Household Surveys American Community Survey American Housing Survey

Household Surveys: American Community Survey & American Housing Survey Warren A. Brown February 8, 2007 © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

Outline • • • Purpose Target Population Sampling Frame Data Collection Non-Response Missing Data © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved • • • Weighting Sampling Error Access to Reports …to Aggregate Data …to Microdata Research Questions

ACS: Purpose • • • Key Component for Re-Engineered Census Replacing the Decennial Census “Long-Form” Continuous measurement rather than snapshot Meet federal legislative and program needs Other stakeholders in state and local government and private sectors • Provide annual data on demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics. • Proportions rather than counts © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Target Population • Current residence not “Usual Residence” – “two-month rule” • Household population in 2005 • Total (HH + GQ) in 2006 and …. • GQ residency is “de facto” © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Sampling Frame • Master Address File (MAF) – Official inventory of known living quarters – Linked to TIGER • Housing Units – Based on Census 2000 MAF and updates from the USPS’ Delivery Sequence File • Group Quarters – … and updates from the administrative records and the FSCPE – Excluded from ACS are domestic violence shelters, soup kitchens, commercial maritime vessels, … © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Design of the Sample • • Annual Sample Size of 3 million addresses Series of Monthly Samples of 250, 000 addresses HU sample in each of the 3, 141 Counties Areas with smaller populations sampled at higher rates than those with larger populations • HU Address sampling rate set by Block based on entity (municipality, school district, tract) • Final sampling rate varies between 1. 6% and 10% • No HU address can be sampled more than once in 5 years © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Sample Design cntd • GQ facilities sample for each state • Two stratum – Small (15 or fewer residents) – Large ( more than 15 residents) • Small – Data collected on all residents – Facility eligible once in 5 years • Large – Groups of ten residents sub-sampled – Number of groups determined by size of facility – Facility eligible every year © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Data Collection • HU addresses by three modes – Mailout of paper questionnaire in 1 st month – Telephone (CATI) non-response follow-up in 2 nd month – Personal visit (CAPI) non-response follow-up in 3 rd month to a sub-sample • GQ – Personal visit within 6 weeks of sample selection © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

Data Collection Timetable © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Questionnaire • Content designed to meet the needs of federal government agencies • 25 housing and 42 population questions (6 basic and 36 detailed) • Household Respondent provides responses for all other residents of the household • Householder or Reference Person is “Person 1” © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Response Rates • Participation is mandatory • Sample addresses eligible for interviewing: – 51% Mail response – 9% CATI non-response follow-up – 38% CAPI non-response follow-up – 2% Non-interview © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Missing Data Item non-response or failed edit check • FEFU – failed-edit follow-up – More than 5 household members – Critical questions not answered – 33% of mail return questionnaires in 2005 • Imputation – Assignment used other data on respondent – Allocation – hot deck procedure – Flags variables © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Weighting • Person and Housing Unit weights • Three stages – Probability of selection (initial sampling rate) – Adjust for non-response – Control to Intercensal Population Estimates • Sum the weights – Person weights for person characteristics – HU weights for family, household or housing unit characteristics • Householders = Households ? ? ? © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Weighty Issues • • ACS 2005 for United States 288, 378, 137 Persons in Households 111, 090, 617 Households 114, 763, 475 Householders Average Household Size – 2. 60 based on Households – 2. 51 based on Householders © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Sampling Error • Publishing margins of error in tables • More sample less error • 1, 3, and 5 year estimates and associated sampling error • Sampling error for small area data © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

Access to Reports/Tables/Data • • • ACS section of Census. gov American Fact. Finder ACS FTP Site ACS Data Tables ACS Public Use Microdata © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

www. census. gov/acs/www/ © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

American Community Survey Program Schedule • ACS Demonstration Period: 1996 -2004 – 2000 -2004 data products: Summer, 2005 • ACS full implementation began January 2005 – First full implementation data products: Summer, 2006 – Annually updated data products every year thereafter © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

Full Implementation • 3 million addresses every year throughout the U. S. and in Puerto Rico • Provide annual profiles for communities of 65, 000 or more • Provide 3 - to 5 -year cumulations for communities of less than 65, 000 population © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

© John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS Sample Design Available Collection Sample Now 2004 Partial Household 2006 2005 Full Household 2006 Full Household & GQs 2007 © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS “Long Form” Data by Geography Available Geographic Areas 2006 County, Municipality > 65, 000 2007 County, Municipality > 65, 000 2008 County, Municipality > 20, 000 2009 County, Municipality > 20, 000 2010 All Municipalities, Tracts, BGs © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS vs Traditional Census Available 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 ACS >65, 000 >20, 000 ALL ALL © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved Old Census N/A N/A N/A ALL

ACS: Access to Aggregate Data • Tabular data on American Fact. Finder • Summary Files similar to SF 3 being tested © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Access to Microdata • ACS 2005 PUMS on – American Fact. Finder – Data Ferrett • Tabulated Estimates for User Verification • ACS PUMS is a sub-sample representing 1% of total housing units © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

© John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

© John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

© John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

ACS: Research Questions © John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

© John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved

© John M. Abowd 2005, all rights reserved