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

CENSUS 2010 BENEFITS & MESSAGES

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?

2. RESPONSE TO CENSUS 2010 STATEMENTS

We’re asking you to help determine those statements that are most likely to encourage participation in Census 2010.

HAND OUT LIST OF CENSUS 2010 STATEMENTS TO EACH RESPONDENT

1. Before we discuss these statements as a group, we’d like you to look at them individually

• Please assign each statement a rating between 1 and 5, where 5 = extremely motivating to you to participate in Census 2010, and 1 = not at all motivating to you

2. We’d now like you to look at these same statements again as a group, and assign them to one of three ‘buckets’: statements that are (1) most motivating to you, (2) somewhat motivating, and (3) not very motivating to you.

• As we go through this exercise, please share your collective reasons for putting each statement/benefit into a specific bucket

• When discussing each statement, please indicate the following:

  • Your initial top-of-mind thoughts and feelings about the statement

  • Why you put it in a specific bucket

  • How and why this statement might be relevant or important to you – what really resonated with you, and why?

  • Any specific words or phrases in the statement that really stand out to you

  • Whether the statement is ‘new news to you’

  • How might you change the statement to make it more compelling

3. As a final exercise, please rank all the statements in the ‘Most Motivating’ bucket in terms of their importance in taking part in Census 2010.

• Why did you agree that the statement/benefit ranked #1 is more important than the others in encouraging participation in the Census?

• Which statements on this list are must-haves? Which are nice-to-haves, and why?

• Are there any statements or benefits about the Census missing from the list that you consider important or motivating?

4. What was the single most compelling information you heard or learned about the Census?

• For those of you who were less willing to take part in the Census, or weren’t thinking about the Census, what did you learn that had a positive impact on your participation? Why do you say that?

2. 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