Federal Register Notice on Proposed Updates to ACS Operations and Question Wording
In September, the Census Bureau posted a
Federal Register Notice that invites public comments on some proposed changes to data collection operations and question wording for the 2024 ACS.
Comments are due on or before November 14, 2022.
Beginning with the 2024 data collection year, the ACS plans to use administrative records to reduce respondent burden and improve the quality of ACS data. The Census Bureau is focusing
initial efforts to supplement or replace ACS survey data for several housing characteristics with administrative data from other sources, such as property tax records. At a minimum, administrative data will be used for the question asking about property acreage
beginning in 2024.
In 2024, the ACS plans to add an internet self-response option to the group quarters data collection operation. The Census Bureau believes there is value in offering a self-response
option to people living in certain types of group quarters—college/university student housing, group homes, military barracks, workers' group living quarters and Job Corps centers, and emergency and transitional shelters.
Additionally, based on cognitive testing results, the Census Bureau proposes to update wording in the 2024 ACS for questions on three topics: condominium fees, home heating fuel,
and journey to work.
- The condominium fees question would be extended to include homeowners’ association (HOA) fees.
Data sources continue to show housing units that are part of HOAs outnumber housing units in condominiums. In order to provide more comprehensive and accurate costs of owning a home, the ACS needs to capture HOA fees for these homes. Adding these fees to the
existing condominium fees question avoids adding a new question to the ACS and therefore minimizes respondent burden.
- The change to the home heating fuel question would update the natural gas and bottled gas categories.
This will aid respondents in identifying the correct category more easily by using more commonly used terminology.
- The journey to work question would be updated to include ride-sharing services as a mode of transportation to work to account for new and growing travel
trends. This will reduce ambiguity in the current question about where respondents should report ridesharing commutes and will allow the government to monitor changes
in transportation patterns for planning purposes.
For more information and to submit comments:
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