[Federal Register: September 12, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 176)]
[Notices]
[Page 52164-52166]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12se07-119]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c) (2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the
proposed revision of the ``National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
1979.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can
be obtained by contacting the individual listed in the Addresses
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
Addresses section below on or before November 13, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080,
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, 202-691-7628. (This
is not a toll free number.)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer,
202-691-7628. (See Addresses section.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) is a
representative national sample of persons who were born in the years
1957 to 1964 and lived in the U.S. in 1978. These respondents were ages
14-22 when the first round of interviews began in 1979; they will be
ages 43 to 50 when the planned twenty-third round of interviews is
conducted from January 2008 to January 2009. The NLSY79 was conducted
annually from 1979 to 1994 and has been conducted biennially since
1994. The longitudinal focus of this survey requires information to be
collected from the same individuals over many years in order to trace
their education, training, work experience, fertility, income, and
program participation.
In addition to the main NLSY79, the biological children of female
NLSY79 respondents have been surveyed since 1986, when the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development began providing funding
to the BLS to gather a large amount of information about the lives of
these children. A battery of child cognitive, socio-emotional, and
physiological assessments has been administered biennially since 1986
to NLSY79 mothers and their children. Starting in 1994, children who
had reached age 15 by December 31 of the survey year (the Young Adults)
were interviewed about their work experiences, training, schooling,
health, fertility, and self-esteem, as well as sensitive topics
addressed in a supplemental, self-administered questionnaire.
The BLS contracts with the Center for Human Resource Research
(CHRR) of the Ohio State University to implement the NLSY79, Child, and
Young Adult surveys. Interviewing of respondents is conducted by the
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) of the University of Chicago.
Among the
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objectives of the Department of Labor (DOL) are to promote the
development of the U.S. labor force and the efficiency of the U.S.
labor market. The BLS contributes to these objectives by gathering
information about the labor force and labor market and disseminating it
to policy makers and the public so that participants in those markets
can make more informed and, thus, more efficient, choices. Research
based on the NLSY79 contributes to the formation of national policy in
the areas of education, training, employment programs, and school-to-
work transitions. In addition to the reports that the BLS produces
based on data from the NLSY79, members of the academic community
publish articles and reports based on NLSY79 data for the DOL and other
funding agencies. The survey design provides data gathered from the
same respondents over time to form the only data set that contains this
type of intergenerational information for these important population
groups. Without the collection of these data, an accurate longitudinal
data set could not be provided to researchers and policy makers, and
the DOL would not have the data for use in performing its policy and
report-making activities.
II. Current Action
The BLS seeks approval to conduct the round 23 interviews of the
NLSY79 and the associated surveys of biological children of female
NLSY79 respondents. The NLSY79 Child Survey involves three components:
The Mother Supplement is administered to female NLSY79
respondents who live with biological children under age 15. This
questionnaire will be administered to about 1,300 women, who will be
asked a series of questions about each child under age 15. On average,
these women each have about 1.26 children under age 15, for a total
number of approximately 1,638 children.
The Child Supplement involves aptitude testing of about
1,450 children under age 15.
The Child Self-Administered Questionnaire is administered
to approximately 900 children ages 10 to 14.
In addition to the main NLSY79 and Child Survey, the Young Adult
Survey will be administered to approximately 6,360 youths ages 15 and
older who are the biological children of female NLSY79 respondents.
These youths will be contacted for an interview regardless of whether
they reside with their mothers. The NLSY79 Young Adult Survey involves
two components:
The Young Adult Survey involves testing of about 2,195
youths ages 15 to 20.
The Young Adult Survey, Grant component is administered to
approximately 4,165 youths age 21 and older.
During the field period, about 200 main NLSY79 interviews are
validated to ascertain whether the interview took place as the
interviewer reported and whether the interview was done in a polite and
professional manner.
The BLS has undertaken a continuing redesign effort to examine the
current content of the NLSY79 and provide direction for changes that
may be appropriate as the respondents enter middle age. Based on the
1998 redesign conference and subsequent discussions, as well as
experiences in 2000-2006, the 2008 instrument reflects a number of
content changes recommended by experts in various social science fields
and by an internal review of the survey's content. A full list of the
proposed changes to the questionnaire is available upon request.
Additions to the questionnaire have been balanced by deletions of
previous questions so that the overall time required to complete the
survey should remain about the same.
III. Desired Focus of Comments
The BLS is particularly interested in comments that:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility.
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected.
Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
Type of Review: Revision.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.
OMB Number: 1220-0109.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
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Average time Estimated
Form Total Frequency Total per response total burden
respondents responses (min) (hours)
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NLSY79 Round 21 Pretest...... 100 Biennially....... 100 60 100
Main NLSY79 Survey........... 7,550 Biennially....... 7,550 60 7,550
Main NLSY79 Validation 200 Biennially....... 200 6 20
Reinterview.
Mother Supplement............ \1\1,300 Biennially....... 1,638 20 546
Child Supplement............. 1,450 Biennially....... 1,450 31 750
Child Self-Administered 900 Biennially....... 900 30 450
Questionnaire.
Young Adult Survey........... 2,195 Biennially....... 2,195 45 1,646
Young Adult Survey, Grant 4,165 Biennially....... 4,165 53 3,679
component.
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Totals \2\............... 15,460 ................. 18,198 .............. 14,741
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\1\ The number of respondents for the Mother Supplement (1,300) is less than the number of responses (1,638)
because mothers are asked to provide separate responses for each of the biological children with whom they
reside. Since the Mother Supplement is given to children ages 0-14, the number of responses is greater than
the Children's Supplement, which is only given to children ages 4-14 years.
\2\ The total number of 15,460 respondents across all the survey instruments is a mutually exclusive count that
does not include: (1) The 200 reinterview respondents, who were previously counted among the 7,550 main survey
respondents, (2) the 1,300 Mother Supplement respondents, who were previously counted among the main youth,
and (2) the 900 Child SAQ respondents, who were previously counted among the 1,450 Child Supplement
respondents.
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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a
matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 7th day of September 2007.
Kimberley Hill,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
[FR Doc. E7-17945 Filed 9-11-07; 8:45 am]
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