Recruitment Screener

Attachment A: 2016 ACS Respondent Burden Testing: Recruiting Screener and Advertisements

Recruitment Overview

For the ACS 2016 Respondent Burden Testing, Westat will recruit enough respondents to complete between 60 and 72 English-language cognitive interviews. Interviews will be distributed across three topic groupings and three response modes (Paper, Interviewer Administered and Internet). Table 1 below shows the number of interviews by group and response mode.

Table 1. Overview of Interview Modes for 2016 ACS Respondent Burden Testing

	Group 1	Group 2	Group 3
Internet	10-12	10-12
Paper			10-12
Interviewer Administered	10-12	10-12	10-12

The questions will be tested on respondents who vary in age, sex, race, and level of education. Each topic group requires respondents with characteristics specified by the U.S. Census Bureau (see Table 2). Aside from the respondent characteristics described in Table 2:

• All respondents must reside in households with at least one other adult (for testing purposes, those age 18+).

• We will also strive for each respondent to meet the requirements for at least two of the targeted characteristics within each group.

Table 2. Respondent Characteristics for 2016 ACS Respondent Burden Testing

Topic	Characteristics	Target
Group 1: 20-24 interviews
Telephone/ Computer/ Internet	Smartphone with data plan for internet access	min of 5
	Smartphone only internet users (no other type of internet access)	min of 5
	Do not pay for internet	3-5
	No smartphone	min of 5
	Low access/knowledge of computer, internet usage/terminology	no set target
Year Built	Buildings 1939 or older (at least half renters)	1-2
	Buildings 1940 to 1979 (at least half renters)	3-5
	Buildings 1980 to 2009 (at least half renters)	3-5
	Buildings 2010 or later (at least half renters)	3-5
	English is not primary language spoken and respondent (R) speaks English pretty well or not too well (Interviewer administered mode only)	no set target
Group 2: 20-24 interviews
Year of Naturalization/ Year of Entry	Across all 12 interviews, R or other Household (HH) adult must come from following areas:
	o  Latin America	10-12
	o  Asia	7-9
	o  Europe	1-3
	o  Other (e.g., Africa, Canada)	1-3
	R was born a US citizen, other HH adult is naturalized	4-6
	R is naturalized citizen, other HH adult is also naturalized but did not come to US at same time	4-6
	Non-citizens	2-4
	Arrived in US before 1985 – R or other HH adult	6-8
	Arrived in US between 1985-1996 – R or other HH adult	5-7
	Arrived in US between 1997-2004 – R or other HH adult	5-7
	Arrived in US 2005 or later – R or other HH adult	4-6
Group 3: 20-24 interviews
Address for Place of Work/ Place of Residence One Year Ago	Recent (past 12 months) movers within U.S.	8-10
	Work at multiple locations, such as agricultural workers, contractors	4-6
	Work or live at rural address (now or in past year)	3-4
Weeks Worked/ Hours Worked	Work in regular jobs with regular schedules	10-12
	Irregular workers (partial year workers, different schedules each week)	6-8
	Workers with combination of paid and unpaid work	6-8

Interview locations

The interviews will be conducted in the following two locations.

• Rockville, MD (Westat offices)

• Frederick, MD (for rural interviews) (Westat offices)

We will conduct approximately 69 interviews in Rockville, and approximately three interviews in Frederick. The Frederick location will allow us better access to those who live or work in rural areas for Group 3 recruitment criteria.

Interview Dates

The interviews will take place between June 7 and June 24, 2016.

Screener

The screener appears in Attachment 1. It captures data on all characteristics of interest to each topic grouping, as shown in Table 2 above. It also asks basic demographic questions such as age, gender, Hispanic origin and race, and education level.

Interview Progress Spreadsheet

The Interview Progress Spreadsheet is provided as a separate attachment. This will be the primary tool by which we will track progress in fulfilling the recruiting criteria. Within this spreadsheet, the master selection grid worksheet records each respondent’s answers to every screener question. This worksheet also tracks respondents’ basic demographic data, along with their assigned Group (and reason for assignment to that group) and mode, date and time of interview, and assigned interviewer. During the screening period, we will update this worksheet daily and sometimes hourly.

