Census Seeking Comment on New “Ask U.S.” Opinion Panel

The Census Bureau is seeking approval for a new nationally representative survey panel called “Ask U.S.,” to be used for “tracking public opinion on a variety of topics of interest to numerous federal agencies and their partners, and for conducting experimentation on alternative question wording and methodological approaches” as well as potentially collecting “nationwide rapid-response data to address emerging data needs.” Public comment is being accepted on the new activity, which will also be coordinated with the Economic Research Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, among other federal partners. According to the Federal Register notice, the new activity will begin with a pilot program of 1,700 people, before scaling up to a full sample size of 17,000. Comments are being accepted on this new activity through February 7, 2022.