Various Demographic Pretesting Activities

Introduction to Protocol for Relationship and Marital Status Questions

Participant ID #: |__ _|___|___|___|___|___|

Interview Date: |___|___| / |___|___| / |_2_|_0_|_1_|_1_| (mm/dd/yyyy)

Interviewer initials: |___|___|

Start Time: ____________ AM / PM End Time: ____________ AM / PM

Section 1: Interviewer: Read/ Paraphrase the following text:

Greeting: Hello. My name is ________________, and I work for the Census Bureau. Thank you for agreeing to participate in our study.

What: In order to help us improve our surveys, we turn to people like you to find out if our

questions make sense and are fairly easy to understand and answer. We have found that the best way to do that is to actually conduct the survey with people and see how it works for them. So you will be helping us test a questionnaire from one of our surveys.

How: I will give you a questionnaire and I’d like to fill it out the way you would if it came in the mail and I wasn’t here. After you finish filling out the form, I will talk to you about the questions and some of your answers.

Do you have any questions before we begin?

Confidentiality: Our session today is completely confidential. Any names you provide will never be used in our reports. Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and you can decline to answer any particular question.

Recording: So I don’t have to rely on my memory later on, I’d like to tape record this interview. That way, I can focus today on what you’re saying rather than having to concentrate on taking notes. Is that ok with you?

** HAVE PARTICIPANT SIGN CONSENT FORM**

Begin: **TURN ON TAPE RECORDER**

OK, let’s begin.

After the Respondent finishes completing the questionnaire, ask the debriefing questions.

Let’s start on pg. 2 with Question 2 for Person 2.

Relationship Question

Why did you answer the relationship question the way you did?

Were there any other choices that you considered?

Do you think your answer adequately describes your situation? Why or why not?

I’m going to ask you about some of the terms that are in this question

• If V1 or V2 

What does the term “unmarried partner” mean to you in this question?

What about “other relative”?

What about “roomer or boarder”?

What about “housemate or roommate”?

• If V3 or V4 

What does the term “opposite sex husband/wife/spouse” mean to you in this question?

What about “same sex husband/wife/spouse”?

What about “opposite sex unmarried partner”?

What about “same sex unmarried partner”?

What about “other relative”?

What about “roomer or boarder”?

What about “housemate or roommate”?

Now, let’s jump to page 4, question 12.

Marital Status Question Series

Why did you answer the marital status question the way you did?

If R reports now married:

• What was the date of your marriage?

• In what city and state did the marriage take place?

• Was this a commitment ceremony or a legal marriage ceremony?

If R reports registered domestic partner or civil union:

• What was the date of your domestic partnership/civil union?

• In what city and state did the registration take place?

Do you think your answer adequately describes your situation? Why or why not?

I’m going to ask you about some of the terms that are in this series of questions.

• If V1 or V3 

What does “registered domestic partnership or civil union” mean to you in Q. 12.a?

What is Q.12b asking in your own words?

What do the terms ”boyfriend/girlfriend or partner” mean to you?

Probe any inconsistencies that occur between the answers to Qs. 12 through 15. Pay special attention to cases where R or his/her partner report “never married” in Q.12a and “no” in Q. 12b.

• If V2 or V4 

What does “registered domestic partnership or civil union” mean to you in Q. 12b?

What is Q.12c asking in your own words?

What do the terms ”boyfriend/girlfriend or partner” mean to you?

Probe any inconsistencies that occur between the answers to Qs. 12 through 15. Pay special attention to cases where R and his/her partner report “never married” in Q. 12a and “not in a domestic partnership or civil union” Q.12b, and then report “no” in Q. 12c.

For all versions:

• If R reports 2 or more marital events in Q13 for any household member:

Can you tell me the date (you/he/she) was (married, divorced, etc.)? [Ask for each status reported.] Probe further if answers to these probes are not consistent with response to the marital status question.

• If R reports two or more times in Q14:

What was the date of each of your marriages?

Was this a commitment ceremony or a legal marriage ceremony?

• If date of marriage reported in Q15 conflicts with the response to Q13 (that is, R reports someone got married in 2010 but did not get married in the last 12 months or vice versa):

So you said you were (married/not married) last year and you also said you were (married/not married) in the past 12 months. Can you tell me about your situation? [Probe to determine whether R is counting a domestic partnership or civil union or social ceremony in one of these questions.]

Terminology for Dissolution of Domestic Partnership/Civil Union

When married couples end their legal relationships, the term used to describe that is “divorced.” Nowadays, people in some places are allowed to enter into legal domestic partnerships or civil unions. If a couple in such a union were to legally end that relationship, is there a term you would use to describe that? If so, what is that term?

Alternate Versions of Relationship and Marital Status Questions

I have another version of the relationship and marital status questions that I would like you to look at, and I’d like you to read the questions and answer them for me.

• If R completes V1, show him/her V4

• If R completes V2, show him/her V3

• If R completes V3, show him/her V2

• If R completes V4, show him/her V1

After R answers the relationship question, ask probes about terminology

If V1 or V2  What does the term “unmarried partner” mean to you in this question?

If V3 or V4  What does the term ““opposite sex husband/wife/spouse” mean to you in this question?

What about “same sex husband/wife/spouse”?

What about “opposite sex unmarried partner”?

What about “same sex unmarried partner”?

Show R the questionnaire he/she completed initially and ask him/her to compare.

• Which version of the relationship question do you prefer? Why?

Now let’s move on to the next question.

After R answers the marital status series, show him/her the questionnaire he/she completed initially and ask him/her to compare:

• Which version of the marital status questions do you prefer? Why?

Question Sensitivity

Are there any questions on this form that you think other people would find sensitive? Which ones? Why?

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