Various Demographic Area Pretesting Activities

3

Protocol for 2013 American Housing Survey Doubling Up Module Round One

• Ask questions 1 and 2 for one household member before moving to the next person.

• Enter names and sexes on roster sheet.

1. Now I will ask you some questions about the people who live here. What are the names of all persons living or staying here? Start with the name of the person, or one of the persons, who owns or rents the home. (FR Instruction: List names on roster.)

2. What is [fill Name]’s sex? (FR Instruction: If not obvious, ask for each person listed in question 1.)

1. □ Male

2. □ Female

3. Is your home

(FR Instruction: Read categories until “yes” reply is received.)

1. □ Owned?

2. □ Rented?

3. □ Occupied without payment of rent? – Skip to question 5

4. In whose name is this home [fill with answer to question 3]?

(FR Instruction: Place an asterisk (*) next to owners’/renters’ name(s) on Household Roster)

5. Has anyone moved into the home in the last 12 months? Please include anyone who stayed in the home for at least 2 weeks who did not have some other place where they usually live, and minors who moved in without a parent or guardian.

1. □ Yes

2. □ No—Skip to question 8

6. Who was that?

(FR instruction: Mark all that apply on the roster sheet. Ask question 7 for each person marked.)

7. When did [fill Name] move in?

(FR instruction: Enter month & year on roster sheet.)

8. Has anyone moved out of the home in the last 12 months? Please include anyone who stayed in the home for at least 2 weeks who did not have some other place where they usually live, and minors who moved out without a parent or guardian.

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

• If “No” and someone has moved in (question 5 is “yes”), skip to Box 1.

• If “No” and no one has moved in (question 5 is “no”), skip to Box 3.

9. Who was that?

(FR instruction: Enter name(s) on roster sheet. Ask questions 10 and 11 for each person listed.)

10. What is [fill Name]’s sex? (FR Instruction: If not obvious, ask for each person listed in question 9.)

1. □ Male

2. □ Female

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

11. When did [fill Name] move out? (FR instruction: Enter month & year on roster sheet, ‘D’ for don’t know, or ‘R’ for refusal.)

Box 1

• If no one has moved into the home (question 5 is “no”), skip to Box 2.

• Otherwise, ask questions 12 through 20 of the person or persons with the most recent move in date. Do not ask of everyone who has moved into the home.

12. Now we have some questions about the place where [fill Name(s)/you] lived before moving here. What state did [fill Name(s)/you] live in just before moving here?

(FR instruction: Enter state on roster sheet, ‘ D’ for don’t know, or ‘R’ for refusal. If more than one person, ask about the people as a group, not individuals.)

13. Was that residence

(FR Instruction: Read all answer categories.)

1. □ A house?

2. □ An apartment?

3. □ A manufactured or mobile home?

4. □ Some other type of residence?

5. □ Dk

6. □ Refuse

Probe: If respondent says “Some other type of residence,” probe, Can you tell me more about that?

14. When [fill Name(s)/you] moved here, did [his/her/their/your] housing costs increase, decrease, or stay about the same? Include utilities and mortgage or rent.

1. □ Increase

2. □ Decrease

3. □ Stay the same

4. □ Dk

5. □ Refuse

Probe: How did you come up with your answer?

15. [Is/Are/Did] [fill Name(s)/you] [stay/staying] here because [he/she/they/you] [do/does/did] not have a regular or adequate place to stay due to lack of money or other means of support? (FR Instruction: Fill ‘did’ if person no longer lives in the home, or ‘do’ if they currently live there.)

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

16. Thinking about the last house, apartment or room where [fill Name(s)/you] lived or stayed for more than a month, why did [he/she/they/you] leave that place of residence? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories. Mark all that apply.)  

1. □ Could not afford to keep it—left voluntarily

2. □ Eviction

3. □ Asked to leave by household

4. □ Lost to foreclosure

5. □ Landlord was foreclosed upon

6. □ The unit was condemned, destroyed, or otherwise uninhabitable

7. □ There was a major change in family (divorce, death, separation)

8. □ There was violence in household

9. □ It was too crowded

10. □ There was too much conflict

11. □ Went into a treatment program or institution

12. □ Went to jail or prison

13. □ Other (specify)__________________________________

14. □ Dk

15. □ Refuse

17. Did [fill Name(s)/you] sleep at that place of residence the night before [he/she/they/you] came to stay here?

1. □ Yes – Skip to question 20

2. □ No

3. □ Dk – Skip to question 20

4. □ Refuse

18. Where did [fill Name(s)/you] sleep the night before [he/she/they/you] came to stay here? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories.)

