Federal Register: October 24, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 206)
DOCID: FR Doc 01-26736
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Agency information collection activities:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 5 of the 2001 Panel
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 24, 2001.
DOCUMENT 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 or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 10413 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).
SUMMARY:
Proposed collection; comment request,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau conducts the SIPP which is a householdbased survey designed as a continuous series of national panels. New panels are introduced every few years with each panel usually having durations of one to four years. Respondents are interviewed at 4month intervals or ``waves'' over the life of the panel. The survey is molded around a central ``core'' of labor force and income questions that remain fixed throughout the life of the panel. The core is supplemented with questions designed to address specific needs, such as obtaining information on school enrollment, child support agreements, adult and child disabilities and employer provided health benefits. These supplemental questions are included with the core and are referred to as ``topical modules.''
The SIPP represents a source of information for a wide variety of
topics and allows information for separate topics to be integrated to form a single,
[[Page 53775]]
unified database so that the interaction between tax, transfer, and
other government and private policies can be examined. Government
domesticpolicy formulators depend heavily upon the SIPP information
concerning the distribution of income received directly as money or
indirectly as inkind benefits and the effect of tax and transfer
programs on this distribution. They also need improved and expanded
data on the income and general economic and financial situation of the
U.S. population. The SIPP has provided these kinds of data on a
continuing basis since 1983 permitting levels of economic wellbeing and changes in these levels to be measured over time.
The 2001 Panel is currently scheduled for three years and will include nine waves of interviewing beginning February 2001. Approximately 50,000 households will be selected for the 2001 Panel, of which 37,500 are expected to be interviewed. We estimate that each household will contain 2.1 people, yielding 78,750 interviews in Wave 1 and subsequent waves. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. Three waves of interviewing will occur in the 2001 SIPP Panel during FY 2002. The total annual burden for the 2001 Panel SIPP interviews would be 118,125 hours in FY 2002.
The topical modules for the 2001 Panel Wave 5 collect information about:
Wave 5 interviews will be conducted from June 2002 through September 2002.
A 10minute reinterview of 2,500 people is conducted at each wave to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews would require an additional 1,253 burden hours in FY 2002.
An additional 2,100 burden hours is requested in order to continue the SIPP Methods Panel testing. The test targets SIPP items and sections that require thorough and rigorous testing in order to improve the quality of core data.
II. Method of Collection
The SIPP is designed as a continuing series of national panels of
interviewed households that are introduced every few years with each
panel having durations of one to four years. All household members 15
years old or over are interviewed using regular proxyrespondent rules.
During the 2001 Panel, respondents are interviewed a total of nine
times (nine waves) at 4month intervals making the SIPP a longitudinal
survey. Sample people (all household members present at the time of the
first interview) who move within the country and reasonably close to a
SIPP primary sampling unit will be followed and interviewed at their
new address. Individuals 15 years old or over who enter the household
after Wave 1 will be interviewed; however, if these individuals move,
they are not followed unless they happen to move along with a Wave 1 sample individual.
III. Data
OMB Number: 06070875.
Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
Type of Review: Regular.
Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 78,750 people per wave.
Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes per person, on average.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 121,478.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is their time.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182. 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 or other forms of information technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized or
included in the request for the Office of Management and Budget
approval of this information collection. They also will become a matter of public record.
Dated: October 18, 2001.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 0126736 Filed 102301; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 351007P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to Judith H. Eargle, Census Bureau, FOB 3, Room 3387, Washington, DC 202330001, (301) 4573819.