Appendix C Proxy Reporting Protocol

Appendix C: Proxy Reporting Protocol

• Proxy Reporting Questions

To be asked immediately following background questions; the length of time required to complete these questions will be recorded.

You said that [read all roster names] live in your household. I’d like to spend a few minutes talking about ways they spend their money. This will help us move faster later in the interview, and help you remember things that you might otherwise forget since they’re not your expenses.

To start, I want to ask about expenses that the other people in your household have that you may not. For example, one person might buy all the clothing, while another handles all the vehicle expenses.

Are there some types of things that [name1] spends money on that you don’t?

Are there some types of things that [name2] spends money on that you don’t?

…

Thinking about the last three months since [reference month], has [name1], [name2], or [name-k] taken any vacations or trips without you?

Thinking about the last three months since [reference month], has [name1], [name2], or [name-k] made any changes to their normal day-to-day routine that might have changed what they did or did not spend money on?

Thinking about the last three months since [reference month], has [name1], [name2], or [name-k] bought anything unusual or out of the ordinary?

Does [name1], [name2], or [name-k] have any hobbies or activities that they spend time on?

For each question, the interviewer will discretely set a timer at the end of the reading of each question to monitor the minimum amount of time that the interviewer must allow for the respondent to formulate his or her response (short: 2s or longer: 10s).

If the household size is greater than four people, questions with lists of individual names will replace the list of names with the phrase “anyone in your household”.

For each question, the reported expenditure will be probed to identify the relevant household member and CEQ subsection for the expense (as necessary); detailed expenditure information will not be collected.

For each CEQ subsection identified, the interviewer will note that section. Those sections will then be asked during administration of the CEQ. The participant will be prompted to include the household members’ purchases in that section.

• Proxy Reporting Debriefing

To be asked immediately after completing the Proxy Reporting Questions

Before we continue, I want to take a quick break and ask you for your thoughts on the questions you just answered. We are trying to improve these questions to make sure that people understand what the questions are asking and are able to respond to them accurately.

What did you think of the questions we just asked you about what the other people in your household spend money on, their trips, routines, unusual purchases, and hobbies?

Why do you think we asked those questions?

Do you think you were able to answer them accurately?

How much do you know about how other people in your household spend their money?
(OPEN-ENDED);
(A GREAT DEAL/QUITE A BIT/SOMEWHAT/VERY LITTLE/NOT AT ALL)

Do you know the types of things they spend their money on generally?
(YES/NO)

Do you know the amounts of money they spend, generally?
(YES/NO)

Do you know exactly?
(YES/NO)

How long would you say that first set of questions was? Long or short?

(LONG/SHORT)

You said the question set was [LONG/SHORT]. On a scale of 1 to 5, how [LONG/SHORT] would you say it felt?

(1,2,3,4,5)

How sensitive, or personal, would you say those questions were? On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is ‘not at all sensitive’ and 5 is ‘very sensitive’.

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

What do you think other people would say, on a scale from 1 to 5?

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

How did you feel about the experience of listening to the questions and giving your answers? Did it seem normal or awkward?

(NORMAL/AWKWARD)

You said the experience was [NORMAL/AWKWARD]. On a scale of 1 to 5, how [NORMAL/AWKWARD] would you rate the experience?

(1,2,3,4,5)

• Proxy Flag for CEQ Questions

To be asked in each expenditure subsection identified during the initial proxy questions, following the section transition (e.g. “Now I am going to ask about….”).

When we started, you said that [name1] might have had some of these expenses. Please keep them in mind as you answer the questions.

After the respondent provides initial answer to a proxy-relevant subsection, ask the following questions, conditional on the answers to the initial proxy probes.

If regarding “Are there some types of things that [name1] spends money on that you don’t?”:

You mentioned that [name1] spends money on [reported item]. Are there any other expenses that you want to add related to that?

If regarding “Thinking about the last three months since [reference month], has [name1] taken any vacations or trips without you?”:

You mentioned that [name1] took a trip recently. Are there any other expenses that you want to add related to that trip?

If regarding “Thinking about the last three months since [reference month], has [name1] made any changes to their normal day-to-day routine that might have changed what they did or did not spend money on?”:

You mentioned that [name1] made a change to their day-to-day routine. Are there any other expenses that you want to add related to that?

If regarding “Thinking about the last three months since [reference month], has [name1] bought anything unusual or out of the ordinary?”:

You mentioned that [name1] bought something unusual or out of the ordinary. Are there any other expenses that you want to add related to the unusual item?

If regarding “Does [name1] have any hobbies or activities that they spend time on?”:

You mentioned that [name1] has a hobby or activity they like to do -- [reported hobby or activity]. Are there any other expenses that you want to add related to that?

• Overall Debriefing

To be asked after finishing the CEQ.

Now I’d like to go back and talk about the questions you just answered. I’m interested in hearing your reactions to them, as well as hearing what you thought about as you gave your answers.

When we started, I asked a series of questions about other people in your household. The questions asked about their trips, unusual expenses, hobbies, or ways they spend money that you typically don’t.

Based on your answers to those questions, when we got to the sections about [insert expenditure section with proxy probes], I reminded you about the purchases made by other members in your household.

If I had not instructed you to remember their purchases, do you think you would have? (YES/NO)

How helpful were the questions at the start about what others spend their money in reminding you about others’ expenses, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is ‘not at all helpful’ and 5 is ‘very helpful’?

(1,2,3,4,5)

Do you think you included all the expenses that people in your household had?

(YES/NO)

I did not give extra instructions for [insert expenditure category asked without proxy probe OR clothing]. I just said [insert expenditure category transition]. Let’s go back and review those questions now. I asked you about this list of items.
Show information booklet page

Do you think you included all the expenses that people in your household had?

(YES/NO)

How helpful would it have been to have additional questions to jog your memory during this section, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is ‘not at all helpful’ and 5 is ‘very helpful’?

(1,2,3,4,5)

We’re interested in helping people tell us as much as they can about expenses for all the members of their household. Do you have any suggestions for how we could have helped you report everyone’s expenses more accurately?

(OPEN-ENDED)