Nonprofit Research Activities (NPRA) Survey 2022

Data collection. The survey was mailed to 8,000 nonprofit organizations in July 2023. The organizations were sent a letter informing them of their requirement to report under Title 13, United States Code, Sections 224 and 225. The letter also provided instructions on accessing and submitting the survey online. There were three mail follow-ups and four e-mail follow-ups conducted to increase response. The collection period closed on 29 December 2023.

Mode. The data were collected using an electronic instrument.

Response rates.

Check-inrate. The check-in rate is defined as the unweighted number of surveys that were submitted online by in-scope organizations, divided by the unweighted total number of all in-scope organizations in the sample (sample size). Response to individual questions did not factor into this metric. At the close of the collection period, the check-in rate was 79% (table A-2).

Unit response rate (URR).For this survey, the unit response is defined as an organization providing total expenses or employment and answering the R&D performed and R&D funded questions. URR is the ratio between the number of unit respondents in a sample (numerator) and the total sample size (denominator), expressed as a percentage. The URR was 77% (table A-3).

Item response rates. The distribution of values reported by sample organizations in the nonprofit module is highly skewed. Thus, rather than report unweighted item response rates, total quantity response rates are calculated, which are based on weighted data.

Total quantity response rate (TQRR). For a given published estimate other than count or ratio estimates, TQRR is the percentage of the weighted estimate based on reported data (including data obtained from other sources determined to be equivalent in quality to reported data) and weighted by sampling but not nonresponse weights. The TQRR for total expenditures for R&D performed by nonprofit organizations in the United States in 2022 was 76%.

Total quantity nonresponse rate (TQNR). For a given published estimate, TQNR, defined as 100% minus TQRR, is calculated for each tabulation cell from the nonprofits, except for cells that contain count or ratio estimates. TQNR measures the combined effect of the procedures used to handle unit and item nonresponse on the weighted nonprofit estimates. Detailed imputation rates are available upon request.

Data editing. Prior to tabulating the data, response data were reviewed and edited with both automated and manual procedures to correct detectable reporting errors. R&D data were tabulated for records reporting $50,000 or more in R&D expenditures. Survey analysts reviewed the R&D data reported by the respondents. The data were evaluated by calculating the reported R&D expenses to expense ratios and reviewing the organization's website information.

Additional reporting errors were detected and corrected using an automated data edit system designed to review the data for reasonableness and consistency. The editing process interactively corrected detected errors using standard procedures. Quality control techniques were used to verify that procedures were carried out as specified.

During the editing of FY 2022 data, errors in reporting and eligibility determinations for organizations in FY 2020 and FY 2021 were discovered and revisions were made to correct these. For accurate historical data, use only the most recently released data tables.

Imputation.

Itemnonresponse.If detailed R&D data was not reported by a nonprofit and could not be inferred by survey analysts, it was imputed in the same ratio as reported by other nonprofits in the same sample stratum. These imputations are reflected in the reported imputation rates.

Unit nonresponse. Estimates produced from the survey data include adjustments to account for organizations that did not respond to the survey (unit nonresponse). If available, data from public tax filings, annual reports, or audits were used to impute expenses and R&D for select nonprofits known to have performed large amounts of R&D based on public information or prior surveys. Otherwise, unit nonresponse is handled by adjusting weighted reported data as follows. Each organization's sampling weight is multiplied by a nonresponse adjustment factor. To calculate the adjustment factors, each organization in the sample that is eligible for tabulation is assigned to the adjustment cells. The adjustment cells for nonprofits are based on certainty or noncertainty sampling strata and NAICS sector. For NAICS sector, there are three categories: healthcare, science and technology, and all other organizations. For a given adjustment cell, the nonresponse adjustment factor is the ratio of the sum of the sampling weights for all organizations included in the cell to the sum of the sampling weights for all organizations included in the cell with reported data. For the nonresponse adjustment, an organization is considered a respondent if it satisfies the definition of response as detailed in the URR section above.

Weighting. The survey data are weighted for sampling and unit nonresponse.

Industry classification. Nonprofit organizations are classified into one of four types of organization at the time of sampling: hospitals, other healthcare, science and technology, and all other organizations. Organizations tabulated based on the classification at the time of sampling with hospitals and other healthcare were collapsed into one tabulation group called healthcare. Classification is based on both the 2017 NAICS and the NTEE. An NTEE code is not available for all organizations.

Organizations are first classified as hospitals if the first two characters of their NTEE code are "E2" or the first three characters of their NAICS code are "622." Remaining organizations are classified as science and technology if the first four characters of their NAICS code are "5417." Remaining organizations are classified as other healthcare if the first character of their NTEE code is "E," or the first 2 digits of their NAICS code are "62." All remaining organizations are classified as other.

Variance estimation. This survey uses delete-a-group jackknife variance estimator. Note that certainty cases do not contribute to the sampling variance. The delete-a-group jackknife variance estimator requires that every sampling stratum contains at least two sampled organizations. Sampling strata that do not meet this requirement are collapsed as needed to create a new set of variance estimation strata that satisfies this requirement.

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