1. □ [His/her/their/your] own place

2. □ With relatives

3. □ With friends

4. □ Hotel/motel [he/she/they/you] paid for

5. □ Student or military dormitories, barracks, or similar location

6. □ In a shelter or other homeless program facility

7. □ In foster care

8. □ Place not meant for habitation (e.g. park, sidewalk, abandoned building, or car)

9. □In an institution or treatment program, such as a hospital, nursing home, jail or prison

10. □ Other (specify)__________________________________________

11. □ Dk

12. □ Refuse

19. Why did [fill Name(s)/you] leave the place where [he/she/they/you] slept the night before coming here? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories. Mark all that apply.)

1. □ Could not afford to keep it—left voluntarily

2. □ Eviction

3. □ Lost to foreclosure

4. □ Asked to leave by others in the home

5. □ Landlord was foreclosed upon

6. □ There was a major change in family (divorce, death, separation)

7. □ There was violence in the household

8. □ It was too crowded

9. □ There was too much conflict

10. □ Discharged/released from an institution or prison

11. □ Traveling to arrive here

12. □ Other reason (specify)______________________________________

13. □ Dk

14. □ Refuse

20. How long [did/do] you expect [fill Name(s)/ skip fill] to live or stay in this home? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories. Fill ‘did’ if person no longer lives in the home, or ‘do’ if they currently live there.)

1. □ Less than 2 weeks

2. □ About 2 to 4 weeks

3. □ About 1 to 3 months

4. □ About 4 to 6 months

5. □ About 7 months to 1 year

6. □ Permanently or more than 12 months

7. □ Dk

8. □ Refuse

Box 2

• If someone has moved out of the home (question 8 is “yes”), ask questions 21 and 22 of the person or persons with the most recent move out date.

• Otherwise, skip to Box 3.

21. Why [do/does ] [fill Name(s)] no longer live here? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories.)

1. □ Moved away on [his/her/their] own initiative

2. □ Moved away at request of others in the household

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

22. Where did [he/she/they] move? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories.)

1. □ [His/her/their] own place

2. □ Into the home of relatives

3. □ Into the home of friends

4. □ Hotel/motel [he/she/they] paid for

5. □ Student or military dormitories, barracks, or similar location

6. □ To foster care

7. □ To a shelter or other homeless program facility

8. □ Place not meant for habitation (e.g. park, sidewalk, abandoned building, car)

9. □ To an institution or treatment program, such as a hospital, nursing home, jail or prison

10. □ Other (specify)______________________________________________________

11. □ Dk

12. □ Refuse

BOX 3

• If the answer to question 3 is 2 (rented), continue to question 23.

• If the answer question 3 is 1 (owned), skip to question 31.

• If the answer to question 3 is 3 (no rent), skip to question 40.

23. Now I have some questions about the home. Please keep in mind that these questions are not to collect information on [you/fill renter’s name(s)] personally, but provide an idea of housing trends in America. Earlier you mentioned that [you/fill renter’s name(s)] rent this home. In the last 12 months, has there been a time when [you were/fill renter’s name(s) was] unable to pay [your/the] rent?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk Skip to question 26

4. □ Refuse

24. Did this occur in the last 3 months?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk Skip to question 26

4. □ Refuse

25. For how many of the last 3 months [were you/ was fill renter’s name(s)] unable to pay all or part of your rent?

1. □ One month

2. □ Two months

3. □ All three months

4. □ Dk

5. □ Refuse

26. [Have you/ Has fill renter’s name(s)] been threatened with eviction in the last 3 months?

1. □ Yes

   

2. □ No

3. □ Dk Skip to question 29

4. □ Refuse

27. What was the primary reason for threatened eviction? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories.)

1. □ Failure or inability to pay rent

2. □ Other violation of lease

3. □ Landlord wants to use the unit for another tenant or purpose, including moving in himself

4. □ Building condemned or due to be demolished

5. □ Landlord was foreclosed upon

6. □ Other, specify_________________________________________________

7. □ Dk

8. □ Refuse

28. [Have you/has fill renter’s name(s)] received an actual eviction notice from a court?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

29. How likely do you think it is that [you/fill renter’s name(s)] will have to leave the present housing within the next month because of eviction?

