More Than 500 Statistical or Research Surveys Have Been Approved

At the time of our review, OMB had approved 584 new and ongoing  statistical and research surveys as recorded in the database of OMB- approved information collections. Forty percent of OMB-approved statistical and research surveys were  administered to individuals and households, as shown in figure 2. OMB has developed  guidance that agencies can use in complying with the approval process. If  specific information is needed for identification, classification, or categorization of  respondents; or analysis in conjunction with other data elements provided by the  respondent, and is not otherwise available in the detail necessary to satisfy the purpose and  need for which the collection is undertaken; and if the information is considered essential  to the purpose and need of the collection, and/or to the collection methodology or analysis  of results, then the information is generally deemed to be necessary, and therefore not  duplicative within the meaning of the PRA and OMB regulation.”
When an agency is ready to submit a proposed information collection to  OMB, the agency’s CIO is responsible for certifying that the information  collection satisfies the PRA standards, including a certification that the  information collection is not unnecessarily duplicative of existing  information sources. OMB Is Responsible for Reviewing Agencies’ Efforts to Identify and Prevent Unnecessary Duplication

OMB has three different guidance publications that agencies can consult  in the process of developing information collection submissions,  according to OMB officials. Duplicative Content in Selected Surveys Exists, but Survey Purposes and Scope Differ

On the basis of OMB’s definition of unnecessary duplication, the surveys  we reviewed could be considered to contain necessary duplication. To  examine selected surveys to assess the extent of unnecessary duplication  in areas with similar subject matter, we looked at surveys that addressed  three areas: (1) people without health insurance (CPS, NHIS, MEPS, and  SIPP), (2) people with disabilities (NHIS, NHANES, MEPS, SIPP, and  ACS), and (3) the housing questions on the AHS and ACS. However, the agencies and OMB judged that this was not  unnecessary duplication given the differences among the surveys. The SIPP originated in 1983 in order to provide data on income, labor  force, and government program participation. While these differences can be explained, the wide  differences in the estimates are of concern and have created some  confusion. For example, the 2004 CPS estimate for people who were  uninsured for a full year is over 50 percent higher than the NHIS estimate  for that year. Starting in 2010, the ACS will replace the  long-form census. SIPP has been used  to estimate future costs of certain government programs. Agencies Have Undertaken Efforts to Improve the Efficiency and Relevance of Surveys

In addition to the seven surveys discussed previously, we also identified  examples of how, over the years, agencies have undertaken efforts to  enhance their surveys’ relevance and efficiency through steps such as  using administrative data in conjunction with survey data, reexamining  and combining or eliminating surveys, and redesigning existing surveys. OMB recognizes that the federal government should build upon agencies’  practice of reexamining individual surveys to conduct a comprehensive  reexamination of the portfolio of major federal household surveys, in light  of the advent of the ACS. In many cases, the government is still trying to do  business in ways that are based on conditions, priorities, and approaches  that existed decades ago and are not well suited to addressing today’s  challenges. Recommendation for Executive Action

To deal with the longer term considerations crucial in making federally  funded surveys more effective and efficient, GAO recommends that the  Director of OMB work with the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy  to plan for a comprehensive reexamination to identify opportunities for  redesigning or reprioritizing the portfolio of major federal household  surveys. HHS also stated that NCHS works through various mechanisms to  ensure that surveys are efficient. For the second objective describing current agency and OMB roles in  identifying and preventing unnecessary duplication, we took several  different steps.
Why GAO Did This Study

Federal statistical information is used to make appropriate decisions about budgets, employment, and investments. GAO was asked to (1) describe selected characteristics of federally funded statistical or research surveys, (2) describe agencies' and Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) roles in identifying and preventing unnecessary duplication, (3) examine selected surveys to assess whether unnecessary duplication exists in areas with similar subject matter, and (4) describe selected agencies' efforts to improve the efficiency and relevance of surveys. GAO reviewed agency documents and interviewed officials. Using this information and prior GAO work, GAO identified surveys with potential unnecessary duplication.

What GAO Found

At the time of GAO's review, OMB had approved 584 ongoing federal statistical or research surveys, of which 40 percent were administered to individuals and households. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, agencies are to certify to OMB that each information collection does not unnecessarily duplicate existing information, and OMB is responsible for reviewing the content of agencies' submissions. OMB provides guidance that agencies can use to comply with the approval process and avoid unnecessary duplication, which OMB defines as information similar to or corresponding to information that could serve the agency's purpose and is already accessible to the agency. Based on this definition, the seven surveys GAO reviewed could be considered to contain necessary duplication. GAO identified three subject areas, people without health insurance, people with disabilities, and housing, covered in multiple major surveys that could potentially involve unnecessary duplication. Although they have similarities, most of these surveys originated over several decades, and differ in their purposes, methodologies, definitions, and measurement techniques. These differences can produce widely varying estimates on similar subjects. For example, the estimate for people who were uninsured for a full year from one survey is over 50 percent higher than another survey's estimate for the same year. While agencies have undertaken efforts to standardize definitions and explain some of the differences among estimates, these issues continue to present challenges. In some cases, agencies have reexamined their existing surveys to reprioritize, redesign, combine, and eliminate some of them. Agencies have also used administrative data in conjunction with their surveys to enhance the quality of information and limit respondent burden. These actions have been limited in scope, however. In addition, two major changes to the portfolio of major federal household surveys are underway. The American Community Survey is intended to replace the long-form decennial census starting in 2010. This is considered to be the cornerstone of the government's efforts to provide data on population and housing characteristics and will be used to distribute billions of dollars in federal funding. Officials are also redesigning the Survey of Income and Program Participation which is used in estimating future costs of certain government benefit programs. In light of these upcoming changes, OMB recognizes that the federal government can build upon agencies' practices of reexamining individual surveys. To ensure that surveys initiated under conditions, priorities, and approaches that existed decades ago are able to cost-effectively meet current and emerging information needs, there is a need to undertake a comprehensive reexamination of the long standing portfolio of major federal household surveys. The Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP), which is chaired by OMB and made up of the heads of the major statistical agencies, is responsible for coordinating statistical work and has the leadership authority to undertake this effort.