[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 187 (Friday, September 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60494-60495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21156]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 2021
National Survey of College Graduates
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the second
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal
Register, and two comments were received. NSF is forwarding the
proposed submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue,
Alexandria, VA 22314, or send email to splimpto@nsf.gov. Individuals
who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the
Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is
accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (including
federal holidays).
Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection
of information unless the collection of information displays a
currently valid OMB control number and the agency informs potential
persons who are to respond to the collection of information that such
persons are not required to respond to the collection of infor Title of
Collection: Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
OMB Control Number: 3145-0141.
Summary of Collection: The National Survey of College Graduates
(NSCG) has been conducted biennially since the 1970s. The 2021 NSCG
sample will be selected from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS)
and the 2019 NSCG, providing coverage of the college graduate
population residing in the United States. The purpose of this repeated
cross-sectional survey is to collect data that will be used to provide
national estimates on the science and engineering workforce and changes
in their employment, education, and demographic characteristics.
The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as subsequently
amended, includes a statutory charge to ``. . . provide a central
clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data
on scientific and engineering resources, and to provide a source of
information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal
Government.'' The NSCG is designed to comply with these mandates by
providing information on the supply and utilization of the nation's
scientists and engineers.
The U.S. Census Bureau, as in the past, will conduct the NSCG for
NSF. The survey data collection will begin in February 2021 using web
and mail questionnaires. Nonrespondents to the web or mail
questionnaire will be followed up by computer-assisted telephone
interviewing. The individual's response to the survey is voluntary. The
survey will be conducted in conformance with Census Bureau statistical
quality standards and, as such, the NSCG data will be afforded
protection under the applicable Census Bureau confidentiality statutes.
Use of the Information: NSF uses the information from the NSCG to
prepare congressionally mandated reports such as Women, Minorities and
Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering and Science and
Engineering Indicators. A public release file of collected data,
designed to protect respondent confidentiality, will be made available
to researchers on the internet.
Expected Respondents: A statistical sample of approximately 169,000
persons will be contacted in 2021. This 169,000 sample is a 5,000 case
increase over the sample size listed in the first notice for public
comment in the Federal Register at 85 FR 23537. The larger sample size
enables the inclusion of a non-production bridge panel as part of the
2021 NSCG to quantify the potential impact of question wording
modifications on key survey estimates. NSF estimates the 2021 NSCG
response rate to be 65 to 75 percent.
Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete the
questionnaire may vary depending on an individual's circumstances;
however, on average it will take approximately 25 minutes to complete
the survey. NSF estimates that the average annual burden for the 2021
NSCG over the course of the three-year OMB clearance period will be no
more than 17,604 hours [(169,000 sample persons x 75% response x 25
minutes)/3 years].
Comments: As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), comments on the
information collection activities as part of this study were solicited
through the publication of a 60-Day Notice in the Federal Register on
28 April 2020, at 85 FR 23537. We received two comments. The nature of
each comment and our responses are summarized below.
Comment: On 28 April 2020, Dr. Andrew Reamer of George Washington
University sent an email to NSF on behalf of the American Economic
Association's Committee on Economic Statistics. He requested the draft
information collection request (ICR) materials for the 2021 NSCG and
asked whether any changes were proposed for the 2021 NSCG compared to
the 2019 NSCG.
Response: NSF responded to Dr. Reamer on 7 May 2020, explaining
that the 2021 NSCG ICR materials were in the process of being prepared
and that there were no substantive changes planned. He was directed to
the 2019 NSCG questionnaires on the NSF website, which would be updated
to reflect the survey year. After NSF
[[Page 60495]]
decided to consider revisions to NSCG questionnaire items to gauge the
effects of the coronavirus pandemic on workforce issues, a follow-up
email was sent to Dr. Reamer on 8 July 2020, informing him that revised
items were being developed for testing and any proposed revisions would
be included in the ICR submitted to OMB.
Comment: On 28 June 2020, Dr. Jon Freeman of New York University
sent an email to NSF on behalf of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Educational Research
Association (AERA). He requested that measures of sexual orientation
and gender identity (SOGI) be included in the 2021 NSCG and other
future surveys of the National Center for Science and Engineering
Statistics (NCSES).
Response: NSF responded to Dr. Freeman on 21 September 2020,
informing him that NCSES intends to pursue research into the
feasibility of collecting consistent and reliable SOGI data from
individuals. However, due to time and resource constraints, no SOGI
measures would be ready for inclusion in the 2021 NSCG.
Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on
respondents, including through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to
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.
Dated: September 21, 2020.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2020-21156 Filed 9-24-20; 8:45 am]
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