Envisioning the 2020 Census (2010) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix B: Internet Response Options in Selected Population Censuses
Appendix B: Internet Response Options in Selected Population Censuses
Pages 283-302
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From page 283... ...
Online response was considered for the 1998 dress rehearsal but ultimately abandoned "due to security concerns" but was revived in late 1998 by a Commerce Department directive (Whitworth, 2002:1)
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From page 284... ...
The Census Bureau evaluation of the Internet response option in 2000 (Whitworth, 2002:17) deemed it "an operational success" and argued for further research:
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From page 285... ...
Response Mode and Incentive Experiment Conducted as an experiment in the 2000 census, the Response Mode and Incentive Experiment (RMIE) gauged response rates to the 2000 census questionnaire by paper, interactive voice response (IVR, a fully automated telephone interview)
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From page 286... ...
In November 2000–January 2001, the Census Bureau also conducted a test using 10,000 addresses on an Internet response option for the American Community Survey (ACS) , the replacement for the traditional census long-form questionnaire in 2010.
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From page 287... ...
APPENDIX B 287 Figure B-1 Housing Unit ID log-in screen and race response screen, Internet questionnaire, 2005 census test SOURCE: http://www.census.gov/procur/www/2010dris/omb-person-based-screens.doc.
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From page 288... ...
The Census Bureau of fers an electronic response option for the Economic Census and other economic surveys and we generally obtain high response rates. It is alto gether different, however, when we consider household and population surveys and censuses.
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From page 289... ...
This would tax nonresponse follow-up capabilities and raise the overall cost of the census. • The Bureau's DRIS contractor concluded that it could not provide an Internet response facility in time for testing in the 2008 dress rehearsal, so that it would have to go into the main 2010 census without a large scale test (as happened with the 2000 census online response option)
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From page 290... ...
In the inspector general's review, this suggested that online response options might appeal to the Internet-savvy college generation. Reacting to this recommendation, the Census Bureau reiterated its opposition to online enumeration generally.
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is to have adequate and timely feedback to enumerators so that they can update their own collection control information so that they do not visit households that have already returned forms. The potential level of take-up of an Internet option should be considered by assessing the proportion of the population who can access the internet from home, the proportion who use broadband services and the general use of the Internet for other business purposes (for example on-line banking, filing tax forms, shopping)
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From page 292... ...
Simple messages advising people to use the internet option at "off peak" times should be prepared and used if necessary on the census internet site itself and through the census telephone inquiry service, radio and print. SOURCE: Excerpted from United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (2006:Para graphs 119–125)
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From page 293... ...
Due to the de facto nature of the census and the encouragement to complete the questionnaire upon receipt, 40.4 percent of all responses received by the Internet came in between 6pm and midnight of the designated Census Night. Prior to use in 2006, the Internet response option was tested in field tests in 2003 and 2004 and in the 2005 dress rehearsal.
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From page 294... ...
census short-form-only model. Canada The 2006 Canadian census was the first to offer an online response option.5 Every paper questionnaire sent by mail or dropped off by enumerators bore a 15-digit Internet Access Code (five groups of three digits)
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Consistent with expectations, about 15 percent of responses received via the Internet came in on May 16 itself; system managers were able to devise a "graceful deferral" system on Census Day itself to limit the load on census servers. In terms of data quality, Statistics Canada determined that Internet questionnaires produced much lower item nonresponse rates than did paper questionnaire responses: item nonresponse for paper questionnaires was 102 times higher than Internet questionnaires for short-form responses and 10 times higher for long-form responses.
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From page 296... ...
Deemed a success in 2006, the online response option is slated for use in the 2011 Canadian census, with the hope of boosting online response to as much as 40 percent. Though definitely not a set policy, Duquet and Gilmour (2007)
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From page 297... ...
to leverage efficiency gains in any of the traditional census processes" or forecasting a desired Internet response rate target: plans were made to complete the census using traditional methods, and such responses by the Internet as were completed were deemed "a longerterm investment in improving participation" in later censuses (Smith, 2006)
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From page 298... ...
"but an almost completely trouble-free operation." The agency plans to use the Internet response option again -- with more active promotion -- in 2011. Prior to implementing the online response option in 2006, the Internet option was included in field tests in March and November 2003 as well as the 2005 dress rehearsal.
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From page 299... ...
The Spanish Internet response option was also available in Spain's co-official languages as well as English, French, German, and Arabic. Switzerland Along with Spain, Switzerland was the other European census to permit online responses as part of its e-Census initiative for the first time in 2001.
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From page 300... ...
do not describe the log-in procedure, noting only that "while it guaranteed maximum security, was also fairly complicated." United Kingdom The initial design document for the 2011 decennial census of England and Wales (Office for National Statistics, 2004) signaled the intent to use an online response option.
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From page 301... ...
However, the 2007 test did not include an Internet response option. A "frequently asked questions" list for the 2007 test posted on the Office for National Statistics website explained that, "as this is a Census Test, resources are limited especially for the large expense to provide a facility to complete the questionnaire online." Nonetheless, the user was reassured that "it is proposed that a facility to complete the questionnaire online will be available for the Census in 2011."11 11 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census/2011Census/2011Project/pdfs/2007TestFAQsEnglish.
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