are 3 See Memorandum, ‘‘Decision Memorandum for the Final Results of 2016 Countervailing Duty PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 63471 identified in the Appendix to this notice. The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance’s Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov and in the Central Records Unit, room B8024 of the main Department of Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly on the Internet at https:// enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed Issues and Decision Memorandum and electronic versions of the Issues and Decision Memorandum are identical in content. Changes Since the Preliminary Results Based on comments received from interested parties, we have made revisions to some of our subsidy rate calculations for BTIC. For a discussion of these issues, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum. Methodology We conducted this administrative review in accordance with section 751(a)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). For each of the subsidy programs found countervailable, we find that there is a subsidy, i.e., a financial contribution by an ‘‘authority’’ that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific.4 For a full description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum. Final Results of the Review In accordance with section 777A(e) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(5), we find that the following net countervailable subsidy rate exists for the mandatory respondent, BTIC, for the period January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016: Company Beijing Tianhai Industry Co., Ltd.5 ................................... Subsidy rate ad valorem (percent) 25.57 Administrative Review of High Pressure Steel Cylinders from the People’s Republic of China,’’ dated concurrently with and hereby adopted by this notice (Issues and Decision Memorandum). 4 See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity. E:\FR\FM\10DEN1.SGM 10DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 236 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63469-63471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26631]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

[Docket Number 181016954-8954-01 ]


Innovations for Public Opinion Research

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.

[[Page 63470]]


ACTION: Notice and Request for Information (RFI).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is publishing this 
notice in the Federal Register to request comments from the public and 
other government agencies on innovations for measuring and tracking 
public opinion towards the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census. The 
Census Bureau is looking to encourage and promote statistical, 
research, and methodological collaborations that seek to measure 
perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes toward the Census Bureau 
and the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau is interested in ongoing 
research methodologies that would be able to assess how current events 
affect public perception toward the Census Bureau as they unfold with 
the goal of making informed decisions related to the Census Bureau 
operations before and during the 2020 Census.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before 
February 8, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Please direct all comments electronically to the following 
email address: [email protected].
    Response to this Request for Information (RFI) is voluntary. Any 
personal identifiers (e.g., names, addresses, email addresses, etc.) 
will be available to the public when responses are compiled. 
Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should 
not be included in your response.
    This RFI is for information and planning purposes only. It should 
not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of 
the Federal Government, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), or the 
Census Bureau. Neither the DOC, nor the Census Bureau, intend to make 
any awards based on responses to this RFI or to otherwise pay for the 
preparation of any information submitted or for the government's use of 
such information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Jennifer Hunter Childs, Research Psychologist, 
Center for Survey Measurement, Research and Methodology Directorate, 
U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233; 
telephone: (202) 603-4827, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The data collected by the decennial census 
determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of 
Representatives--a process called apportionment--and the distribution 
of $675 billion in federal funds to local communities (Hotchkiss & 
Phelan, 2017). Even though responding to the census is required by law, 
the public's willingness to participate by completing the census 
questionnaire by self-response directly impacts the cost of the 
operation. If a household does not self-respond, a great deal of time 
and resources must be expended going door-to-door to personally 
enumerate non-responding units. Public opinions, behaviors, and 
attitudes toward the census can make a dramatic difference in both the 
public's willingness to self-respond and the quality of information 
collected. The Census Bureau needs to stay aware of public opinion as 
the 2020 Census approaches. The Census Bureau plans to use traditional 
methods to observe public opinion (via survey research and standard 
social media methods). This RFI is seeking information about certain 
information that may add value to those methods or identify innovative 
methods for further public opinion research.
    This RFI seeks to identify published works and descriptions of best 
practices using innovative methods to make use of already available 
public opinion data or big data at the national, regional, and state 
levels as well as by demographic group. In particular, the Census 
Bureau is interested in the use of ``real-time'' data that might relate 
to decennial census participation, and the ability to research issues 
that may quickly arise and have potential to impact attitudes towards 
and knowledge of the Census Bureau. To support this effort, information 
is requested on:
    (1) Innovations for measuring and tracking public opinion towards 
the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census across time at the national 
level, at regional or state levels, and by demographic groups using 
methods other than active data collection by survey research methods.
    (2) Innovations to capture online information-sharing and 
information-seeking behaviors that have the potential for affecting:
    a. decennial census participation, and/or
    b. public attitudes towards and knowledge of the decennial census 
or the Census Bureau generally.
    The Census Bureau needs to make informed decisions related to 
operations before and during the 2020 Census. We are interested in 
whether innovations in this area could yield novel information for the 
Census Bureau. For example, useful information may lead to a change in 
decennial census messaging or a series of advertising purchases 
targeted towards certain demographics or geographies. Useful 
information may also alert Census Bureau staff to potential issues 
related to the data collection process or the quality of census 
returns.
    To support this effort, the Census Bureau is requesting information 
on published works involving innovative public opinion research into 
areas in which the Census Bureau does not already have expertise (such 
as innovative methods for measuring public opinion via online 
information-seeking and -sharing behaviors), but might be useful for 
consideration in the 2020 Census planning and management.
    In particular, the Census Bureau seeks to know:
    (1) Do you seek to measure public opinion or perception in a way 
other than surveys? If so, in what ways and with what level of 
accuracy?
    (2) Do you have access to online information-seeking or -sharing 
behaviors, like social media, web scraping, google search data or other 
``big data'' for research purposes? If so, provide some example of 
research you conduct using these data.
    (3) The Census Bureau also is considering the possibility of 
entering into equitably apportioned joint projects of mutual interest 
with nonprofit organization and local, state, or federal government 
agencies to pursue collaboration or research into these areas. Would 
your organization be interested in this kind of agreement?
    Submissions could identify or inform joint projects to assess how 
recent events and the information media environment affect attitudes 
toward, knowledge of, and participation in Census Bureau data 
collections as they unfold. A secondary desirable end-result would be 
to gather information that would enable the Census Bureau to make 
informed decisions related to Census Bureau planning for the 2030 
Census. Finally, these potential projects must provide a mutual benefit 
to the Census Bureau and the partnering nonprofit organization or 
local, state, or federal government agency, such as forwarding the 
field of public opinion research.
    Projects of interest might make use of dependent variables 
including actual census response, census data quality or proxies 
thereof. Projects might be interested in independent variables such as 
sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., neighborhood, housing, and 
family characteristics), behaviors gathered using passive data 
collection tools, and self-reported attitudes or knowledge about the 
census. Data already available to the Census Bureau via public datasets 
or

[[Page 63471]]

datasets available for purchase is of less interest than information 
that is not necessarily public, like behaviors on internet search or 
social media networking sites.

    Dated: December 3, 2018.
Ron S. Jarmin,
Deputy Director, Performing the Non-Exclusive Functions and Duties of 
the Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. 2018-26631 Filed 12-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P

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