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2021 Initial Mailing Pressure Seal Test
2021 Initial Mailing Pressure Seal Test
Introduction
From March 2020 to April 2021, the mail contact strategy for the American Community Survey (ACS) was disrupted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To mitigate the interruption in operations and staffing constraints, the ACS program made several changes to the mail contact strategy, including reducing the number of mailings, changing the initial mail package to a pressure seal letter for some panels, and not sending a paper questionnaire package to a subsample of nonresponding housing units. Unexpectedly, the panels that used the pressure seal letter had a nominally higher number of returns compared to the panels which used the initial mail package. This report provides results of a test assessing the effectiveness of using a pressure seal letter in the first mailing during typical ACS contact strategy conditions. It also provides results from testing the effect of removing or de-emphasizing the reference to a paper questionnaire being sent in a few weeks.
Others in Series
Working Paper
Design of the American Community Survey Internet Instrument
Details the design considerations in developing the ACS Internet instrument used in both 2011 ACS Internet tests.
Working Paper
Analyzing Generalized Variances for the 2005 ACS PUMS
Examines if design factor standard errors for counts, means, and medians are acceptable approximations to the replicate weight standard errors.
Working Paper
Testing an Additional Mailing Piece in the American Community Survey
Evaluation of test to identify possible changes to the ACS mailing strategy that might help reduce the cost.
Related Information
Page Last Revised - April 14, 2023
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