Notice2026-19087
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 17, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections. These comments help us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed revision of the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) 2027 Field Test collection, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 179 (Thursday, September 17, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 179 (Thursday, September 17, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58839-58840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19087]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic
Supplement
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information
collections. These comments help us assess the impact of our
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting
burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment on the proposed revision of the Current Population Survey (CPS)
Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) 2027 Field Test
collection, prior to the submission of the information collection
request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before November 16, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to Hyon B. Shin, Assistant Division Chief in the Social,
Economic, and Housing Statistics Division via the internet at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0f6b7c6b216c7f7c4f6c6a617c7a7c21686079"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ceaabdaae0adbebd8eadaba0bdbbbde0a9a1b8">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference Current Population Survey Annual
Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) 2027 Field Test in the
subject line of your comments. You may also submit comments, identified
by Docket Number USBC-2026-0496, to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. All comments received are part of the
public record. No comments will be posted to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>
for public viewing until after the comment period has closed. Comments
will generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable
Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
You may submit attachments to electronic comments in
[[Page 58840]]
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Hyon B. Shin, Assistant Division Chief by email (<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9efaedfab0fdeeeddefdfbf0edebedb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ef8b9c8bc18c9f9caf8c8a819c9a9cc1888099">[email protected]</span></a>)
or by phone (301-763-6169).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request clearance from the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for the collection of information
related to a field test of the CPS in calendar year 2027.
The CPS has been the source of official government statistics on
employment and unemployment since 1942. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) and the Census Bureau jointly sponsor the basic monthly survey.
The Census Bureau also prepares and conducts all the field work. The
CPS collects labor force information for the civilian noninstitutional
population including employment status, number of hours worked, job
search activities, earnings, duration of unemployment, and the industry
and occupation classification of the job held the previous week. Data
for the CPS are currently collected by Census field interviewers via
in-person interviews or by telephone. In February, March, and April of
any collection year, the Census Bureau collects additional information
via the ASEC supplement to the CPS.
The ASEC collects information on work experience, personal income,
noncash benefits, current and previous year health insurance coverage,
employer-sponsored insurance take-up, and migration. The ASEC is the
official source of national poverty estimates calculated in accordance
with the Office of Management and Budget's Statistical Policy Directive
14. Two other important national estimates derived from the ASEC are
real median household income and the number and percent of individuals
without health insurance coverage.
The 2027 Field Test's goal is to continue the testing conducted for
the CPS by incorporating the ASEC supplement. This is the third of
three major field tests with the first completed in 2025 and the second
in 2026, with an ultimate goal for the ASEC to follow the phase-in
changes to the CPS, planned for 2027 through 2028, in 2029.
II. Method of Collection
The 2027 Field Test is planned for January 2027 until May 2027.
This will be the first time that the ASEC supplement will be
administered as a self-response mode, therefore, the two main goals of
the proposed field test are outlined below.
Introducing a self-response mode: The current CPS ASEC
questionnaire collects data via computer-assisted personal interviewing
(CAPI). Since the ASEC is introducing an internet self-response (ISR)
mode, qualitative research, expert review, and smaller-scale tests were
conducted to transform the CAPI question wording into an ISR-
appropriate format. The 2027 Field Test is the first opportunity to
conduct a full-scale field test to evaluate comparability of the CAPI
questions to the ISR questions.
Content Testing: Additionally, multiple rounds of qualitative
tests, expert review, and smaller-scale tests were employed for
questionnaire clarity and comparability. This field test will utilize
the qualitative research findings to do a split-path examination of a
control version to a test version of the ASEC questions changes. All
questions on the ASEC will have some changes because this is the first
instance of a self-response mode so questions that a field
representative would ask are updated for a self-respondent. The goal of
the test is to determine the impact of changing question wording and
response categories, as well as redefining underlying constructs, on
the quality of the key ASEC estimates.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-0354.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a
Currently Approved Collection.
Affected Public: Households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 50,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 50 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 41,667.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. There are no costs to
the respondents other than their time.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and 182
and Title 29, United States Code, Sections 1-9.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-19087 Filed 9-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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