The  grouped answers approach is designed to reduce this threat when asking  about immigration status. Respondents are told, in effect: If the specific category that applies to you  is in Box B, we don’t want to know which one it is, because right now we  are focusing on Box A categories. 3. 4). An independent statistical expert  believed that the grouped answers approach would be generally usable  with survey respondents. Additional costs might apply for flash cards and foreign-language  interviews. National Survey of Drug Use  and Health (NSDUH)
YES. The Census  Bureau conducts field  work.No. The Census  Bureau conducts field  work.YES. Takes names. Takes both names  and Social Security  numbers. Potentially, no. In conclusion, we did not find a large-scale survey that would be an  appropriate vehicle for “piggybacking” the grouped answers question  series. Additionally, this report has established that     The grouped answers approach is acceptable to most foreign-born  respondents tested (thus far) in surveys fielded by private sector  organizations; it is also acceptable—with some conditions, such as private  sector fielding of the survey—to the immigrant advocates and other  experts we consulted. A new survey aimed at obtaining grouped answers data on immigration  status would require roughly 6,000 (or more) personal, self-report  interviews with foreign-born adults. Question 2: What further tests of the grouped answers method, if  any, should be conducted before planning and fielding a new  survey? On one hand, advance testing could     assess response validity (that is, whether respondents pick—or intend  to pick—the correct box) before committing funds for a survey and in  time to allow adjustments to the question series;  further delineate respondent acceptance and explore the impact on  acceptance of factors such as government funding—or funding by a  particular agency—in order to inform decisions about whether or how  to conduct a survey; and     as suggested in DHS’s comments on a draft of this report, help  determine the cost of a full-scale survey. Then we identified surveys that met those criteria, collected documents  concerning the surveys, and interviewed officials and staff at federal  agencies that sponsored or conducted those surveys. Appendix II: Estimating Characteristics, Costs, and Contributions of the Undocumented Population

	Key Characteristics Can Be Estimated

Logically, grouped answers data can be used to estimate subgroups of the  undocumented population, using the following procedures:  1.  isolate survey data for (a) the subsample 1 respondents who are in the  desired subgroup, based on a demographic or other question asked in  the survey (for example, if the survey included a question on each  respondent’s employment, data could be isolated for foreign-born who  are employed), and (b) subsample 2 respondents in that subgroup;  2.  calculate (a) the percentage of the subsample 1 subgroup respondents  who are in each box of immigration status card 1 and (b) the  percentage of subsample 2 subgroup respondents who are in each box  of immigration status card 2; and  3.  carry out the subtraction procedure (percentage in Box B, Card 1,  minus percentage in Box A, Card 2), thus estimating the percentage of  the subgroup who are undocumented. Therefore, a statement is needed to convey this information. GAO. GAO. GAO. GAO. GAO. GAO.
Why GAO Did This Study

As greater numbers of foreign-born persons enter, live, and work in the United States, policymakers need more information--particularly on the undocumented population, its size, characteristics, costs, and contributions. This report reviews the ongoing development of a potential method for obtaining such information: the "grouped answers" approach. In 1998, GAO devised the approach and recommended further study. In response, the Census Bureau tested respondent acceptance and recently reported results. GAO answers four questions. (1) Is the grouped answers approach acceptable for use in a national survey of the foreign-born? (2) What further research may be needed? (3) How large a survey is needed? (4) Are any ongoing surveys appropriate for inserting a grouped answers question series (to avoid the cost of a new survey)? For this study, GAO consulted an independent statistician and other experts, performed test calculations, obtained documents, and interviewed officials and staff at federal agencies. The Census Bureau and DHS agreed with the main findings of this report. DHS agreed that the National Survey of Drug Use and Health is not an appropriate survey for inserting a grouped answers question series.

What GAO Found

The grouped answers approach is designed to ask foreign-born respondents about their immigration status in a personal-interview survey. Immigration statuses are grouped in Boxes A, B, and C on two different flash cards--with the undocumented status in Box B. Respondents are asked to pick the box that includes their current status and are told, "If it's in Box B, we don't want to know which specific category applies to you." The grouped answers approach is acceptable to many experts and immigrant advocates--with certain conditions, such as (for some advocates) private sector data collection. Most respondents tested did not object to picking a box. Research is needed to assess issues such as whether respondents pick the correct box. A sizable survey--roughly 6,000 or more respondents--would be needed for 95 percent confidence and a margin of error of (plus or minus) 3 percentage points. The ongoing surveys that GAO identified are not appropriate for collecting data on immigration status. (For example, one survey takes names and Social Security numbers, which might affect acceptance of immigration status questions.) Whether further research or implementation in a new survey would be justified depends on how policymakers weigh the need for such information against potential costs and the uncertainties of future research.