Low-Denomination Coin Study

US Mint Coinage Practices Survey

QUESTIONNAIRE

Hello, my name is ____ from Ipsos, an opinion research group. Today we are conducting a study on how you use money, specifically coins – pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters and would like your opinions. Please be assured that we are not selling anything and all your answers will be kept confidential. This call may be monitored or recorded for quality purposes.

SCREENING

[PROGRAMER NOTE: ASK L1-L5 FOR LANDLINE SAMPLE]

L1. Have I reached you on a landline phone or a cell phone?

1. Landline phone

2. Cell phone

RF. Refused

L2. In order to interview the right person, I need to speak with the member of your household who is age 18 or over and has had the most recent birthday. Would that be you?

1. Yes [GO TO L5]

2. No

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

L3. May I please speak to the person in your household who is 18 years of age or older and has had the most recent birthday?

1. New respondent available and called to telephone

2. New respondent not available

RF. Refused

L4. When would be a good time for me to call him or her back?

[PROGRAMER NOTE, L4: SCHEDULE CALLBACK AND TERMINATE]

L5. For personal calls, do you only use your home landline phone or do you also have a cell phone?

1. Landline only

2. Also have a cell phone

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

[PROGRAMER NOTE: ASK C1-C6 FOR CELL PHONE SAMPLE]

C1. Have I reached you on a landline phone or a cell phone?

1. Landline phone

2. Cell phone

RF. Refused

C2. Is it convenient for you to talk with me now or are you doing something else where talking with me would be too distracting?

1. Can talk now [GO TO C4]

2. Cannot talk now

RF. Refused

C3. When would be a good time for me to call you back?

[PROGRAMER NOTE: SCHEDULE CALLBACK AND TERMINATE]

C4. Are you at least 18 years of age or are you under 18?

1. 18 or over [GOT TO C5]

2. Under 18 [TERMINATE]

RF. Refused

C5. For personal calls do you only use your cell phone or do you also have a home landline phone?

1. Cell phone only

2. Also have a landline phone

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

C6. May I ask what your home zip code is?

Now, I’d like to speak to you about your purchase behavior. Please remember we are not trying to sell anything, we are only interested in your opinions.

Q1 – Q7: BEHAVIOR

Q1. Since yesterday morning, have you purchased an item or spent money where you used cash (in other words, dollar bills or coins)?

1. Yes

2. No

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

[PROGRAMER NOTE: IF NO, SKIP TO Q4 ELSE ASK Q2 – Q3A

Q2. What did you do with the coins you received as change from this transaction? [MULTIPLE RESPONSE]

1. Left coins behind

2. Put coins in purse/pocket, for later use

3. Put coins in purse/pocket, no intention of use

4. Other (Specify) [DO NOT READ]

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q3A. Did you receive any pennies as change?

1. Yes [GO TO Q3B]

2. No [GO TO Q4]

DK. Don’t Know [GO TO Q4]

RF. Refused [GO TO Q4]

Q3B. What did you do with the pennies you received as change from this transaction? [MULTIPLE RESPONSE]

1. Left coins behind

2. Put coins in purse/pocket, for later use

3. Put coins in purse/pocket, no intention of use

4. Other (Specify) [DO NOT READ]

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q4 – Q6: GENERAL PAYMENT PREFERENCES

Q4. Now think about when you do use cash (dollar bills and coins). When you pay with cash, do you expect to receive exact change?

1. Yes

2. No

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q5. When you use cash, what do you do with the coins received as change after transactions?

1. Spend it immediately

2. Save it in my purse/pocket

3. Save it in a container or piggy bank, to use when needed

4. Save it in a container or piggy bank, to cash in when you have a large quantity

5. Save it with no plans to use the change later

6. Give it to my children/someone else

7. Something else (Specify)

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q6. How often, to your best estimation, would you say you carry pennies with the intent to use them for some kind of payment?

