Main takeaways
- When the Census Bureau printed both a QR code and a web address, about 6 in 10 responses came in through the QR.
- Older respondents were likelier to type the address, so our QR graphics print a short link beside the code.
- In a Census Bureau usability test, experienced users scanned and opened the page in about 12 seconds. A quarter remembered needing help the first time.
- Our QR instructions use wording that participants suggested in a Census Bureau usability test.
Every ShortCut we print carries a QR code, a line of instructions and a short link. The instruction line and the short link both come from two Census Bureau studies of how people respond to a printed QR code.
Six in ten scanned
In 2023 the Census Bureau mailed invitations to its Household Panel that printed both a QR code and a web address. Of about 14,000 responses, 59.8% came through the QR code, 30.6% by typing the web address and 9.6% by phone. The figures are unweighted and preliminary.
| How the response came in | Share | Average age |
|---|---|---|
| QR code | 59.8% | 47 |
| Typed the web address | 30.6% | 56 |
| Phone | 9.6% | 68 |
Who typed instead
QR users averaged 47 years old, against 56 for people who typed the address and 68 for phone callers. Retirees typed more than they scanned, 40.8% against 34.6%. That’s why our QR graphics print a short link beside the code.
Say exactly what to do
In a separate usability test, 20 experienced smartphone users scanned a printed QR and opened the page in 12.4 seconds on average, all of them successfully. A quarter remembered needing help the first time.
The participants suggested the words a first-timer needs: “phone camera,” “point” rather than “hover,” calling it a QR code, naming the color of the frame, and mentioning the wait and the tap. Those suggestions weren’t tested, but they’re where our instruction wording comes from.
Questions about QR graphics
Do people scan QR codes on a car?
No study we know of measured QR codes on cars. When the Census Bureau printed both a QR code and a web address, about 6 in 10 responses came in through the QR, and that’s the finding we print to.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau, QR Codes in the Census Household Panel (FedCASIC, 2024): response by mode (p. 11), average ages (p. 13), retirees (p. 15).
U.S. Census Bureau, Usability of Quick Response (QR) Code, report RSM2024-05 (2024): the 20-user test (pp. 8–9) and the suggested wording (p. 10).
More Field Notes
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The lot is where the research lands
What 2025 buyers did online, what they still did in person, and what that leaves for the glass.
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Car labels already carry a QR code
The federal fuel-economy label has carried a QR code since 2012. A ShortCut puts one on the same glass for the car’s own page.