SPD Status Reports

Survey of Program Dynamics

Status Report

September 22, 1997

1997 SURVEY

Data Collection The SPD 1997 Bridge Survey collected data using the CPS Labor Force and the March Income instrument. The survey interviewed households from the 1992 and 1993 SIPP Panels from late April through early July 1997. The results of the data collection effort were as follows:

Response rate — The response rate for the 1997 SPD Bridge Survey was 81.7 percent.

Incentives — During the 1997 SPD Bridge Survey an incentive test was conducted. A subset of the SPD sample was selected to receive a $20.00 voucher. Of the original 10,683 low-income cases designated to receive vouchers, we received and paid 7,195 vouchers. Demographic Statistical Methods Division (DSMD) is currently evaluating the field procedures used for the 1997 SPD. Once the data is reviewed and edited, a report will be issued to show the effectiveness of this test on reducing nonresponse in the low-income population.

Files

• The Census Bureau will release a simple cross-sectional file of the 1997 SPD Bridge Survey with limited longitudinal weights. The file will provide users with the ability to match back to the 1992 and 1993 SIPP Panel files. The file is scheduled for release in the spring of 1998.

• The Census Bureau has contracted with the Urban Institute to create a March CPS "look-alike" file of the 1992 and 1993 SIPP Panel Files. These files are scheduled for release in late spring or early summer of 1998.

• One longitudinal data file for 1992-1996 is being planned once the March look-alike files are created. However, a release schedule is not set. DSMD has begun to define the longitudinal weighting methodology which includes cohort definition, definition of nonresponse adjustment cells, and the determination of population controls.

1998 SURVEY

Pretest status

• The 400-case pretest is scheduled to be conducted in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and several rural areas in Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. The pretest will involve four regional offices, approximately 45 Field Representatives (FR's) and run from October 6 through October 22, 1997.


• The pretest will use the automated instrument planned for the 1998 SPD. It will also test the Adolescent Self-administered Questionnaire (SAQ) and procedures for children aged 12-17 years.


• The pretest analysis will provide:

- a review of taped interviews,
- a debriefing of the FRs who worked on the pretest,
- an analysis of timing data from the instrument, and
- an analysis of the adolescent questionnaire answers.

• Analysis of the pretest results will be used to finalize instrument specifications for the 1998 SPD.

1998 SPD Survey

Data Collection Schedule — The 1998 SPD survey is scheduled to run from April 30, 1998 through June 30, 1998.

Instrument — Portions of the instrument may have to be cut if the pretest determines that the average length of interview per household exceeds one hour. The cuts will be accomplished by scheduling modules of the instrument for interviewing in alternating years. The chart below shows one proposed schedule for interviewing the various modules. The frequency column provides the timing for the modules; an "A" refers to annual interviewing, and a number refers to the year(s) in which the module is scheduled to be interviewed.

Possible Schedule for SPD Modules

Additional Questions for the 1998 SPD Survey

We are considering a few additional questions for the 1998 SPD:

• An independent comparison of income sources. The instrument will compare income sources reported the previous interview period with those reported currently and ask about discrepancies in the sources.
  
  
• Beginning and end of welfare spells questions.
  
  
• Gap questions to obtain minimal income and program information for those who were not interviewed the previous interview period (i.e. eligible for the 1997 SPD but not interviewed for various reasons.
  

Sample

• Size — At this point, the sample eligible for interview will consist of approximately 18,500 interviewed cases from the 1997 SPD Bridge Survey. It will consist of all or most of the important subgroups, such as persons in families below 150% of poverty and persons in families containing children. The final field workload will be 20,000 cases after growth due to household splits. We are anticipating a response rate of roughly 90 percent, for a final 1998 sample size of 17,500 households.

The sample may include a small set of mover households for which addresses were obtained during the 1997 SPD but no interview was conducted. The sample will not contain returning Type A or Type D cases from the 1997 SPD. At the present time, the sample does not include 1992 and 1993 SIPP noninterview cases, however the staff are looking into the possibility of trying to interview a sample of SIPP nonrespondents.

Adolescent Self-administered Questionnaire — The Adolescent Self-administered Questionnaire is currently scheduled for 1998 and 2001.

Reinterview — There will be a Quality Control (QC) reinterview, consisting of approximately 1,500 cases. The reinterview is expected to last about 10 minutes.

1999 SURVEY

Questionnaire design — Depending upon the results of the pretest, the content of the 1999 basic instrument may need to be reassessed. Possible changes are reflected in the chart on page 3.

Development of the "Track II" children's component was addressed by the Steering Committee at it's August meeting. At that time, it was decided to refocus this section on three areas:

1. The research of possible items from the 92 and 93 SIPP panels that provide greater longitudinal coverage of children's content.

2. The development of a section on retrospective residence histories for children in the survey.

3. The addition of questions on other remaining critical children's issues as related to welfare reform. The additional questions might be in the range of 5-10 minutes.

At a subsequent meeting with Child Trends Inc., we discussed these decisions. They are now working on the three areas, acting as our liaison to the Children's Well-Being Research Network, and developing ideas for out evaluation.

GENERAL ISSUES

Research and evaluation activities

The following research and evaluation activities are in progress:

1. Incentives: DSMD is currently evaluating the field procedures used for the 1997 SPD incentives test. Once the data are reviewed and edited, we will tabulate results of the incentive test to determine whether incentives helped reduce nonresponse in the low-income population.

2. DSMD plans to apply a cross-sectional weighting to the 1997 Bridge data to compare to official CPS March income data to help assess the effects of nonresponse bias on the SPD estimates.

3. DSMD will be tracking the patterns of nonresponse in SPD, analyzing whether they change from the SIPP experience and, if so, how to make improvements in procedures and technical adjustments.

Contractor activities—There are two existing contracts funded by the SPD.

1. An interagency agreement with HHS to get a profile of state welfare program rules, and to gauge the accuracy of substate welfare profiles (the subcontractor is the Institute for Research on Poverty). Work is ongoing—no deliverables thus far.

2. An interagency agreement with NICHD to fund work on children and adolescent measures—this has funded the work of Kris Moore and others on Track 1, and whatever is left would fund our reduced Track 2 work.

Outreach — The following outreach activities were undertaken or are planned for the near future:

1. Pat Johnson spoke at a Data Needs Under Welfare Reform Work Group meeting and the Census Advisory Group meeting last spring.

2. Don Hernandez has given updates at Child Research Network meetings.

3. Dan Weinberg and Bob Kominski attended and represented SPD at the National Research Council's workshop on longitudinal research on children.

4. An SPD representative will provide an update on SPD at an upcoming conference in Canada.

SPD Website/DataFerrett — The SPD survey will have a Website and will utilize the DataFerrett system to access and extract data for public use. The SPD file will be available on the SIPP Website through DataFerrett.

ASA/SRM meeting summary

American Statistical Association Survey Research Methods Section Working Group on the Technical Aspects of SIPP (SRM) — We have met with the SRM group twice to discuss methodological and content issues regarding the SPD — once in May and once in August of this year.

State supplementation — The Census Bureau has decided that, due to lack of trained staff, we cannot accommodate states' requests for an individual state-based SPD survey at this time.

   SPD Introduction

   SPD Overview

   Analytic Uses of SPD Data

Contact: (dsd.survey.of.program.dynamics@census.gov)
URL: http://www.sipp.census.gov/spd/

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