New subject: ACS considering ride hailing services "Isn’t the most critical change a better handling of current work at home ?"

11 Nov 2022

This may be of interest to some on this list. There is still time to 
comment on the CB's plans to "include ride-sharing services as a mode of 
transportation to work" on the ACS questionnaire starting in 2024.

Update from American Community Survey Data Users Group

  Federal Register Notice on Proposed Updates to ACS Operations and
  Question Wording

In September, the Census Bureau posted a Federal Register Notice 
<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.federalregister.gov%2Fdocuments%2F2022%2F09%2F13%2F2022-19705%2Fagency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for&data=05%7C01%7Cclara.reschovsky%40dot.gov%7C3412450fe5aa436c0bd608dab5d6c03c%7Cc4cd245b44f04395a1aa3848d258f78b%7C0%7C0%7C638022231195650192%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qYbX91BIk55qp2cbCBoPdBxOjHyicNHA83SVe3QwWfM%3D&reserved=0>

that invites public comments on some proposed changes to data collection 
operations and question wording for the 2024 ACS. Comments 
<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.federalregister.gov%2Fdocuments%2F2022%2F09%2F13%2F2022-19705%2Fagency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for%23open-comment&data=05%7C01%7Cclara.reschovsky%40dot.gov%7C3412450fe5aa436c0bd608dab5d6c03c%7Cc4cd245b44f04395a1aa3848d258f78b%7C0%7C0%7C638022231195650192%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=blY4Aif%2FB7ikEBAKkoKEA4tcBnC40Y%2Fy8lI2idA9N9c%3D&reserved=0>

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:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/09/13/2022-19705/agency-info…

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Here is the link incase it does not come through in the repost from the 
the ACS Data Users Group. 
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/09/13/2022-19705/agency-info….