Census Tests New Ways to Speed Up Community Surveys
Published Date: 4/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The Census Bureau is testing new ways to improve the American Community Survey (ACS) by asking up to 288,000 people to try out different questions and methods. These tests aim to make the survey easier and faster, with some parts taking about 40 minutes. The government is asking for public feedback before final approval, and these changes could affect how future surveys are done without costing extra money.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Selected Households Must Respond; Time Burden
You may be required to respond to ACS Methods Panel tests if your address is sampled. Some tests ask up to 288,000 people for each experiment and most test questionnaires take about 40 minutes to complete (follow-up interviews may take about 20 minutes). The notice lists total burden of 664,000 hours over 3 years and annual burden hours of 221,333.
Large Sample Sizes for Specific Tests
Specific tests use very large samples—for example, the Questionnaire Timing Test and the Response Option and Error Message Design Test each sample 288,000 respondents; additional internet and mail/contact strategy tests sample multiple groups of 60,000; content testing samples 40,000 with a 40-minute instrument and a 40,000 follow-up interview at 20 minutes. The total maximum number of test respondents listed is 1,016,000 over the 3-year program.
Testing Internet, QR, and Mail Changes to Reduce Follow‑up
The tests include changes like adding QR codes to mailings, revised web response buttons and error messages, improvements to login and navigation, and redesigned mail messaging and contact timing. The Census says if these changes are successful they could increase self-response and decrease data collection costs and reduce CAPI nonresponse follow-up activity.
Content Testing May Add or Change Questions
The Census will test changes to ACS question wording, response categories, and constructs and may test new questions; it will solicit proposals from other federal agencies to change or add ACS questions and will compare revised questions to current ACS items and benchmarks. Follow-up interviews may be used to measure response bias or variance.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-14554, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for Internet Panel Pretesting and Qualitative Survey Methods Testing
The Census Bureau wants to keep testing online surveys and internet panels to make sure their questions work well and don’t waste your time. They’re asking for your thoughts by September 18, 2026, before getting final approval. This helps keep surveys smart, quick, and less annoying for everyone involved, with no extra cost or big time changes.
2026-14512, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Survey of Housing Starts, Sales, and Completions
The Census Bureau wants to keep running its Survey of Housing Starts, Sales, and Completions for three more years and is asking the public to share their thoughts by September 18, 2026. This survey helps track new home building and sales, affecting builders, buyers, and policymakers. No big changes or costs are planned, just a smooth continuation to keep housing data fresh and useful.
2026-14513, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders (M3) Survey
The Census Bureau wants to keep collecting monthly info from U.S. manufacturers about their shipments, inventories, and orders through the M3 survey. They’re asking the public to share thoughts by September 18, 2026, before they get final approval. This helps keep the data flowing without adding extra hassle or cost to businesses.
2026-13801, Age Search Fee Structure
Starting August 7, 2026, the Census Bureau is raising the Age Search fee from $65 to $155 and the rush fee from $20 to $50. This service helps people get official proof of their age from old census records, especially if they don’t have a birth certificate. These changes cover the real costs of processing requests, which haven’t been updated since 2004.
2026-11886, 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 wants your thoughts on a new survey about workforce training programs run by the Department of Commerce. This survey will help improve how they track and support people in these programs, with no cost to participants. You’ve got until August 11, 2026, to share your feedback before the survey gets the green light from the Office of Management and Budget.
2026-11293, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS)
The Census Bureau is asking to keep collecting housing vacancy info every month without changes. About 59,000 landlords, rental agents, and neighbors help by sharing quick updates on empty homes, which helps everyone understand the housing market better. This survey keeps running smoothly with no extra cost or time burden, and you’ve got 30 days to share your thoughts!
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