1. □ Certain or almost certain

2. □ Very likely

3. □ Somewhat likely

4. □ Not very likely

5. □ Not likely at all

6. □ Dk

7. □ Refuse

30. If [you/ fill renter’s name] did have to leave this home, where do you think [you/he/she] would go? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories.)

1. □ Would probably get a different place of [your/their] own to live in

2. □ Would probably move in with friends

3. □ Would probably move in with family

4. □ Would probably have to split up and go to different places (FR Instruction: Do not read category 4 if only one person lives in the home.)

5. □ Would probably go to a shelter

6. □ Not sure what [you/they] would do

7. □ Dk

8. □ Refuse

(FR Instruction: This concludes the renters’ section. Skip to question 40.)

31. Now I have some questions about your home. Please keep in mind that these questions are not to collect information on [you/ fill owner’s name] personally, but provide an idea of housing trends in America. In the last 12 months, has there been a time when [you were/fill owner’s name(s) was] not able to pay all or part of the property taxes that [you/fill owner’s name(s)] owe(s), or has a lien been placed on the home for unpaid income taxes or other taxes?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

32. Do [you/fill owner’s name(s)] have a mortgage or loan of any type on this property? Include regular mortgages, home equity credit lines, and any loan that is secured by the value of the home.

1. □ Yes

   

2. □ No

3. □ Dk Skip to question 40

4. □ Refuse

33. In the last 12 months, has there been a time when [you were/fill owner’s name(s)was ] unable to pay the mortgage?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk Skip to question 38

4. □ Refuse

34. Did any of these difficulties occur in the last 3 months?

1. □Yes,

   

2. □No

3. □ Dk Skip to question 38

4. □ Refuse

35. For how many of the last 3 months were [you/fill owner’s name(s)] unable to pay all of the mortgage payments?

1. □ One month

2. □ Two months

3. □ All three months

4. □ Dk

5. □ Refuse

36. In the last 3 months, [have you/ has fill owner’s name] received a notice that the mortgage was going to be foreclosed on?

1. □ Yes

   

2. □ No

3. □ Dk Skip to question 39

4. □ Refuse

37. [Are you/ Is fill owner’s name] actually in foreclosure now?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

38. How likely do you think it is that [you/fill owner’s name] will have to leave the home within the next month because of foreclosure?

1. □ Certain or almost certain

2. □ Very likely

3. □ Somewhat likely

4. □ Not very likely

5. □ Not likely at all

6. □ Dk

7. □ Refuse

39. If [you/ fill owner’s name] did have to leave, where do you think [you/he/she] would go? (FR Instruction: Read all answer categories.)

1. □ Would probably get a different place of [your/their] own to live in

2. □ Would probably move in with friends

3. □ Would probably move in with family

4. □ Would probably have to split up and go to different places (FR Instruction: Do not read category 4 if only one person lives in the home.)

5. □ Would probably go to a shelter

6. □ Not sure what [you/they] would do

7. □ Dk

8. □ Refuse

40. Now I have some questions about your utility bills. In the last 12 months, has there been a time that you were unable to pay all of your utility bills? By utility bills, I mean electricity, gas, fuel oil, or other fuels, water, sewage, and trash collection.

1. □Yes

2. □No

3. □ Dk End interview

4. □ Refuse

41. Did any of these difficulties occur in the last 3 months?

□Yes

□No

□ Dk End interview

□ Refuse

42. For how many of the last 3 months were you unable to pay all of your utility bills?

1. □ One month

2. □ Two months

3. □ All three months

4. □ Dk

5. □ Refuse

43. In the past 3 months, have you received a notice that your utilities would be shut off?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

44. In the past 3 months, have you actually had your utilities shut off?

1. □ Yes

2. □ No

3. □ Dk

4. □ Refuse

Debriefing Questions

Before debriefing, ask unscripted probes and try to understand the respondent’s household’s living situation, if it is not clear from the interview questions. Be mindful of whether the respondent is the person who moved in to someone else’s household, or if the respondent is the owner and has had others doubling up with him/her.

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

Do you think there are questions some people would find difficult? Sensitive? Which ones?

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

Thank you very much for participating in this interview.