The Census Bureau seeks public comments on the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS) data collections for July, September, and November 2026. Input is due by July 4, 2026.
“The July, September, and November surveys will include content from the Household Pulse Survey. Household Pulse Survey content continues to serve as an experimental endeavor in cooperation with other federal agencies to produce near real-time data to understand the effects of current events, including health events, and other social or economic events facing the nation or a significant portion of the nation.”
Per the Federal Register Notice, “The High-Frequency Surveys Program was established as a natural progression from the creation of the Household Pulse Survey. The Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey is a probability-based, nationwide, nationally representative survey designed to test methods to collect data on a variety of topics of interest, and for conducting experimentation on alternative question wording and methodological approaches. The goal of the HTOPS is to ensure availability of frequent data collection for nationwide estimates on a variety of topics and a variety of subgroups of the population, meeting standards for transparent quality reporting of the federal statistical agencies and the Office of Management and Budget. Households selected for the HTOPS are recruited from the Census Bureau’s gold standard Master Address File. This ensures that the HTOPS is rooted in this rigorously developed and maintained frame and available for linkage to administrative records securely maintained and curated by the Census Bureau. Invitations to complete the monthly surveys will be sent via mailed letters. Questionnaires will be mainly internet self-response. The HTOPS will maintain representativeness by allowing respondents who do not use the internet to respond via computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Each HTOPS monthly data collection will rely on an independent, cross-sectional sample to maintain representativeness.”
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: High-Frequency Surveys Program/Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/04/2026-11172/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-for-omb-review-comment-request-high-frequency
