The Census Bureau plans to conduct research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). Cognitive interviews will be conducted on two new American Community Survey (ACS) Group Quarters (GQ) introductory letters (one to colleges and universities and one to health care facilities), and the text of a revised Frequently Asked Questions brochure. These materials will be used by ACS Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) interviewers.
The following materials, which are sent to Executive Directors/Directors of Student Housing of Colleges and Universities and Administrators of health care facilities, will be tested:
Introductory Letter for Health Care Facilities (ACS-18(L)(H)(GQ) – new to ACS
Introductory Letter for College/University Administrators (ASC-18(L)(C)(GQ) – new to ACS
Frequently-Asked Questions Brochure (ACS-51(GQ)) (text only) - revised
These materials will be tested in English only and will be used to for several purposes
To inform respondents of the purpose of the ACS;
To inform respondents in the ways in which the survey data are used;
To let the respondents know about the privacy and confidentiality issues;
To let respondents know of the mandatory nature of the survey; and
To persuade them to participate in the survey.
The cognitive interview results will identify possible revisions to the materials and will provide improved participation in the survey.
From January 2011 through the end of May 2011, 56-70 cognitive interviews will be conducted by a contractor. The interviews are divided into two rounds. Each round will interview 8-10 College/University Directors and 20-25 health care facilities Administrators. The heath care facility Administrator interviews will be divided between treatment centers for adults or juveniles (noncorrectional); skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes); psychiatric (mental) hospitals; and in-patient hospice. We will interview the Executive Directors of the Colleges and Universities and the Administrators of the health care facilities and each respondent will be tested with a facility-specific letter and the FAQ brochure text. Copies of the introductory letter for college/university Directors, the introductory letter for health care Administrators, and the FAQ text are enclosed.
Because the target population for each interview are GQ administrators and directors, the primary recruitment approach will be direct recruitment by interviewers in the greater Washington D.C. area; the Chicago, IL area; and the Raleigh/Durham, NC area. The Census Bureau will provide the contractor with a list of GQ units that are not scheduled to be part of the ACS sample in 2011, in the geographic areas where the interviews will be conducted. Interviews will be conducted at the GQ facilities. Administrators who are diverse with respect to age, sex, and time in position will be recruited.
Interviews will be conducted using the concurrent think-aloud method. A copy of the protocol for each version of the letter is enclosed and each protocol includes interview questions for the FAQs. Interviews will be audio-taped, with participants’ permission, to facilitate analysis of the results. Participants will be informed that their response is voluntary and that the information they provide is confidential and will be seen only by employees involved in the research project. A copy of the consent form is enclosed. Because Census frequently contacts Administrators and Directors for data collections throughout the year and since these interviews are outside of the regular data collections activities, and incentive fee of $40 will be given to participants. We feel this is necessary to get the feedback that we need on these letters.
We estimate that these interviews will take approximately 60-75 minutes. Thus, the maximum burden for this research is 87.5 hours.
The contact person for questions regarding data collection and statistical aspects of the design of this research is:
Barbara Lazirko
American Community Survey Office
U.S. Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, D.C. 20233
(301) 763-2782
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | The Census Bureau plans to conduct research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607 |
| Author | Your User Name |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-02-02 |