The U.S. Census Bureau is continually evaluating its operations to determine how we can efficiently measure the nation’s people, places, and economy. After a thorough evaluation of American Community Survey (ACS) program operations, we have decided we will no longer collect ACS Nonresponse Follow Up (NRFU) information from respondents through our Computer- Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) operation. The last month of ACS CATI NRFU was September 2017. This message is to inform you of this change to the ACS program.
As a result of the elimination of the ACS CATI NRFU operation, we estimate that we will be making approximately 10 million fewer telephone calls per year to ACS respondents, thereby significantly reducing respondent burden.
Based on cost and performance data, we determined that ACS CATI was no longer a viable option for NRFU data collection. Program data over the last few years have shown that the cost per interview for ACS CATI NRFU was exceeding the cost per interview for ACS Computer-Assisted Personal Interview NRFU. Also, response rates for the ACS CATI NRFU operation have dropped over the past several years. The data quality impact of cutting ACS CATI NRFU will be negligible, a very low percentage of survey responses were coming from this mode.
The Census Bureau will continue to conduct the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance and Failed Edit Follow Up operations for the ACS. We will also have a Census Questionnaire Assistance program for the 2020 Decennial Census.
The ACS provides reliable statistics that are used to make informed decisions about the future. These statistics are required by all levels of government to manage or evaluate a wide range of programs, but are also useful for research, business, education, journalism, and advocacy. If you have questions about this survey, please call our Customer Services Center on 1-800-923-8282.
To request a free data workshop, training, or presentation from the U.S. Census Bureau, please contact the Data Dissemination Office at census.askdata@census.gov or 1-844-ASK-DATA (1-844-275-3282).
Thank you,
American Community Survey Office
U.S. Census Bureau