1. Daily

2. Weekly

3. Monthly

4. Never, I don’t carry pennies

5. Never, I carry pennies but don’t use them

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q6a. What kinds of transactions do you frequently use coins to pay for?

1. Gas

2. Groceries

3. Cup of coffee

4. Candy/chewing gum/small treats

5. Drinks/going out

6. Vending machines

7. Other types of purchase (specify)

8. Laundry

9. Public transit

10. Parking

11. Highway tolls

12. Pay phones

13. Other (specify)

14. Other (specify)

15. I rarely use coins in transactions

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

Q7 – Q11: GENERAL AWARENESS

PROGRAMMER: Q11 & Q12 = AWARENESS BLOCK A. Q13-Q15=AWARENESS BLOCK B. RANDOMIZE ORDER OF AWARENESS BLOCK A AND AWARENESS BLOCK B.

WITHIN AWARENESS BLOCK A, RANDOMIZE ORDER OF Q11 AND Q12.

Q7. To the best of your knowledge, what does each penny cost the Federal government to make and circulate?

1. Less than once cent

2. More than one cent but less than two cents

3. More than two cents but less than five cents

4. More than five cents

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q8. To the best of your knowledge, what does each nickel cost the Federal government to make and circulate?

1. Less than five cents

2. More than five cents but less than seven cents

3. More than seven cents but less than ten cents

4. More than ten cents

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q9. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means not at all important and 10 means extremely important, how important would you say the [INSERT COIN] is to your monetary transactions (in other words, when you spend money)?

	1 Not at all Important	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10 Extremely Important
Penny
Nickel
Dime
Quarter

PROGRAMMER: WITHIN AWARENESS BLOCK B, RANDOMIZE ORDER OF Q10 AND Q11 (BOTH WILL ALWAYS COME AFTER Q9).

PROGRAMMER: RANDOMLY ASSIGN RESPONDENTS TO ACTOR GROUP: ACTOR 1 OR ACTOR 2.

PROGRAMMER: RANDOMLY ASSIGN RESPONDENTS TO PRODUCTION GROUP: PRODUCTION 1 OR PRODUCTION 2.

PROGRAMMER: RANDOMLY SHOW RESPONDENT

Q10. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means no impact at all and 10 means a very great impact, how much of an impact would there be on your financial transactions and spending behaviors if the [PROGRAMMER: IF ACTOR GROUP=ACTOR 1, INSERT U.S. Mint; IF ACTOR GROUP=ACTOR 2, INSERT U.S. government] reduced the number of pennies it produced? [PROGRAMMER: IF Q10 IS DISPLAYED FIRST, INSERT In such a case, pennies would still be legal tender, meaning you could spend them, but some businesses might stop providing pennies as change.]

	1 No impact at all	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10 A very great impact
Penny

Q11. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means not at all supportive and 10 means extremely supportive, how supportive would you be of the [PROGRAMMER: IF ACTOR GROUP=ACTOR 1, INSERT U.S. Mint; IF ACTOR GROUP=ACTOR 2, INSERT U.S. government] reduced production of the penny? [PROGRAMMER: IF Q10 IS DISPLAYED FIRST, INSERT In such a case, pennies would still be legal tender, meaning you could spend them, but some businesses might stop providing pennies as change.]

	1 Not at all Supportive	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10 Extremely Supportive
Penny

PROGRAMMER: IF Q11=8 OR Q11=9 OR Q11=10, ASK Q12.

IF Q11=1 OR Q11=2 OR Q11=3 OR Q11=4, ASK Q13.

ELSE, SKIP TO Q16 INTRO.

Q12. Why do you support an reducing production of the penny? [OPEN-ENDED. DO NOT READ RESPONSES. CODE ALL RESPONSES THAT APPLY]

1. No one uses pennies

2. It saves the government money

3. I never use pennies

4. Pennies are worth so little these days

5. Pennies are not accepted where I would use coins

6. Other [Specify]

7. Other [Specify]

DK. Don’t know

Ref. Refused

SKIP ALL RESPONDENTS TO Q12 TO Q16 INTRO.

