Census Seeks OK to Poll Parents on Kids' Health Again
Published Date: 3/31/2025
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Census Bureau is updating its National Survey of Children's Health, asking about 127,000 families to share info on kids’ health and well-being. This helps health agencies track how children are doing across the country. The survey takes about 40 minutes per family, and the public has 30 more days to comment before final approval.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Survey time: ~40–41 minutes per household
If your household has eligible children, the National Survey of Children's Health asks one adult to complete a screener (about 5 minutes) and a topical questionnaire (about 35–36 minutes), for a total of about 40–41 minutes per household. The Census Bureau estimates total burden hours of 42,863 across an expected 126,703 respondents.
Most sampled households get a $5 cash incentive
The Census Bureau will include a $5 unconditional cash incentive with the initial screener and topical invitations for 90% of sampled addresses; 10% of sampled addresses serve as a control group and will not receive the $5. The incentive is used to increase response and monitor effectiveness each cycle.
Paper questionnaires sent to 30% of sample
About 30% of the sampled addresses identified by a block group-level paper-only response probability will be sent a paper questionnaire in the initial mailing and in each nonresponse follow-up instead of a web invitation.
Web nonresponders may get incentive envelope test
The 2025 survey will test a web-targeted secondary unconditional screener incentive envelope sent to a subset of respondents who started the web questionnaire but did not finish; the test compares envelope and delivery methods (FedEx vs. visible incentive envelope via USPS).
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-20249, Notice of Data Sharing Activity
Starting October 2, 2026, the Census Bureau will share some business survey data with the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to help make U.S. economic stats more accurate and efficient. This affects businesses that voluntarily provide info in Census surveys, with no legal pressure to share. Only trusted BEA staff sworn to keep data secret will see the info, and there’s no cost impact for businesses.
2026-20155, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)
The Census Bureau wants to keep collecting data for the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program, which helps track jobs and workers over time. They’re asking the public to comment by November 30, 2026, before they get final approval from the Office of Management and Budget. This keeps the data flowing without adding extra hassle or cost to businesses and workers.
2026-20153, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Quarterly Services Survey (QSS)
The U.S. Census Bureau wants to keep running the Quarterly Services Survey for three more years without changes. This survey asks certain U.S. service businesses for info to help track the economy. If you’re involved, you can comment by November 30, 2026, but there’s no new cost or extra paperwork planned.
2026-20167, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; DOC-Census Workforce Development Collection
The Census Bureau is asking for approval to collect info from 230 workforce training groups linked to Manufacturing USA and two grant programs. This new data will help track how well these training programs work by connecting participant info with Census data. The goal? To make smarter decisions about future workforce investments without adding too much extra work—each group spends just 1-2 hours a year on this.
2026-19301, Proposed Data Sharing Activity
The Census Bureau wants to share some business data with the Bureau of Economic Analysis to help improve economic reports. This change affects businesses whose data is collected and aims to make government info more useful without extra costs. People have until November 23, 2026, to share their thoughts on this plan.
2026-18481, Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions
The Census Bureau is proposing to add two new parts to the Code of Federal Regulations governing the decennial census of population and housing. First, the Census Bureau is proposing to add a part outlining the residence criteria used for identifying each person's "usual residence," as needed to determine whether and where to count them in the census of the population throughout the United States. Second, the Census Bureau is proposing to add a part establishing standards and restrictions for the inclusion of certain demographic questions on the decennial census short-form questionnaire and any other questionnaire used for the enumeration of the population. The Census Bureau is considering these two additions to better prioritize and fulfill its Constitutional mandate to count for apportionment the "whole number of persons in each State" based on the concept of "usual residence"--a process that factors in an element of allegiance but otherwise should be colorblind and should not be distorted in any way by questions about immaterial personal characteristics, such as race. Although these two parts are somewhat related and complementary, each is being proposed independently based on its own merits. These proposals are intended to ensure fidelity to the Constitution, improve and protect the core decennial census data, and promote efficiency.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-05459, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; EEO Initial Informal Complaint Contact Sheet Common Form
The Census Bureau is asking for public feedback on a new form that helps employees and job applicants report discrimination concerns easily. This form aims to simplify the complaint process without adding extra paperwork stress. Comments are open until May 30, 2025, and there’s no cost impact—just a smoother way to speak up about equal opportunity issues.
Next: 2025-05461, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Business Trends and Outlook Survey
The Census Bureau is updating its Business Trends and Outlook Survey, which asks nearly 800,000 businesses every two weeks about how they're doing. This helps keep a close eye on the economy with fresh, detailed info—especially during tough times like emergencies. The update asks for public feedback and aims to keep the survey quick and easy, taking just 10 minutes per response.