Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Qualitative Research To Improve 2030 Census Communications

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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 191 (Monday, October 5, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63259-63260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20316]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 191 / Monday, October 5, 2026 / 
Notices

[[Page 63259]]



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Qualitative Research To Improve 2030 Census Communications

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the 
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and 
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of 
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. This notice allows for 30 days for public comments.
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

DATES:  To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before November 4, 2026.

ADDRESSES:  Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#84e5e0f6e9aaf4f6e5c4e7e1eaf7f1f7aae3ebf2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b9d8ddcbd497c9cbd8f9dadcd7caccca97ded6cf">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Please reference ``Qualitative 
Research to Improve 2030 Census Communications'' in the subject line of 
your comments. You may also submit comments, identified by Docket 
Number USBC-2026-0397, 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 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 Betsar[iacute] Otero Class, Survey Statistician, Center for 
Behavioral Science Methods, by phone at 301-763-2235 or by email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4b292e3f382a392265243f2e39246528272a38380b282e25383e38652c243d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3c5e59484f5d4e55125348594e53125f505d4f4f7c5f59524f494f125b534a">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
    Title: Qualitative Research to Improve 2030 Census Communications.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0725.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission.
    Number of Respondents: 250 for screening, 50 for interviews.
    Average Hours per Response: 10 minutes per response for screening 
(42 hours), 60 minutes for each interview (50 hours).
    Burden Hours: 92 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau plans to conduct additional 
research under the generic clearance for 2030 Census small-scale 
testing and updates (OMB number 0607-0725). Staff from the Center for 
Behavioral Science Methods, in collaboration with decennial census 
content, language, and communications researchers, seek approval to 
conduct in-depth, qualitative interviews as part of 2030 Census 
research. The goal is to gain insights that will help us improve census 
communications and ultimately to improve the census count.
    2030 Census communications research includes ongoing measurement of 
attitudes toward the Census Bureau and federal surveys by replicating 
and expanding on the successful Census Barriers, Attitudes and 
Motivators Study (CBAMS) Survey conducted to inform the 2010 and 2020 
Censuses. Tracking and monitoring attitudes toward the decennial census 
in the intercensal years helps establish a baseline understanding of 
public opinion as a starting point for messaging, and how public 
opinion may change as the 2030 Census gets closer. Monitoring opinions 
and sentiments throughout the decade will allow the Census Bureau to 
develop a communications campaign that responds to issues or events 
that might affect self-response rates in the 2030 Census. The 
Qualitative Research to Improve 2030 Census Communications project aims 
to address these issues regarding census communications and the census 
count.
    Qualitative methods such as interviews and participant observation 
can give insight into issues of census enumeration and census 
communications. When these and other qualitative methods are used in 
combination, this type of immersive research approach is particularly 
useful to learn about populations with different viewpoints.
    We will conduct the 50 interviews both virtually and in-person with 
participants who live across the U.S. and Puerto Rico (in-person 
interviews may be conducted with eligible participants living in the 
Washington, DC metro area and Puerto Rico). The interviews will be 
conducted by Census Bureau staff from the Center for Behavioral Science 
Methods (CBSM).
    The purpose of this research is to complement quantitative research 
to improve census communications and ultimately the census count by 
learning more about (a) why some households do not complete the census, 
and (b) themes that can inform compelling census communications. We 
plan to conduct this research virtually across the U.S., and in person 
where possible in areas that were selected in part because they have 
populations or geographies that are particularly challenging to 
enumerate, as well as Puerto Rico. We will conduct in-depth qualitative 
interviews with participants and discuss their living situations, their 
awareness of and experiences participating in the census, and other 
census topics. Results of this research will be used to help design 
communications and advertising messages for the 2030 Census and will 
ultimately help to improve the 2030 Census count.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Frequency: Once.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 141, 182, 
191.
    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

[[Page 63260]]

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. 2026-20316 Filed 10-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P


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