[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 87 (Tuesday, May 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26716-26718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09532]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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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. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and
[[Page 26717]]
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 reinstatement of the
``Well-being Supplement to the American Time Use Survey.'' A copy of
the proposed information collection request can be obtained by
contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before July 6, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, Division
of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 2
Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, at
202-691-7763 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is the Nation's first federally
administered, continuous survey on time use in the United States. It
measures, for example, time spent with children, working, sleeping, or
doing leisure activities. In the United States, several existing
Federal surveys collect income and wage data for individuals and
families, and analysts often use such measures of material prosperity
as proxies for quality of life. Time-use data substantially augment
these quality-of-life measures. The data also can be used in
conjunction with wage data to evaluate the contribution of non-market
work to national economies. This enables comparisons of production
between nations that have different mixes of market and non-market
activities.
The ATUS is used to develop nationally representative estimates of
how people spend their time. This is done by collecting a time diary
about the activities survey respondents did over a 24-hour period
``yesterday,'' from 4 a.m. on the day before the interview until 4 a.m.
on the day of the interview. In the one-time interview, respondents
also report who was with them during the activities, where they were,
how long each activity lasted, and if they were paid. All of this
information has numerous practical applications for sociologists,
economists, educators, government policymakers, businesspersons, health
researchers, and others.
The Well-being Module, a supplement to the ATUS, provides an
additional dimension to data on time use by providing information about
how Americans experience their time. Specifically, the Module collects
information about how happy, tired, sad, and stressed individuals were
yesterday, and the degree to which they felt pain, for three activities
randomly selected from the time diary. The Well-being Module also
collects data on whether people were interacting with anyone while
doing the selected activities and how meaningful the activities were to
them. Some general health questions, a question about overall life
satisfaction, and a question about respondents' overall affective
experience yesterday also are asked.
Information collected in the Well-being Module will be published as
a public data set to facilitate research on numerous topics, such as:
How people experience time spent in different activities, times of
social interaction, and pain; the relationship between health and time
use; and the relationship between evaluative and experienced well-
being. The Well-being Module supports the mission of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics to provide relevant information on economic and social
issues by providing a richer understanding of Americans' use of time
and workers' affective experiences. For example, the data facilitate
research on how workers experience pain on and off the job and whether
this experience varies by occupation.
II. Current Action
Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought to
reinstate the collection of the ATUS Well-being Module, a supplement to
the ATUS. The proposed reinstatement of the Well-being Module will
collect information about how people experience their time,
specifically how happy, tired, sad, stressed, and in pain they felt
yesterday. Respondents will be asked these questions about three
randomly selected activities from the activities reported in the ATUS
time diary. The time diary refers to the core part of the ATUS, in
which respondents report the activities they did from 4 a.m. on the day
before the interview to 4 a.m. on the day of the interview. A few
activities, such as sleeping and private activities, will never be
selected. The module also will collect data on whether people were
interacting with anyone while doing the selected activities and how
meaningful the activities were to them. Some general health questions,
a question about overall life satisfaction, and a question about
respondents' overall emotional experience yesterday also will be asked.
The data from the proposed Well-being Module will support the BLS
mission of providing relevant information on economic and social
issues. The data will provide a richer description of work;
specifically, it will measure how workers feel (tired, stressed, in
pain) during work episodes compared to non-work episodes, and how often
workers interact on the job. It can also measure whether the amount of
pain workers experience varies by occupation and disability status.
The collection of Well-being data in late 2020 and 2021 is of
particular interest in light of current world events. On March 11,
2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a
pandemic. Researchers are interested in measuring the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on workers' well-being.
The proposed Well-being Module is identical to a module that was
collected in 2012 and 2013. The proposed 2021 Well-being Module will be
included in the ATUS from October 2020 through December 2021.
III. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics 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.
Title of Collection: Well-being Supplement to the American Time Use
Survey.
OMB Number: 1220-0185.
Type of Review: Reinstatement without change of a previously
approved collection.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[[Page 26718]]
Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
Total Respondents: 12,000.
Frequency: One time.
Total Responses: 12,000.
Average Time per Response: 5.6 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,120 hours.
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, on April 29, 2020.
Mark Staniorski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2020-09532 Filed 5-4-20; 8:45 am]
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