Agency Information Collection Activities: National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) 2026
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking OMB approval to continue the National Survey of Children's Health in 2026. This is the eleventh annual administration of the survey. It will contact approximately 375,000 addresses nationwide, including oversamples for nine states or regions. The survey uses both web and paper modes to collect data on children's health, well-being, family context, and prevalence of special health care needs. Households first complete a short screener; eligible households then answer a longer topical questionnaire tailored to the child's age group (0-5, 6-11, or 12-17). A screener card is used to reduce burden for households without children. The survey adds collection of respondent contact information on paper screeners to enable more targeted follow-up mailings, emails, or calls. It continues the use of a $5 unconditional incentive for most addresses and a paper-first mailing strategy for 30% of the sample based on response probability.
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Key Changes
- Addition of respondent contact information collection on both PAPI screener and screener card for 2026
- Continuation of $5 unconditional incentive in initial screener for 90% of sampled addresses
- Use of block group-level paper-only response probability to route 30% of sample to paper-first mailing
+ 3 more changes with Pro
Obligations
What this law requires
U.S. Census Bureau must submit the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) information collection request to OMB for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
U.S. Census Bureau must contact approximately 375,000 addresses nationwide, including oversamples for nine states or regions, using both web and paper modes
U.S. Census Bureau must use age-tailored questionnaires for three age groups (0-5, 6-11, and 12-17 year-old children) and provide a screener card to reduce burden for households without children
U.S. Census Bureau must collect respondent contact information on paper screeners to enable targeted follow-up mailings, emails, or calls
U.S. Census Bureau must provide a $5 unconditional incentive for 90% of sampled addresses in the initial screener invitation, with 10% control group receiving no incentive