Federal Register: December 14, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 241)
DOCID: FR Doc 01-30855
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Labor Statistics Bureau
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Agency information collection activities:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Proposed Collection, Comment Request
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the Addresses section of this notice on or before February 12, 2002.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c) (2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed new collection of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
SUMMARY:
Proposed collection; comment request,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
I. Background
According to economist William Nordhaus, ``Inadequate data on time use is the single most important gap in federal statistics' (1997). Approximately 50 other countries collect, or will soon collect, time use data. Such data are considered important indicators of quality of life. They measure, for example, time spent with children, working, sleeping, or doing leisure activities. In the United States, several existing Federal surveys collect income and wage data for individuals and families, and analysts often use such measures of material prosperity as proxies for quality of life. Timeuse data will substantially augment these qualityoflife measures. The data can also be used in conjunction with wage data to evaluate the contribution of nonmarket work to national economies. This enables comparisons of production between nations that have different mixes of market and non market activities.
The ATUS will develop nationally representative estimates of how people spend their time. Respondents will also report who was with them during activities, where they were, how long each activity lasted, and if they were paid.
All of this information will have numerous practical applications
for sociologists, economists, educators, government policy makers,
businesspersons, lawyers, and others, potentially answering the
following questions: Do the ways people use their time vary across
demographic and labor force characteristics, such as age, sex, race,
ethnicity, employment status, earnings, and education? How much time do
parents spend in the company of their children, either actively
providing care, occasionally checking on them, or being with them while
socializing, relaxing, or doing other things? How are earnings related
to leisure time'do those with higher earnings spend more or less time
relaxing and socializing? Where do people work'at a workplace, in their
homes, or someplace else? For application in personal injury or
wrongful death cases: What is the approximate value of nonmarket work,
such as household activities or childcare, in one's day? What are some
noneconomic effects of government policy decisions? Should lawmakers
develop new or change existing policies to address the changing needs of our society? The ATUS data will be
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collected on an ongoing, monthly basis, so time series data will
eventually become available, allowing analysts to identify changes in how people spend their time.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in comments that:
III. Current Action
Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the new collection of the American Time Use Survey. This survey will collect information on how individuals in the United States use their time. Collection will be on a continuous, monthly basis. The survey sample will be drawn from households completing their final month of interviews for the Current Population Survey (CPS). Households will be selected to ensure a representative demographic sample, and one individual from each household will be selected to take part in one Computer Assisted Telephone Interview. The interview will ask respondents to report all of their activities for one preassigned 24 hour day, the day prior to the interview. A short series of summary questions and CPS updates follows the core time diary collection. After one full year of collection, annual national estimates of time use for an average weekday or weekend day will be available. Eventually, time series data will be available.
Because the ATUS sample will be a subset of households completing
interviews for the CPS, the same demographic information collected from
that survey will be available for the ATUS respondents. Comparisons of
activity patterns across characteristics such as sex, race, age, and
education of the respondent, as well as the presence of children and
the number of adults living in the respondent's household will be possible.
Type of Review: New Collection.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Title: American Time Use Survey.
OMB Number: 1220NEW.
Affected Public: Individuals.
Total Respondents: 24,000.
Frequency: Monthly.
Total Responses: 24,000.
Average Time Per Response: 30 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 12,000 hours.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information collection request; they also will become a matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 7th day of December, 2001. Jesus Salinas,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 0130855 Filed 121301; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 451028P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, telephone number 2026917628. (See ADDRESSES section.)