Though it may be commonly cited that the government is the largest purchaser of survey and opinion research in the country, figures on how much the U.S. government actually spends on survey research are not readily apparent.
One seeming possibility raised by a few researchers was a recent study by Stanley Presser and Susan McCulloch,[1] which looked at government surveys' impact on the decline in respondent cooperation from 1984 to 2004. They found that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which must sign off on most surveys, approved 3527 information collection requests in 2004. They excluded both the American Community Survey and the decennial Census from their analysis. While the results were interesting -- nearly 10.2 million respondents surveyed in the 2004 approved surveys -- they do not get us closer to the data we seek. At some point, we might be able to piece together the dollar figures to go with all those surveys, but it could take a long time.
Meanwhile, if there is a reasonably common proxy measure for government expenditure for survey research, it is "Direct Funding for Major Statistical Programs". The OMB's "Statistical Programs of the United States Government: Fiscal Year 2011" report provides this measure, minus expenditures for the decennial Census, in Table 1. Actual spending in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 was $5,593.2 million, estimated FY2010 spending was $5,679.5 million, and estimate FY2011 spending was $6,088.3 million.
We can also get a proxy measure for survey research purchased from the private sector, or provided by the private sector to the government, in Table 3, "Estimated Agency Purchases of Statistical Services". The FY2011 estimate is $2,029 million. Further adjusting that figure by subtracting purchases from foreign governments leaves $2,005.9 million.
Both of these measures could be significant underestimates or overestimates, since neither includes federal employee surveys, nor many customer satisfaction surveys and training course evaluations.
Neither the total statistical program expenditures nor the agency purchases of statistical services from the private sector are perfect measures, but for now, they will have to do. Until such time as researchers can conduct a more in-depth evaluation, likely with the help of the OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and their data, these proxy measures are the best we can find.
Do you have a better suggestion or some other ideas? Let's talk.
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[1] Stanley Presser, Susan McCulloch. "The growth of survey research in the United States: Government-sponsored surveys, 1984–2004." Social Science Research 40 (2011) pages 1019–1024.
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.