OVERVIEW OF THE CENSUS BUREAU’S SURVEY DATA COLLECTION OPERATIONS AND FIELD STAFF

OVERVIEW OF THE CENSUS BUREAU’S SURVEY DATA COLLECTION OPERATIONS

AND FIELD STAFF

Presentation to the Quarterly Public Meetingof the Occupational Information Development

Advisory PanelSocial Security Administration

September 22, 2011

WHO WE ARE

• Census Bureau Headquarters

• Regional Offices Nationwide Decentralized Field Staff

• National Processing Center Telephone Centers

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SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CENSUS BUREAU’S FIELD STAFF

FRs SFRsNumber 8,718 611Employee Type Intermittent 7,293 62 Part-Time / Full Time 1,425 549Average Number of Surveys 3.2 8.3Average Length of Service (Years) 5.5 11.5Average Hours Worked (Monthly) 58.2 123.4Average Hourly Salary $15.06 $20.07

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WHAT WE DO

• Nation’s headcount every 10 years – Constitutional mandate

• Household Demographic Surveys

• Economic Censuses and Census of Governments every 5 years

• Economic surveys and Governments surveys

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DATA COLLECTED IN THE CENSUS BUREAU’S HOUSEHOLD DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS

• Income• Employment, Unemployment, Labor Force• Health• Education• Consumer Expenditures• Housing• Crime Victimization • Poverty• Community and Local Area Demographics and Characteristics

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CENSUS BUREAU HOUSEHOLD DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS

SIZE AND SCOPE• Data gathered from approximately 2.1 million

sample addresses, group quarters and other facilities and address listed each year

• Approximately 45 million miles driven by field staff each year

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RECRUITING, SELECTING, AND HIRING FIELD STAFF

• Generating interested applicants• Testing to identify qualified applicants• Preparing certificate of qualified applicants• Making contingent job offer• Background security check and criminal history

investigation• I-9• Take the Census Oath of Confidentiality

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KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CENSUS BUREAU’S FIELD STAFF

• Part-time employees• Work out of their homes• Highly variable work schedule – evenings and weekends• A “people” person and a good listener• Drawn to challenges, persistent, does not take “no” for

an answer• Self-starter, well-organized, detail-oriented• Local knowledge and “street smarts”

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OTHER ATTRIBUTES OF THE CENSUS BUREAU’S FIELD STAFF

• Older workers

• Many “second job” workers and workers with other commitments e.g. family and school

• The “public face” of the Census Bureau

• Incredibly conscientious and dedicated

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TRAINING

• Initial Training Pre-Classroom Use of Laptop Computer Generic Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Survey – specific

• Classroom Training Administrative Survey Procedures

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TRAINING• Initial Observation Translating classroom training to actual data

collection experience• Ongoing Training Monthly memos• Refresher Training Periodic training to keep knowledge and skills up-to-

date and sharp• Prepare for changes in procedures and instruments• Use of laptop computer• Personal safety and security• Vehicular safety

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GAINING RESPONDENT PARTICIPATION AND COOPERATION

• “Selling the Survey”

• How survey data are used. Who uses the survey results.

• “What’s in It for the Respondent”

• Confidentiality

• Privacy

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GAINING RESPONDENT PARTICIPATION AND COOPERATION

• Uses of “advance letters” to alert / notify the respondents

• Making the best first impression

• The first critical seconds on the doorstep or the telephone: Complete, concise and persuasive introduction

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QUALITY CONTROLQUALITY ASSUARANCE

• Striving for best possible response rates consistently

• General Performance Review Field observation

• Reinterview Falsification deterrent Critical content verification

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SURVEY PROCESS DATA“PARADATA”

• Pace of the interview• Response / Accuracy / Completeness• Timing of First Contact / Interview

• Identify performance outliers Identify trends and patterns

• Should work in harmony with survey goals and should complement each other

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SURVEY PROCESS DATA“PARADATA”

• Manage and monitor surveys for improved statistical results and operational performance

• “Speed Limits” – Too fast and too slow

• Rates of item response / nonresponse

• Interviews completed by proper mode

• Consistent entries of contact history

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SURVEY PROCESS DATA“PARADATA”

• Linked to beneficial responsive management and operational strategies and approaches

• Easy to understand, easy to use, accurate, and timely

• Should make “sense” to the data collection staff and motivate performance in the “right direction”

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MONITORING OPERATIONAL DATA DAILYCOST, PROGRESS, PRODUCTIVITY

• Daily submission of completed work• Cases completed each day• Hours, miles, other costs• Daily productivity Hours / case Miles / case

• Daily submission of payroll data

• Daily support for procedures and technical requirements

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PROVIDING A CONSTANT STREAM OF FEEDBACK TO FIELD STAFF

• Setting response, timing, and cost expectations

• Daily monitoring and interaction with field staff

• Daily payroll submission by field staff

• Key results from each data collection assignment

• Establish performance standards and conduct formal periodic performance appraisals

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FIELD ASSIGNMENTS

• Compact geographically

• Achievable

• Consistent in size and scope

• Reassignment / Future assignment of cases to staff who had previous success obtaining a complete interview

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OVERVIEW OF KEY STEPS IN DATA COLLECTION PROCESS

• Identify data / information need• Determine data collection methodology

and approach• Draw sampling frame and select sample• Develop data collection instrument• Test questions• Develop training

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OVERVIEW OF KEY STEPS IN DATA COLLECTION PROCESS

• Develop data processing and tabulation system• Develop quality control and quality assurance systems• Determine timing and timeline for data collection and

processing• Establish operational and quality standards and

expectations• Develop administrative support systems

• TEST EVERYTHING

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MANY, MANY CHALLENGES FACED IN CONDUCTING DATA COLLECTION

• General public concerns about confidentiality, privacy, and identity theft

• Reluctance to share / provide personal information, especially with the government

• Mobility and movement of the population• Busy schedules: Ever narrowing window of opportunity

to contact respondents by personal visit or telephone• Cell phones replacing telephone land lines• Caller ID and other means of screening incoming

telephone calls

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MANY, MANY CHALLENGES FACED IN CONDUCTING DATA COLLECTION

• Barriers to contact and enumeration including gated communities and security buildings

• Increasing number of languages spoken by households• Complex households and housing units• Households not willing to participate in long interviews

and / or surveys that include multiple interviews

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CURRENT SURVEY ISSUES• Maintaining and sustaining response rates• Cost containment and remaining cost

competitive• Improving measurement and monitoring of

survey operational, financial, and time performance

• Expanding measurement and monitoring of data quality through paradata

• Making improvements in field staff retention• Reacting to weather and natural disasters

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