Green Goods and Services Sector - State, Local, or Tribal Governments

Introduction

Intro1. Hello, may I speak with (INSERT CONTACT NAME)?

My name is ______________. I am calling on behalf of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I'm calling in reference to the Bureau’s Green Goods and Services survey.

Intro2. (REINTRODUCE SELF IF NECESSARY) Our records indicate that you recently completed this survey. First, we want to thank you for taking the time to complete the survey form. We are calling you now to find out what you thought of the survey form, and if you have any suggestions for improving it. Your opinions are very important to us, so if you can spare a few minutes, we’d like to hear your reactions.

Q1. Before we begin, let me assure you that this call is strictly for informational purposes to help us design the Green Goods and Services survey forms. Your participation is completely voluntary and you can decline to answer any question at any time. This call is being recorded for quality assurance purposes. Depending on the number of comments, the questions usually take about 10 minutes.

READ IF RESPONDENT WANTS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. This call may be monitored for quality assurance purposes.

Section 1. Questions about the Pre-notification Letter

Q2: First, let's start with the letter that was sent to you a few days before you received the survey form. The letter came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and informed you that we would be sending you a survey in the next few days. Do you recall receiving this letter?

• YES

• NO (goto S2 Q1)

Q3: Now thinking about that pre-notification letter did you read the letter carefully, skim through the letter quickly, only looked at the letter to see what it was about, or not look at the content of the letter at all?

• READ THE LETTER CAREFULLY

• SKIMMED THROUGH THE LETTER QUICKLY (goto S2 Q1)

• ONLY LOOKED AT THE LETTER TO SEE WHAT IT WAS ABOUT (goto S2 Q1)

• DID NOT LOOK AT THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTER (goto S2 Q1)

• DO NOT RECALL/NOT SURE (goto S2 Q1)

Q4: What were your thoughts about the pre-notification letter? [PROBE: Anything in particular?]

Q5: What concerns did you have about the survey after reading the pre-notification letter?

Q6: How important do you think it is to receive a letter like this telling you that a survey is on the way? Would you say very important, somewhat important, a little important, or not important at all?

• VERY IMPORTANT

• SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT

• A LITTLE IMPORTANT

• NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL

Section 2. Questions About the Cover Letter

[NOTE: IF R SAYS THEY DON’T REMEMBER THE COVER LETTER REMIND THEM IT WAS THE FIRST PAGE OF THE SURVEY AND NOT A SEPARATE FORM]

Q1: The next mailing that was sent included a survey form with a cover letter on the first page of the survey form. Now thinking about that cover letter, did you read the letter carefully, skim through the letter quickly, only looked at the letter to see what it was about, or not look at the content of the letter at all?

• READ THE LETTER CAREFULLY

• SKIMMED THROUGH THE LETTER QUICKLY (goto S3 Q1)

• ONLY LOOKED AT THE LETTER TO SEE WHAT IT WAS ABOUT (goto S3 Q1)

• DID NOT LOOK AT THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTER (goto S3 Q1)

• DID NOT RECALL/NOT SURE (goto S3 Q1)

Q2: Do you have any comments about or suggestions for improving the cover letter that accompanied the survey form? [PROBE: Was anything confusing or unclear?]

Section 3.Questions About the Survey Form: Instructions Clear?

Q0. The next set of questions is about the survey form that you returned to BLS. Do you have a copy of that form?

• YES (please take a minute to find your survey and let me know when you have it in front of you) (goto S3 Q4)

• NO

• RESPONDENT IS UNABLE TO OBTAIN THEIR FORM

Q1: To facilitate this discussion, the survey form is available on the internet for you to view while we go through a few questions. If it is alright with you I would like to give you that web address now?

• YES

• NO (goto S3 Q3)

Q2: Copies of the survey form are available on-line at www.websrg.com/ggs. Our records indicate that you filled out form [FORM NAME]. Please download a copy of form [FORM NAME] and let me know when you are ready to continue. (goto S3 Q4)

Q3: Can I fax you a copy of the form instead?

• YES (FAX THE FORM)

• NO (goto S3 Q5)

Q4: DOES THE RESPONDENT HAVE A COPY OF THE FORM IN FRONT OF THEM?

• YES (goto S3 Q6)

• NO

Q5: As we go through these questions, I will read you the questionnaire items and remind you of your responses if necessary.

Q6: Now I am going to read you a list of statements about the survey form. If you can’t recall something, just tell me that. How easy or difficult was it to understand the instructions on the form? Would you say it was very easy, easy, difficult, or very difficult?

• VERY EASY (goto S3 Q8)

• EASY (goto S3 Q8)

• DIFFICULT

• VERY DIFFICULT

• DON’T KNOW (goto S3 Q8)

• REFUSED (goto S3 Q8)

Q7: Do you recall which instructions were confusing? (IF NEEDED, ASK “WHY?”) [PROBE: What made it difficult to understand?]

Q8: The first question on the survey provided instructions on which worksite you should report for on the survey form. Was it clear which worksite you should report for?

• YES

• NO

If NO, What caused the confusion?

Q9: How easy or difficult was it to answer the questions on the survey form?

• VERY EASY (goto S3 Q11)

• EASY (goto S3 Q11)

• DIFFICULT

• VERY DIFFICULT

• DON’T KNOW (goto S3 Q11)

• REFUSED (goto S3 Q11)

Q10: Do you recall which questions were most difficult? (IF NEEDED, ASK "WHY?") [PROBE: How did you go about answering them?]

