Various Demographic & Decennial Areas Pretesting Activities

gCognitive Interviewing Protocol

Administer interview. Remember to note any problems/comments/questions/puzzled looks/exasperated sighs respondent has on the questionnaire – come back and probe on these afterwards.

INT: Now I’d like to just walk back through the questionnaire with you for a bit and maybe talk about some of the questions I just asked you. As we’re doing this, if there was any particular thought or reaction you remember having when I asked you a certain question, please let me know. But first, before we start, can you tell me what time period you were thinking about when you were answering these questions?

Go back through interview, question by question if possible, with respondent using probes like “what did X mean to you?” or “what were you thinking of when I asked you X?”

INT: Now that we’ve been through the phone interview, I’d like to ask you some questions about (YOUR/NAME’s) living situation, things other people might be asked, and how you felt about the telephone interview in general.

If another address is uncovered:

• Can you describe (YOUR/NAME’s) living situation for me?

• Please tell me about how much time (YOU/NAME) spent at each of your/his/her addresses in the past year, that is, during 2009.

• Where do/does (YOU/NAME) stay most of the time?

• How often do/does (YOU/NAME) stay at the other place?

• Where were/was (YOU/NAME) staying most of the time around April 1?

• If applicable, Did you think about the other place (YOU/NAME) sometimes stay/s earlier but decide not to mention it?

• If so, can you tell me a little bit about why you didn’t mention it?

• If not, what, if anything, could I have asked that might have made you think about it?

If no new address was uncovered:

• Try to remember back to the beginning of this year. Here’s a calendar to help you think about it. Can you think of any particular events that happened since the beginning of the year – like maybe a move, someone’s birthday or anniversary, an illness in the family, or a change in schools or jobs?

• Can you think of any place other than the place (YOU/NAME) are/is at now where (YOU/NAME) might have been staying in the beginning of the year, especially during Spring?

• Did (YOU/NAME) go somewhere even just for a couple days or weeks? If so, where?

INT: All right. Now I’d like to ask you a few hypothetical questions about things that I didn’t ask you in the interview, but that we’re thinking of asking some people. I’d like you to listen to the questions and let me know if you think they’re okay questions to ask.

In some cases, we might have records that indicate that someone was counted twice at some kind of group facility. We might ask a person the following questions:

INT: During 2010, did (YOU/NAME) stay, even for just one night, in any of the following places—

Military barracks?

Military ship?

On-base housing?

Off-base housing?

Military academy or dormitory?

Military treatment facility?

Military disciplinary barracks or jail?

INT: Do those questions seem okay? Why/why not?

INT: Now how about these questions?

During 2010, did (YOU/NAME) spend even one night in a correctional facility, like a jail or prison?

How about a detention center?

During 2010, did (YOU/NAME) spend even one night under arrest?

INT: Do those questions seem okay? Why/why not?

INT: Now how about these questions?

During 2010, did (YOU/NAME) use services from any of the following types of places—

Soup kitchen?

Mobile food van?

Shelter?

Hotel or motel?

INT: Now what if we asked the same question, but asked about things like:

During 2010, did you/NAME stay, even for just one night, in any of the following places—

• Juvenile institution?

• Nursing home or skilled nursing facility?

• Hospital, hospital ward, hospice, or school for the handicapped?

• College dormitory, fraternity house, or sorority house, either on or off-campus?

• Religious group quarters such as a convent or a monastery?

Are any of those too sensitive?

3. Does it bother you that we only asked questions about (YOU/NAME) or (NAMES)? If so, why?

INT: Finally, to wrap up, I have just a few last questions.

1. Overall, would you say the survey questions were easy or difficult to respond to? Why?

2. Other than what we have already talked about, do you think there are questions some people would find difficult?

3. Other than what we have already talked about, do you think there are questions some people would find sensitive?

4. Do you have anything else you would like to tell us that you haven’t had a chance to mention, yet?

Okay, that’s all. Thanks so much for helping us today! TURN OFF TAPE.