Various Demographic Pretesting Activities

New College Dormitory Questionnaire(Respondent Debriefing Qs in Red)

College name: ____________________

Contact #________________________

Record start time: ________________

New Construction Questions

Q1: Hello, my name is _____________ from the United States Census Bureau. We are testing a procedure to identify new college housing for future surveys. Your participation is voluntary. All of the information you provide in this discussion will remain confidential, and will only be used for research purposes. Can you answer questions about new dormitories, such as names of buildings and number of beds?

A1: Yes

• Continue to Q2

• A2: Yes, but not now.

  • Q1a: When is a better time to call you? Record day and time:_______________ am/pm

  • Q1b: What is your name?

Record name: _______________________

• Q1c: What is the best telephone number to contact you?

Record number:___________________________

A2: No

• Q1a: May I please speak to someone who can answer questions about new dormitories, such as names of buildings and number of beds?

  • Once you are speaking to a knowledgeable person, mention confidentiality and continue to Q2

  • If a knowledgeable person exists but is not currently available, leave a message or schedule a callback. Collect the person’s name, phone number, and the best time to contact him/her

  • If no knowledgeable person exists, continue to Q9

Q2: Just so you know, this is a preliminary survey, so I will ask questions both about new housing at your institution and about how clear the questions are.

We will define the opening of a dormitory as the point in time when a college finishes construction of a building and allows students to move in. Have any new dormitories opened at your institution during or since January 2005?

A1: Yes

• Continue to Q3

A2: No

• Continue to Q9

Q3: How many dormitories have opened during or since January 2005?

• Record this number, then continue to Q4

Q4: Can you please tell me the names of the _(record the number from Q3)______ new dormitories that have been opened during or since January 2005?

• Record these answers, continue to Q5

Q5: What is the total number of beds in ________ (name of dormitory)?

A1: There are ___________

• If this is the last dormitory, record number and continue to Q7

• If this is not the last dormitory, record number and repeat Q5 for the next dormitory

A2: I’m not sure/refuse

• Continue to Q6 for this dormitory

Q6: How many rooms are in __________ (name of dormitory)?

A1: There are ___________

• If this is the last dormitory, record number and continue to Q7

• If this is not the last dormitory, record number and return to Q5 for the next dormitory

A2: I’m not sure/refuse

• Continue to Q7 for this dormitory

Q7: Do students at ______ (name of dormitory) get their mail from a central location that is shared with other dormitories, or does this dormitory have its own mail area?

A1: There is ___________

• If this is the last dormitory, record number and continue to Q8

• If this is not the last dormitory, record number and repeat Q7 for the next dormitory

A2: I’m not sure/refuse

• Continue to Q8

Q8: Are any dormitories currently under construction, or have not opened but are scheduled to open in the future?

A1: Yes

• Continue to D1

A2: No

• Continue to D1

D1. Earlier in the interview I defined the opening of a dormitory as the point in time when a college finished construction of a building and allows students to move in. Did you have any difficulty understanding this definition?

• Record this answer and continue to Q9

Conversion Questions

Q9: Now I have a few questions about conversions. Conversions may occur when buildings or parts of buildings are converted from their previous use to dormitory rooms. Examples are houses or office buildings which are purchased by the college, then repurposed to house students. Can you answer questions about conversions at this institution?

A1: Yes

• Continue to Q10

A2: No

• Q9a: May I please speak to someone who could answer questions about conversions at this institution?

  • Once you are speaking to a knowledgeable person, clearly define conversions, mention confidentiality and continue to Q10

  • If no knowledgeable person exists, continue to Q14

Q10: Have there been any conversions during or since January 2005?

A1: Yes

• Continue to Q11

A2: No

• Continue to Q14

Q11: What are the names of the converted buildings?

• Record this information, then continue to Q12

Q12: In total, how many new beds were added in ________ (name of building) as a result of this conversion?

A1: ____________ were added.

• Record this number

  • If this is the last building, continue to D2

  • If this is not the last building, repeat Q12 for the next building

A2: I’m not sure

• Continue to Q13

Q13: In total, how many rooms were added in __________ (name of building) as a result of this conversion?

• Record this answer

  • If this is the last building, continue to D2

  • If this is not the last building, return to Q12 for the next building

D2. Did you understand the term conversions, which I also asked you about previously?

• Record this answer and continue to D3

D3. Can you tell me about the previous use of the building(s) you reported?

• Record this answer and continue to Q14

Fraternity and Sorority Questions

Q14: Can you answer questions about new fraternities and sororities at this institution?

A1: Yes

• Continue to Q15

A2: No

• Q14a: May I please speak to someone who can answer question about new fraternities and sororities at this institution?

  • Once you are speaking to a knowledgeable person, mention confidentiality and continue to Q15

  • If no knowledgeable person exists, continue to Closing Response

Q15: I’m defining a house opening as when a construction is finished, or a house is purchased, and students move in. By houses, I mean physical houses rather than the Greek organizations themselves. Thinking back, have any new fraternity and/or sorority houses opened during or since January 2005?

A1: Yes

• Continue to Q16

A2: No

• Continue to Closing Statement

Q16: What are the names of these fraternity/sorority houses? If the house itself does not have a name, just list the name of the Greek organization that uses it.

• Record this information and move on to Q17

Q17: In total, how many beds are in the _____ (name of house)___ house?

A1: There are ____________

• Record this number

  • If this is the last house mentioned, continue to D4

  • If this is not the last house mentioned, repeat Q17 for the next house mentioned

A2: I’m not sure

• Continue to Q18

Q18: In total, how many rooms are in the _____ (name of house)___ house?

• Record this answer

  • If this is the last house mentioned, continue to D4

  • If this is not the last house mentioned, return to Q17 for the next house mentioned

D4: I defined a house opening for fraternities and sororities as when a construction is finished, or a house is purchased, and students move in. Did you have any difficulty understanding this definition?

• Record this answer and continue to D5

D5: Can you tell me about how these houses came to be opened? (Were they newly constructed, purchased, or something else?)

• Record this answer and continue to Closing Response

Closing Response:

That is all of the information I need.

As I stated before, this information will help us to design better ways to cover growth in dorms and student housing. Your responses are confidential.

Thanks for your time and have a good day.

(record stop time) ____________________