Q11: Were the questions asked in a logical order?

• YES (goto S3 Q14)

• NO

• DO NOT RECALL (goto S3 Q14)

• REFUSED (goto S3 Q14)

Q12: What did not make sense about the question order?

Q13: What would have been better?

Q14: Would you say the survey took a reasonable amount of time or too much time to complete?

• REASONABLE

• TOO MUCH

• DON’T KNOW

• REFUSED

If TOO MUCH, what took the most time?

Q15: How clear was it which questions you should answer or leave blank? Was it very clear, clear, unclear, or very unclear?

• VERY CLEAR (goto S3 Q17)

• CLEAR (goto S3 Q17)

• UNCLEAR

• VERY UNCLEAR

• DON’T KNOW (goto S3 Q17)

• REFUSED (goto S3 Q17)

Q16: Can you tell me what was unclear?

Q17: Not including the amount of time you had to wait for information from other individuals involved in filling out the form, how long did it take to provide all the information requested?

Section 4. Green Questions

Q1: Now, we would like to ask you about green goods and services as they apply to your business. Thinking about the categories (column 1) of green goods and services listed in Section 4 of the form, do you think this list is an accurate representation of the types of green goods and services produced in industries like yours? (IF THEY DO NOT HAVE THE FORM, READ THEM THE EXAMPLES)

• YES (goto S4 Q4)

• NO

Q2: Is there anything missing? [PROBE: Anything you would suggest?]

Q3: Is there anything that shouldn’t be there? [PROBE: Why is that?]

Q4: Thinking about the examples (column 2) of green products and services listed in section 4 of the form, do you think these are relevant examples of the types of green goods and service categories provided in this section?

• YES (goto S4 Q6)

• NO

Q5: Which examples were not relevant? [PROBE: Is there anything that doesn’t fit? Is there something you think should be included?]

Q6: Do you think these examples are too specific, not specific enough, or are they fine the way they are?

• TOO SPECIFIC

• NOT SPECIFIC ENOUGH

• FINE THE WAY THEY ARE

• DON’T KNOW

Section 5. Share of Revenue or Percentage of Employees

Q1: Question 6 asked if you had any revenue from the sales of green goods and services during the reference period stated on the survey form. Was there anything unclear about how to answer this question or what you should do after you answered it?

• NO

• YES

If YES, what was unclear?

What would have made this clearer?

Q2: IF R COMPLETED QUESTION 7 ON THE FORM, ASK, "Question 7 asked for the percentage of your worksite’s revenue that came from the sale of green goods or services. Can you tell me how you estimated this percentage?" [PROBE: Does reporting percentages make sense? Is there another way to report it?]

• R DID NOT COMPLETE QUESTION 7 ON THE FORM

• R’S ANSWER

Q3: Would you say it is reasonable to use the percentage of sales revenue to estimate the number of green jobs at your establishment? [PROBE: Does reporting percentages make sense? How did you arrive at your answer?]

• YES

• NO

• NOT SURE

If NO, "Why do you think revenue is not a good indicator of employment at your establishment?”

If NOT SURE, why?

Q4: We asked you for the percent of your sales revenue from sales of green goods and services for your fiscal year. Would you find it very easy, easy, difficult, or very difficult to provide the percent of your revenue from sales of green goods and services for the calendar year January to December?

• VERY EASY

• EASY

• DIFFICULT

• VERY DIFFICULT

• DON’T KNOW

• REFUSED

Q5: IF R COMPLETED QUESTION 8 ON THE FORM, ASK, "Question 8 asked for the percentage of your worksite’s employees that primarily work on producing green goods or services. Can you tell me how you estimated this percentage?" [PROBE: What was your rationale? Does reporting percentages make sense? Is there another way to report it?]

• R DID NOT COMPLETE QUESTION 8 ON THE FORM

• R’S ANSWER

Section 6. Multiple Units

Q1: Did your establishment fill out more than one form; for example, did you complete separate forms for more than one worksite?

• YES

• NO (goto S7 Q1)

• DON’T KNOW (goto S7 Q1)

Q2: Do you have any suggestions about how we can simplify the process of reporting data for your establishment?

• NO

• YES

If YES, what suggestions do you have? [PROBE: Any general questions/comments/suggestions?]

Section 7. Non-Response Prompt Effort

Q1: Did you speak to one of our interviewers through help desk or follow up call?

• YES

• NO (goto END)

Q2: On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 would be very knowledgeable and 1 would be not at all knowledgeable, how knowledgeable about the survey was the interviewer?

• 1 (NOT AT ALL KNOWLEDGEABLE)

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

• 7 (goto S7 Q3)

• 8 (goto S7 Q3)

• 9 (goto S7 Q3)

• 10 (VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE) (goto S7 Q3)

Q2A: What knowledge did you find lacking?

Q3: On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is strongly agree and 1 is strongly disagree, how much do you agree with the statement “The interviewer treated me with courtesy and respect?”

• 1 (STRONGLY DISAGREE)

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

• 7 (goto S7 Q4)

• 8 (goto S7 Q4)

• 9 (goto S7 Q4)

• 10 ( STRONGLY AGREE) (goto S7 Q4)

Q3A: Why do you say that?

Q4: Did you have any questions for the interviewer?

• NO (goto END)

• YES

Q5: Was the interviewer able to answer your question?

• NO

• YES (goto END)

Q6: What issue were you unable to obtain help for?

That is all the questions I have. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today and help BLS improve the survey effort.