ASK Q13 IF Q11=1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4.

Q13. Why do you oppose reducing production of the penny? [OPEN-ENDED. DO NOT READ RESPONSES. CODE ALL RESPONSES THAT APPLY]

1. Some people still use the penny

2. Pennies are useful for making purchases

3. I don’t want to lose money from rounding

4. People have saved pennies and they shouldn’t be worthless

5. It may cost a lot to change things

6. Any mention of Abraham Lincoln

7. Pennies remind me of the nation’s history/tradition

8. Other [Specify]

9. Other [Specify]

DK. Don’t know

Ref. Refused.

Q16 – Q21: ROUNDING AND POLICY CHANGE

Q16INTRO

Now let’s talk about rounding. In the context of coins, rounding is the practice of moving to the nearest 5 cent increment. For example, let’s say a cup of coffee currently costs you $1.96. Using a rounding system, that same cup of coffee would cost you $1.95. On the other hand, a sandwich that now costs $4.98 would cost $5.00 using rounding.

Q16. Assuming rounding was implemented in a fair and equitable manner, on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means not at all supportive and 10 means extremely supportive, how supportive would you be of implementing a system of rounding?

	1 Not at all Supportive	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10 Extremely Supportive

Q17. How supportive would you be if rounding were to be applied only to cash transactions, and credit or debit transactions would not be rounded.

	1 Not at all Supportive	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10 Extremely Supportive

Q18. Are you aware of Countries like Canada and Mexico implementing a rounding system?

1. Yes

2. No

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q19. Which of the following developments the penny would you be most likely to support?

1. Rounding

2. Gradually reducing production of the penny

3. Stop using the penny

4. No changes

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q20. Which of the following developments regarding the penny would you be least likely to support?

1. Rounding

2. Gradually reducing production of the penny

3. Stop using the penny

4. No change

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

ISSUE AWARENESS

Q21. Have you seen, heard, or read any news coverage in 2014 about potential changes to the U.S. coins?

1. Yes (specify)

2. No

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

Q22-Q31 DEMOS

Just to make sure we are talking to a wide variety of people, these next few questions are for classification purposes only.

Q22. Gender (BY OBSERVATION)

1. Male

2. Female

Q23. Are you employed outside of the home, are you a homemaker, or are you retired?

1. Employed outside the home

2. Homemaker

3. Retired

4. Not in the workforce

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q24. Are you married, widowed, separated, divorced or have you never been married?

1. Married

2. Widowed

3. Separated

4. Divorced

5. Never married

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q25. How many people currently live in your household? Please include yourself and any children.

Record actual number _____

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

Q26. How many people under the age of 18 currently reside in your household?

Record actual number _____

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

Q27. And what was the last grade you completed in school?

(DO NOT READ LIST. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE.)

1. Some grade school

2. Some high school

3. Graduated high school

4. Technical or vocational school

5. Some college

6. Graduated college

7. Graduate or Professional degree (such as a master’s degree, PhD, MD, or law degree, whether started or completed)

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

Q28. What is your zip code?

[NUMERIC ENTRY: 5 DIGITS]

DK. Don’t know

RF. Refused

Q29. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?

1. Yes

2. No

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q30. I am going to read a list of racial categories. Please choose one or more categories that best indicate your race. Are you?

[PROGRAMER NOTE: CAPTURE 1^ST, 2^ND, AND 3^RD MENTIONS]

(PROBE: Would any other race apply?)

1. White

2. Black or African American

3. American Indian or Alaskan Native

4. Asian

5. Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

6. Other (DO NOT READ)

DK. Don’t Know

RF. Refused

Q31. What was your total household income before taxes for 2012?

(READ LIST. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE.)

1. Under $25,000

2. $25,000 but less than $50,000

3. $50,000 but less than $75,000

4. $75,000 but less than $100,000

5. $100,000 or more

RF. Refused