The Interview Progress Spreadsheet will be used to communicate to the Census Bureau which eligible cases have been selected for scheduling, which have been scheduled, and which have been completed. Westat will provide a daily update of this document during the screening and interviewing period.

The worksheets titled “Group 1,” “Group 2,” and “Group 3” allow tracking of quota fulfillment by showing completed interviews by group, mode, and target characteristic. These worksheets will be updated at the end of each day of interviewing.

Risk Mitigation

The Westat management team will work closely with all recruiters to track daily progress towards meeting the complex recruiting requirements. Recruiters will use the programmed screener, which creates a daily data file of answers to the screener questions. Westat will in turn update the Interview Progress Spreadsheet and provide direction on whom to schedule. All screened respondents will be told that they will be contacted for an interview only if identified as eligible; eligible respondents will be notified within three days that they have been selected for an interview.

Recruiters will use the Westat database as a starting point for recruiting, and, as needed, will also make use of the OMB-approved flyer and Craigslist ad templates to target the specific characteristics needed (see Attachment 2). All respondents will be screened to ensure they have not participated in a research study or focus group in the past 12 months. Depending on the recruiting need and if appropriate, disparate characteristics may be combined into one ad.

Other possible strategies Westat will employ, should it become necessary, include:

• Snowballing, intercept and canvassing: These methods involve asking screened respondents or others in our personal and business networks to recommend potential respondents who may fit some of the recruiting criteria; going in person to malls, retail outlets, and other areas where potential respondents with the targeted characteristics may be found; and posting flyers in-person at some of these same locations.

• Informal social networking: We recognize that recruiting for many of the interviews will require a much more substantial effort, including networking through local organizations that serve specialized communities. Examples of such efforts we may employ include:

• Obtaining permission to post flyers at local retirement communities or apartment buildings that are known to offer free Wi-Fi.

• Intercept outreach at home improvement stores like Home Depot or other locations where day laborers or construction contractors are known to gather.

• Publicizing the study through local immigrant support organizations, like Ayuda (www.ayudainc.org), CASA de Maryland (www.casademaryland.org), CHAI (Counselors Helping South Asians/Indians) (www.chaicounselors.org), International Cultural Center (www.theicc.net).

In addition to the above strategies, we will also be in frequent (minimum weekly) communication with the Census Bureau on recruiting progress. Should we be unable to find certain types of respondents, we will implement additional contingency plans, approved by the Census Bureau, such as making slight changes to the recruiting criteria or to the interview methodology (e.g., presenting vignettes to cover situations for which we cannot interview actual respondents).

2016 ACS Respondent Burden Testing: Recruiting Screener

Crosswalk of Screening Items to Questions Tested in ACS Cognitive Interviews

GD = General Demographics

CI = Telephone/Computer/Internet

YB = Year Built

YN = Year Naturalized and Year of Entry

AY = Address One Year Ago

WW = Weeks Worked

2016 ACS Respondent Burden Testing

Recruiting Screener

Hello, this is [NAME] from Westat.

INCOMING: Thanks for calling us about participating in one of our studies. I just need to get a little bit of background information to start.

OUTGOING: I’m calling about a study we’re helping the U.S. Census Bureau with. Let me first tell you a little about it. The Census Bureau wants to be sure that questions on one of their surveys make sense to different people across the country. So we are trying to find people who are interested in helping us by giving their reactions to the questions. If you are interested and eligible, we will invite you to an in-person interview, which will take about 40 minutes. At the end of the in-person interview you will receive $40 cash to offset the cost of participation, such as transportation or childcare costs. To make sure you are eligible for the study, I need to ask you a few questions. This will only take about 5 minutes. Is this a good time? IF NO, ASK FOR A BETTER TIME TO CALL BACK.

1. Do you live in a college dormitory, a nursing home, or in any other kind of group housing?

YES

NO

REF

DK

IF YES, REF OR DK, INELIGIBLE. THANK AND END.

GD-2. How many people 15 OR older live in your household including yourself?

___________________

REF

DK

IF GD-2 = 1, REF OR DK, INELIGIBLE. THANK AND END.

GD-3. How old are you?

________

REF

DK

IF UNDER 18, REF OR DK, INELIGIBLE. THANK AND END

4. When was the last time you participated in a research focus group or interview?

LESS THAN 12 MONTHS AGO

12 MONTHS AGO OR MORE

REF

DK

IF LESS THAN 12 MONTHS AGO, REF OR DK, INELIGIBLE. THANK AND END.

IF INCOMING OR RETURNING MESSAGE FROM AN INCOMING CALL, ASK GD-5.

IF OUTGOING OR RETURNING A MESSAGE FROM AN OUTGOING DATABASE CALL, SKIP TO GD-6.

GD-5. How did you hear about the study?

CRAIGSLIST

FLYER

A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
____________________________________

SOME OTHER METHOD
___________________________________________

REF

DK

GD-5a. Do you live closer to the Frederick area or to the DC metropolitan area?

FREDERICK

DC

DK

REF

GD-6. RECORD GENDER.
IF NECESSARY, ASK: What is your gender?

FEMALE

MALE

OTHER

DK

REF

Now I’d like to ask you questions about a variety of different topics.

CI-7. Do you have a smartphone?

YES  CONTINUE

NO  GO TO CI-10

REF  GO TO CI-10

DK  GO TO CI-10

CI-8. Do you access the Internet on your smartphone?

YES  CONTINUE

NO  GO TO CI-10

REF  GO TO CI-10

DK  GO TO CI-10

CI-9. Is your smartphone the ONLY way you regularly use the Internet or do you also regularly access the Internet on a computer, laptop, tablet, or other device?

USE OTHER DEVICE FOR INTERNET ACCESS  CONTINUE

SMARTPHONE IS ONLY DEVICE FOR INTERNET ACCESS  GO TO YB-13

REF  CONTINUE

DK  CONTINUE

IF CI-8=YES, SHOW PARENTHETICAL “Aside from…” AND “other than…”.

CI-10. (Aside from your smartphone, do/Do) have another way to access the Internet at home?

YES  CONTINUE

NO  GO TO CI-12

REF  GO TO CI-12

DK  GO TO CI-12

CI-11. Do you pay for that Internet access, or do you have free Internet access at home?

PAY FOR INTERNET ACCESS  GO TO YB-13

FREE INTERNET ACCESS  CONTINUE

REF  GO TO YB-13

DK  GO TO YB-13

CI-12. Do any of the following reasons indicate why you have free Internet access at your home? (Mark all that apply)

Internet is included in your rent,

You live in a building that has free Wi-Fi,

You live in a city or community that has free Wi-Fi for residents, or

Is there some other reason? (SPECIFY ____________________)

REF

DK

YB-13. Do you own or rent your home?

OWN

RENT

REF

DK

YB-14. Thinking about the house, building, or structure where you live, in what decade was it first built? Your best guess is fine.

1930s or earlier  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

1940s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

1950s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

1960s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

1970s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

1980s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

1990s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

2000s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

2010s  GO TO INTRO BEFORE YB-16

REF  CONTINUE

DK  CONTINUE

YB-15. Do you happen to know if it was first built before 1940, between 1940 and 1979, between 1980 and 2009, or 2010 or later?

BEFORE 1940

BETWEEN 1940 AND 1979

BETWEEN 1980 AND 2009

2010 OR LATER

REF

DK

Now, onto another topic…

YB-16. What is the primary language that you speak?

ENGLISH  GO TO YN-17

SPANISH  CONTINUE

OTHER LANGUAGE  CONTINUE

REF  CONTINUE

DK  CONTINUE

YB-16a. How well do you speak English? Would you say…

Very well,

Somewhat well,

Not too well, or

Not at all well?

DK

RF

YN-17. Are you a U.S. citizen by birth?

YES  GO TO YN-20

NO  CONTINUE

REF  GO TO YN-20

DK  GO TO YN-20

YN-17a. In what country were you born?

___________________________________

REF

DK

YN-18. In what year did you come to live in the U.S.? If you traveled back and forth to the U.S., please think about the most recent year you came to live in the U.S.

___________________________________

REF

DK

YN-19. Are you now a naturalized citizen of the U.S.?

YES

NO

REF

DK

YN-20. Thinking about the other people in this household who are ages 15 or older, was anyone not born as a U.S. citizen?

YES  CONTINUE TO SKIP INSTRUCTION

NO  GO TO AY-25

REF  GO TO AY-25

DK  GO TO AY-25

IF YN-18 WAS ANSWERED, CONTINUE. ELSE GO TO YN-22.

YN-21. Did any of these household members come to live in the U.S. in a different year than you?

YES  CONTINUE

NO  GO TO AY-25

REF  GO TO AY-25

DK  GO TO AY-25

IF YN-21=YES, USE PARENTHETICAL

YN-22. Thinking only about ONE of those household members (who came to live in the U.S. in a different year than you,) in what year did that person come to live in the U.S.?

___________________________________

REF

DK

YN-23. In what country was that person born?

___________________________________

REF

DK

YN-24. Is that person now a naturalized citizen of the U.S.?

YES

NO

REF

DK

AY-25. How long have you lived at this address?

LESS THAN ONE YEAR  CONTINUE

ONE YEAR OR MORE  GO TO AY-27

REF  GO TO AY-27

DK  GO TO AY-27

AY-26. Just prior to this address, were you living somewhere else in the U.S., or outside of the U.S.?

IN US

OUTSIDE OF US

REF

DK

AY-27. At any time in the past 12 months, have you lived or worked in a rural area?

YES

NO

REF

DK

AY-28. Are you currently working for pay full-time or part-time, or are you not working for pay at this time?

FULL TIME  CONTINUE

PART TIME  CONTINUE

NOT WORKING FOR PAY  GO TO WW-31

REF  CONTINUE

DK  CONTINUE

AY-29. Do you regularly work at more than one location?

YES

NO

REF

DK

WW-30. What hours do you normally work? Would you say…

Regular business hours,

Evenings,

Nights, or

Some other type of schedule? ________________________________________________________

REF

DK

WW-31. Over the past 12 months, have you had any extended periods of unemployment?

YES

NO

REF

DK

WW-32. Over the past 12 months, have you worked at any UNPAID jobs, like an internship or a regular volunteer job?

YES

NO

REF

DK

Now I just have a few more questions about you.

GD-33. What is the highest grade or level of education you have completed?

LESS THAN HIGH SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA/GED

SOME COLLEGE (INCLUDES ASSOCIATE’S)

COLLEGE GRADUATE (BA, BS)

GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL DEGREE (MA, MS, MD, JD, PhD, etc.)

REF

DK

GD-34. Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?

YES

NO

REF

DK

GD-35. What is your race? You may say more than one. (IF NECESSARY, READ CATEGORIES ALOUD)

MARK ALL THAT APPLY.

White,

Black or African American,

American Indian/Alaska Native,

Asian, or

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander?

OTHER ______________________

REF

DK

END: RECORD RESPONDENT NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION ON HARD COPY CONTACT INFORMATION SHEET.

Contact Information

STORE THE INFORMATION ON THIS DOCUMENT AS HARD COPY ONLY!

KEEP THIS DOCUMENT IN A LOCKED, SECURE LOCATION!

Project: U.S. Census Bureau

Name ______________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________

City, State, ZIP________________________________________________________________

Phone Number _______________________________________________________________

Email Address________________________________________________________________

READ CLOSING TEXT BELOW TO THANK AND END THE CALL

Thank you for answers to these questions. If you’re eligible to participate in our study, Westat will be back in touch with you within about 3 days.

____________________________________________________________________________________

IF R IS SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW, ASK AUDIO RECORDING QUESTION BEFORE SCHEDULING THE DATE AND TIME.

We’d like to audio record the interview. This allows us to carefully review the discussion and draw the proper conclusions. Will that be alright with you?

Yes

No DO NOT SCHEDULE

Date: __________________________

Time: __________________________

2016 ACS Respondent burden TESTING:

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING FLYER TEMPLATE

Volunteers Needed for A

National HOUSEHOLD SURVEY

$40 FOR $40 MINUTES

Westat, a survey research company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, is looking for adults 18 or older who:

• INSERT HEADLINE

The interviews will be held at Westat’s [Rockville/Frederick] facility. Participants will be asked to complete a survey and give reactions to some of the questions. The interview will last about 40 minutes. Day and evening times are available.

Call (###) ###-#### and leave a message that you would like to participate in the national household survey interview. Provide your name, phone number, and a good time to reach you.

2016 ACS Respondent burden TESTING:

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING

CRAIGSLIST TEMPLATE

INSERT HEADLINE Receive $40 for a 40-minute interview

Westat, a survey company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland is looking for adults 18 years of age or older to give their reactions and opinions about some survey questions in a national household survey. The in-person interview will take about 40 minutes and will be held at INSERT LOCATION. Participants will receive $40 cash to offset the cost of participation.

In the interview, participants will be asked to give their reactions to some survey questions. All information you give us will be treated as confidential. No information about you will be shared with others, and you will not be put on a marketing/mailing list.

If you are interested in participating, please call ###-###-#### and indicate that you are interested in participating in the national household survey interview. Provide your name, phone number, and a good time to reach you.

Someone from Westat will contact you and ask some questions to determine if you are eligible. Please understand that we may not be able to interview everyone who contacts us.

2016 ACS respondent burden TEST:

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING headlines

by question topic

Telephone/Computer/Internet

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Have a smartphone with a data plan
Craigslist	Do you have a smartphone with a data plan?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	ONLY access the Internet through a smartphone data plan
Craigslist	Do you ONLY access the Internet through a smartphone data plan?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Have Internet included in your rent payment
Craigslist	Is Internet is included in your rent payment?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Live in a building or community that has free Wi-Fi
Craigslist	Do you live in a building or community that has free Wi-Fi?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Use a cell phone that is NOT a smartphone
Craigslist	Do you use a cell phone that’s NOT a smartphone?

Year Built

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Live in a house or building built before 1980
Craigslist	Do you live in a house or building built before 1980?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Live in a house or building built in 1980 or later
Craigslist	Do you live in a house or building built in 1980 or later?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Speak a native language other than English
Craigslist	Is your native language something other than English?

Year of Naturalization/Year of Entry

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Naturalized citizens of the United States, or live with someone who is a naturalized citizen
Craigslist	Are you or any adults in your household naturalized citizens of the United States?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Moved to the United States before 1996
Craigslist	Did you move to the United States before 1996?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Move to the United States after 1996
Craigslist	Did you move to the United States after 1996?

Address for Place of Work/Place of Residence One Year Ago

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Moved to a new address within the last 12 months
Craigslist	Have you moved to a new address within the last 12 months?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Moved to the United States within the last 12 months
Craigslist	Did you move to the United States within the last 12 months?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Work at more than one location?
Craigslist	Do you work at more than one location?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Worked or lived in a rural area in the past 12 months
Craigslist	Have you worked or lived in a rural area in the past 12 months?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Work at a job with a regular schedule
Craigslist	Do you work at a job with a regular schedule?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Work at a job with a schedule that changes regularly
Craigslist	Does your work schedule change regularly?

AD TYPE	HEADLINE
Flyer	Work at BOTH paid and unpaid jobs (such as an internship or a volunteer position)?
Craigslist	Do you work at BOTH paid and unpaid jobs (such as an internship or a volunteer position)?