Focus Groups to Identify Issues & Obstacles to Responding to the Census

CENSUS 2010 CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION OUTLINE

DRAFT November 2, 2007

I. INTRODUCTION/WARM-UP

• Name, occupation, marital/household status

• Where live, for how long?

• Explanation of procedure, observation, taping

2. AWARENESS AND PERCEPTIONS OF CENSUS 2010

• General awareness –

• What is it?,

• When is it conducted?,

• Who conducts it?,

• What types of questions are asked?

• Past participation in Census

• Do you remember ever filling out a Census form in the past?

• Positive perceptions of the Census – what’s good about it, why is it important that people should participate in it?

• Neutral/negative perceptions of the Census – what’s not so good about it, why don’t some people participate?

• Likelihood of participating in the next Census in 2010, reasons why/why not (be as specific as possible)

• Among those intending to take part, what are the perceived or expected benefits of participating in 2010

• Among those unlikely to participate, what (if anything) would encourage participation, and why?

III. RESPONSE TO CENSUS 2010 CREATIVE PLATFORMS

We’d like to get your reactions to a series of potential advertising ideas that are designed to encourage all Americans to participate in the 2010 Census.

SHOW FIRST PLATFORM IDEA (ROTATE ORDER OF EXPOSURE)

• What’s your overall impression of this idea? (DO NOT PROBE)

• What’s the main message being communicated? What are they trying to tell you about Census 2010?

• Is the message they’re communicating meaningful to you? Why/why not?

• How personally relevant is that message to you?

• What did this message tell you about the Census that you may not have been previously aware of? How important is that information to you?

• How clear is the message, is there anything in it that you find hard to understand?

• How believable is the message?

• Does the message increase your likelihood to take part in Census 2010? Why/why not (PROBE THOROUGHLY)?

SHOW SECOND/SUBSEQUENT PLATFORM IDEA, REPEAT QUESTIONING SEQUENCE FOR EACH IDEA EXPOSED

RE-EXPOSE ALL IDEAS, AND ASK THE FOLLOWING

• Looking at all these ideas, which one approach does the best job of encouraging you to take part in the 2010 Census? (PROBE)

• For those of you who had previously indicated that you were unlikely to take part in the next Census, what information did you see or hear in any of these ideas that may have helped convince you to reconsider your participation? (PROBE FULLY)

IV. MEDIA CHANNELS

• About how closely do you follow national events, that is, events that affect all Americans?

• And how often do you follow community events, the events that affect those in your area?

We’d like to understand the most appropriate ways to reach people like you with messages about the Census? What are the different types of media that you regularly use? (CREATE LIST)

• Network television stations (ABC, NBC, CBS)

• Local television stations

• TV news segments

• Cable TV

• Local newspapers

• Radio stations (Local? Syndicated? Satellite?)

• Through the Internet (give examples)

• Websites (specify)

• Outdoor ads

• Others?

Looking at this list of media channels, please indicate the following:

• Which media channel on the list do you use the most/most often?

• Which do you consider to be the most entertaining?

• The most believable?

  • Why do you say that, how do you tell if a media outlet is credible or less credible?

  • How do you decide if a media channel is?

• The most trustworthy (and why)?

• The best source of information for what’s going on in the country (and why)?

• The best source of information for what’s going on in your community (and why)?

• Which do you read, watch, or share with other family members?

FOR EACH OF THE MEDIA CHANNELS LISTED:

• What days/times of day do you typically read or watch that medium, and why? When are you most likely to pay attention to it?

• Do you usually give that media your undivided attention, or is it more likely in the background?

• Would that medium be a good source of information for you about the Census? Why/why not?

What other ideas do you have for ways to reach people in your community about the Census? For example:

• Through schools and churches

• Local organization meetings

• At community events (specify)

• Through respected local leaders (probe fully)

• With the participation of local businesses

• In government offices (specify)

• Any others?

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIAPTION