The ACS is being designed to take the place of the decennial census long form. In lieu of collecting detailed demographic, social, economic and housing data once-a-decade, the ACS would continuously collect such data, providing annual and multi-year estimates on an ongoing basis. It is critical that the ACS demonstrate the ability to maintain high rates of survey response in order that the data be recognized as a sound replacement for the decennial long form. Census 2000 used an intensive advertising and outreach campaign to gain public cooperation. Stackhouse (2002) documents that these efforts led to a national overall mail response rate of over 64 percent. The rate was about 54 percent for decennial long forms. Nonresponse follow-up activities were designed to collect data for all nonresponding households and the decennial census usually does collect, at least minimal data, for all housing units in the nation.

Surveys do not usually have the benefit of extensive advertising, outreach and promotion programs and therefore rely largely on advance letters, reminder notices, other printed materials, and well-trained interviewers to convince respondents to respond. In order for the ACS to produce high quality data, rates of survey response must remain high - not just overall, but for all population groups and geographic areas.

This study was designed to assess if the methods that are currently being developed for the ACS are leading to high rates of survey response across the country – particularly for areas with high concentrations of persons reporting a race or ethnicity of Black, American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI), or Hispanic.