Summary of Proposed Changes to the Content of the SET Follow-Up Survey Questionnaire

SET Eval (OMB 1205-0505) Follow-Up Survey enc2 Summary Table of Proposed Instrument Revisions.docx

Self-Employment Training (SET) Demonstration Evaluation

Summary of Proposed Changes to the Content of the SET Follow-Up Survey Questionnaire

OMB: 1205-0505

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Summary of Proposed Changes to the Content of the SET Follow-Up Survey Questionnaire

Topics of Follow-Up Survey

by Content Area

Included in Original Version?

Included in Proposed Revised Version?

Screening



Date of birth

Last four digits of Social Security number

Current Employment Status



Self-employment status

Wage and salary (W/S) employment status

Primary work activity (if both self-employed and employed in W/S job)

Reason for not working (if not employed)

Receipt of Self-Employment Assistance Services



For specific types of services:



Whether received any at all

Streamlineda

Quantity received

Streamlinedb

Organizations providing services


Out-of-pocket expenses

Simplifiedc

Satisfaction level


Unmet needs


For all types of services:



Organizations providing services

d

Reason for not participating in any services (if applicable)

Business development topics addressed

Simplifiede

Overall satisfaction

f

Business Development Activities



Started/updated and completed a business plan

Simplifiedg

Started/updated a marketing plan


Applied for/received a business loan

Simplifiedh

Applied for/received a start-up grant

Sources of grants including seed capital


New

Received assistance in achieving milestone


Self-Employment Experiences



Ever tried to start a business

Ever self-employed

Number of business ventures started

Self-employment earnings over previous 12 months

Rewordedi

For current/most business venture:



Industry

Whether business is registered and/or incorporated

Simplifiedj

Start and end dates


Reason(s) for ceasing operations and subsequent activities (if applicable)


Adoption of select business development strategies/tools


Typical hours/weeks worked

k

Monthly sales and expenses


Whether received monetary compensation from the specific business


Amount, nature, and frequency of compensation received


Number of employees

Ownership structure


Sources and amounts of financial capital invested in the business


Challenges faced in attempting to become self-employed

l

Experiences in Wage and Salary Employment



Ever had a job

Number of jobs currently held


Earnings over previous 12 months


For current/most job:



Industry and occupation


Start and end dates


Reason(s) for leaving job (if applicable)


Subsequent labor-market activity (if applicable)


Typical hours worked

m

Rate of pay


Job Satisfaction, Fringe Benefits, Health Insurance, and Program Participation



Level of satisfaction with current employment situation

Current availability of employment-related fringe benefits


Health insurance:



Current availability and source


Gaps in coverage since random assignment


Unemployment insurance benefits:



Number of weeks collected since random assignment

Simplifiedn

Weekly benefit amount


Current receipt and reason no longer collecting (if applicable)


Access and use of work search waivers


Newo

Receipt of traditional workforce services and training for job seekers like those offered through the Workforce Investment Act, Wagner-Peyser, and Trade Adjustment Assistance programs

Simplifiedp

Household Composition, Marital Status, Income, and Economic Hardships



Household composition and marital status


Household income over last 12 months:



Total income and number of earners


Receipt of transfer income through government programs (e.g., welfare and food stamps)


Economic hardships (e.g. missing credit/utility payments, default, bankruptcy, putting off medical care)


Contact Information

Simplifiedq

aOut of the original service questions (access to a self-employment advisor, in-person classes, online classes, individualized business development support, in-person peer groups, online peer groups, mentoring, and “other, specify”) two were dropped: (1) a question about online peer groups was dropped because this is not a tangible support targeted by the intervention, and its intensity is not expected to be reliably measured; and (2) a question about mentors was dropped because web-only administration is not expected to cleanly differentiate between mentors and self-employment advisors or providers of individualized business development support. The remaining questions were grouped together into a grid to allow respondents to more easily complete them.

bThe original questionnaire asked separately about the quantity received of each self-employment service (e.g., number of sessions and time per session). The revised questionnaire asks only for the quantity of what are expected to be the two most important types of services: (1) in-person classes and (2) meetings with a self-employment advisor and/or individualized business development support sessions.

cThe revised questionnaire includes a set of check boxes for the respondent to indicate if s/he paid to access each type of self-employment service received. The original questionnaire included questions about specific dollar amounts paid.

dThe revised questionnaire will pre-fill local organizations that might have provided services based on the respondent’s location, as well as provide an opportunity to write in any additional organizations. The original questionnaire only included a write-in option.

eThe revised questionnaire includes a shorter list of business development topics, covering only what are expected to be the most important topics covered by self-employment training.

fThe original questionnaire included (1) a question about overall satisfaction with services received and (2) a satisfaction question pertaining to self-employment advisors. The revised questionnaire only includes the former.

gThe revised questionnaire only asks whether respondents had completed a business plan. The original questionnaire also included broader questions about starting and updating a business plan.

hThe revised questionnaire excludes an item asking respondents if they had applied for loans; it retains the item asking respondents if they actually received any money from a loan.

iThe revised questionnaire rewords the question on self-employment income to focus respondents on total personal income from self-employment.

jThe revised questionnaire combines three options for registering with the state, county, and city/town into a single option that covers all three levels of government.

kThe updated question asks for hours/weeks worked across all self-employment ventures over the past 12 months, instead of covering one venture only. This revision aligns this measure of work intensity with the period covered by the main self-employment earnings question.

lThe instrument’s question on self-employment challenges was changed from “mark all that apply” to “mark top three.” Two response options related to finding a location to operate the business and one about personal finances were added; a few response options expected to be less common were removed.

mThe updated question asks for hours/weeks worked across all wage and salary jobs over the past 12 months, instead of covering the period since random assignment. The revision aligns this measure of work intensity with the similar measure constructed for self-employment, as well as the time periods covered by the main earnings questions.

nThe main question about receipt of unemployment benefits was simplified to assess whether the respondent received any unemployment benefits during the last 12 months, rather than asking for the number of weeks of benefits received since random assignment.

oTwo follow-up questions were added to learn about receipt of work search waivers, which will not be readily available from administrative data sources.

pThe “other, specify” category was removed from the series of yes/no questions covering traditional workforce services to reduce burden and focus respondents on what are expected to be the most important services.

qA few questions were removed from the contact information series to reduce respondent burden, including details about social network accounts and questions about unlimited minutes on cell phones. In addition, respondents will only be asked to provide addresses and phone numbers information for two, rather than three, close friends/relatives as alternative avenues of contact.



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