This document summarizes and evaluates the implementation of United States Postal Service postal tracking technologies (specifically, the Confirm services) during the 2010 Census. The technology provided timely electronic data regarding responses on their way back to the Paper Data Capture Centers as well as on Undeliverable as Addressed mail. The U.S. Census Bureau used this technology to remove responding households and Undeliverable as Addressed mail pieces from the targeted replacement mailing, reducing addressing and mailing costs as well as preventing compliant respondents from receiving multiple forms.

This analysis was conducted by the Decennial Systems and Contracts Management Office. The primary objectives of this evaluation were defined in the planning document “2010 Census Study Plan: 2010 Census Postal Tracking Assessment.” The overall goals are to confirm the reliability of postal tracking data, as compared to the “traditional” Paper Data Capture Center check-in methods and to the 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal conclusions; to confirm the consistency of the data (again, comparing to check-in and the 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal test data); and to evaluate the uses and benefits of the data during the 2010 Census.

Decennial Systems and Contracts Management Office contracted with the initial/replacement questionnaire printer to place postal tracking information on mail pieces via the Intelligent Mail Barcode, and then to retrieve the data from the United States Postal Service scans of these mail pieces. The questionnaire vendor provided the data from the initial mailing to the Decennial Response Integration System program contractor just prior to the compilation of the replacement mailing address list, providing the program with the opportunity to remove addresses from the targeted replacement mailing. Following the 2010 Census, Decennial Systems and Contracts Management Office retrieved all data files from the questionnaire vendor and the Decennial Response Integration System program, created an integrated database, and produced the queries to support this study.