TAX TIME ACCOUNT CARD PILOT- Recruitment Screener

RECRUITMENT SCREENER

TAX TIME ACCOUNT CARD PILOT FOCUS GROUPS

UNBANKED AND UNDERBANKED

NOVEMBER 2010

Hello. My name is __________ and I’m calling from KRC Research, an independent research firm working on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. We are an independent research firm working with the Department of the Treasury. This is NOT a sales call. We are conducting a research discussion group in your area.

The research we are conducting is to introduce a new type of card account recommended by the U.S. Department of the Treasury that allows people to receive their federal tax refunds in new ways. Again, this call is for research purposes only. The Department of the Treasury is not interested in your name or in any specific details about you as an individual. We will be asking specific questions to ensure we are recruiting a mix of people; but, this information will not be shared with anyone. KRC Research's contract with the Federal Reserve Bank precludes the release of confidential information to the Government or third parties.

.

This research discussion group will be held on (DATE) at (EXACT TIME) and last approximately two hours. The discussion will include about eight or nine other people. Your participation is voluntary. As a token of our appreciation for your time, you will receive [$XXX] for participating in the discussion group. Would you be available at that time? (IF NO, THANK THEM AND TERMINATE THE CALL.)

To make sure that we are reaching a variety of people, I have a few questions for demographic purposes only.

IF TERMINATE DURING SCREENING PROCESS READ: I’m sorry, we already have enough participants in that category. Thank you very much for your time.

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: IF RESPONDENT EXPRESSES CONCERN AT ANY POINT DURING THE INTERVIEW, REASSURE THEM THAT YOU DO NOT WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT. YOU ARE WORKING FOR AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH COMPANY. THEIR ANSWERS AND PARTICIPATION WILL BE COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH ANYONE. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR CONTRACT REQUIRES US TO KEEP YOUR INFORMATION CONFIDENTIAL.

IF RESPONDENT WANTS A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL TO VERIFY THIS IS A LEGITIMATE SURVEY: MR. JONATHAN BASDEN, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS. PHONE NUMBER: 314-444-7359.

SAN ANTONIO GROUPS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN RECRUITED AND CONDUCTED IN SPANISH.

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________________________

Recruiter: _______________________________________________________

DATE TBD, Philadelphia

Cross Section	6 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show
Cross Section	8 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show

DATE TBD, Atlanta

Cross Section	6 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show
Cross Section	8 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show

Date TBD, Chicago

Cross Section	6 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show
Cross Section	8 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show

Date TBD, San Antonio

Hispanics	6 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show
Hispanics	8 p.m.	Recruit 16 for 8 to 10 to show

1 RECORD GENDER:

Female		RECRUIT A MIX
Male	

2 Do you or does anyone in your immediate family work for any of the following? [READ LIST.]

In advertising or public relations?		TERMINATE IF YES TO ANY.
In marketing or opinion research?	
In journalism or the news media?	
For a bank, credit union, or similar financial company?	
For a credit card company?	
For a check cashing service or pay day lender?	
For the Federal government	

3 Do you have a checking or savings account with a bank or credit union?

Yes		CONTINUE
No		RECRUIT X, GO TO Q5

4 Do you currently have any of the following types of financial accounts or services? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)?

Checking account	o	CONTINUE IF YES TO ONLY
Regular savings account	o	ONE OF THESE
Investments such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds	o
CD or Savings Certificate	o
Individual Retirement Account or IRA	o
Money Market Account	o	TERMINATE
Credit card	o
Direct Deposit	o

5 Now please tell me if you have done any of the following in the past year? (CHECK YES ANSWERS. MUST ANSWER YES TO AT LEAST ONE ITEM FROM Q5 TO QUALIFY AS UNDERBANKED IF BANKED. )

Used a check cashing service.	
Purchased a money order somewhere other than a bank or credit union	
Took a loan from a payday lender.	
Used a pre-paid debit card.	
Sold something to a pawn shop	

The following questions are to make sure we are talking to a variety of people who receive federal tax refunds.

6 Did you receive you federal tax refund this year by paper check?

Yes	
No		TERMINATE

7 And was your federal tax refund [Read List]?

Under $500		TERMINATE
$500 - $750		PLACE ON HOLD, BUT CONTINUE TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY
$751 - $999	
$1,000		CONTINUE
Refused (Vol)		TERMINATE

8 Who typically prepares your tax return? Do you prepare it, do you use a tax preparer such as H&R Block or private accountant or do you use some other resource?

Prepare myself		SKIP TO Q.10
Use tax preparer		CONTINUE
Other [SPECIFY]		SKIP TO Q.10

9. Have you ever used a tax preparer debit card? This is a debit card that has your tax refund loaded onto it so that you can use it just like you could any other type of debit card.

Yes		ATTEMPT TO RECRUIT A MIX.
No	
Don’t know	

10. What is your age?[DO NOT READ LIST. RECRUIT A MIX]

18 to 24	
25 to 34	
35 to 44	
45 to 54	
55 to 64	
65 or over	

11. What is the last grade of school you completed?

Some high school or less	
Graduated high school	
Less than 2 years of college	
2 or 3 years of college	
College graduate	
Post graduate degree	

12. Which of the following best describes your employment status?

Work full-time	
Work part-time	
Homemaker	
Not currently employed	
Full time student		TERMINATE
Retired		TERMINATE

13. Was your annual household income last year over or under $35,000?

Under $35,000	
Over $35,000		TERMINATE

14. Would you describe yourself as…

Hispanic or Latino		RECRUIT FOR SAN ANTONIO
Not Hispanic or Latino	
Prefer not to answer	

15. Would you describe yourself as… (ACCEPT MULTIPLE ANSWERS)

American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Prefer not to answer

16. SAN ANTONIO ONLY: At home, what language do you speak the most? (READ RESPONSES.)

More English than Spanish		PLACE ON HOLD
English and Spanish about equally		CONTINUE
More Spanish than English		CONTINUE
Not sure		PLACE ON HOLD

17. Sometimes participants are also asked to view or read materials and write out their answers on a questionnaire [FOR SAN ANTONIO READ: “In Spanish.”] Is there any reason why you could not participate? If you need glasses to read, please remember to bring them.

Yes		TERMINATE
No	

NOTE: Terminate if respondent offers any reason such as sight or hearing problem, a written or verbal language problem, or a concern with not being able to communicate effectively.

18. When was the last time, if ever, that you participated in a marketing research discussion group or interview? [READ LIST.]

Within the last year		TERMINATE
More than a year ago	

R ECRUITMENT QUOTAS:

RECRUIT AT LEAST 8 PARTICIPANTS WHO DO NOT HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT AT Q3 AND HAVE HOUSEHOLD INCOMES UNDER $35,000.

RECRUIT AT LEAST 8 PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT AT Q3 AND MEET THE REMAINING SCREENING CRITERIA FOR “UNDERBANKED.”

INVITATION:

We would like to invite you to participate in a research discussion group. The group will take 2 hours of your time and you will receive a cash gift of $_________. The discussion group will be held on _______ at _______ p.m. It will be held at _______.

Will you be available on _______ from _______ to _______ p.m.?

Yes		CONFIRM DATE & TIME; GIVE DIRECTIONS
No		THANK & TERMINATE

KRC RESEARCH page 7