SNAP-Eligible Qualitative Research (Individuals/Households 18-75 years) Respondents + non-respondents

OMB CONTROL NO.: 0584-0523

EXPIRATION DATE: 09/30/2019

Attachment F-1 Focus Group Guide (English)

6 participants; Up to 2 hours each

Research objectives:

• Identify what and when SNAP-Eligible adults use digital channels (i.e. Google keywords, frequently visited websites, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube).

• Uncover relevant usage parameters or boundaries to social media consumption (e.g. access to internet, data plan limitations, prioritization of information they read and/or share).

• Explore where nutritional information fits into the consumption of online materials.

• Explore trusted sources and willingness to act on or share nutrition information.

• Explore how MyPlate consumer nutrition materials, in various formats, could be best seen, used, and potentially shared, given target audiences and their social media habits.

• Explore reactions to existing content (borrowed from SNAP Ed Connection) and new content (stimuli developed for the focus groups).

Note: Once finalized, the guide will be translated for the Spanish-speaking focus groups. Those groups will also present Spanish-language materials during those discussions.

Introductions (10 minutes)

1. Moderator introduction

   1. Independent moderator

2. Guidelines for discussion

   1. Here to learn from you (all opinions count, no right or wrong answers)

   2. No cell phones

   3. Bathrooms

3. Participant introductions

   1. Name

   2. Who lives at home

   3. Favorite thing to do in spare time

Context and social media usage (35 minutes)

[Objectives: identify digital channels in use; what, when, how they are used; any limitations to use.]

1. ACTIVITY, EASEL PAPER ON THE WALL. ON ONE END OF THE SCALE “USE DAILY”, MIDPOINT “WEEKLY,” ON THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE “DON’T USE AT ALL.” Everyone grab some voting dots. Along the wall we have different online and social media platforms. Place your dot on the scale - if you are using, how often you use this type of media.

   1. Google+

   2. Facebook

   3. Twitter

   4. Pinterest

   5. Instagram

   6. Snapchat

   7. YouTube

   8. AFTER ALL: Is there anything else you would add? Another favorite platform you use daily/weekly?

2. ACTIVITY, SKETCH TIMELINE: In front of you is a blank piece of paper. I want to learn a bit more about how you use social media during a typical weekday. Sketch out for me what a typical day looks like for you in terms of digital and social media. Use keywords, or draw pictures to show me how you’re using technology and what you’re doing with it. Consider….

   1. Waking up and starting the day

   2. In the daytime

   3. In the evening

   4. Right before bed

   5. Finally, title your timeline

   6. What does the timeline say about your typical day in the digital world? How much different is it on the “weekend”?

3. PROJECTIVE EXERCISE [BRIEF] – Now we are going to think about social media in a bit of a different way. We have talked about what you use and how often. This time, we are going to share what our personalities are like online.

   1. FIND AN IMAGE, YOUR ONLINE PERSONALITY: I have a pile of magazines. Flip through, and find an image to show me your online or social media personality. What is your voice in the digital and social media world? How is it the same/different from your personality offline? Use pictures to illustrate.

   2. [GIVE RESPONDENTS 5 MINUTES TO FIND PICTURES, THEN GO AROUND THE TABLE:]

      1. What did you select? Why that picture?

      2. What does this picture say about how you feel about social media?

4. Thanks for the good discussion. Let’s dig into social media a bit more…

   1. What are your go-to devices? What do you usually use to get online?

   2. Which platforms and websites are most important to you? Why those?

   3. Who are the people or organizations you follow or interact with? Who do you want to hear from or follow?

   4. What are the topics you’re reading/talking about?

Good work everybody. Thank you for sharing.

Nutrition and healthy eating information (30 minutes)

[Objectives: explore where nutritional information fits into digital and social media activity; explore trusted sources and willingness to act or share.]

1. So far, we have/have not talked about nutrition and healthy eating information. That is where I want to direct our attention next. In general, how much is nutrition and healthy eating on your mind?

   1. How much attention do you pay to what you eat? A lot or a little?

   2. How active are you in seeking out tips/advice, recipes or nutrition information? Why/why not?

   3. How much is nutrition and healthy eating something you want to do better? What makes you say that?

2. If you could change 1 thing in your life, when it comes to nutrition and healthy eating, what would you change? PROBE AS NEEDED

   1. Things you want to know?

   2. Things you want to have access to?

   3. Things you want to do or experience?

   4. Things you want to do less of?

3. What information about healthy eating would be most helpful to you? What’s need-to-know that could really make a difference in your meal prep, eating routine, or making the most of your budget for food?

4. EASEL: Let’s brainstorm together. Shout out questions you have or what you want to learn more about related to…

1. Grocery shopping tips to save time and money

2. Eating out tips to eat healthy or save money

3. Kitchen skills for preparing meals & snacks

4. Meal planning and budgeting

5. Tips to eat healthier as a family/on special occasions

6. Tips to save money and waste less food

1. Tips to save time (specific tasks, or in general?)

2. Serving kids? Holidays and special occasions? Other questions?

5. Where could we find answers to these types of questions?

   1. Where can you go online for this kind of information?

      1. PROBE IF NEEDED: Google, TV or magazine websites, food company websites

   2. Realistically, thinking about your online and social media habits, where are you likely to go if you want answers to these types of questions?

      1. PROBE: Site you have visited vs. never visited; a friend vs. other resource

   3. Who is putting out this type of information in social media? How do you know?

      1. PROBE: personal network, consumer brands, government, public service campaigns

   4. Which organizations in the community talk about these things? How do you know?

      1. PROBE: local grocery stores, local YMCA, food banks, schools, churches, others

   5. Who do you trust most of all on these topics? Who inspires or empowers you?

   6. Can you think of a recent example, where new information helped you make a change in nutrition or healthy eating? Tell us about that and what was most helpful to you.

6. Until now, we have been talking about you looking for certain types of information about healthy eating. Let’s change the question a bit. In what ways, if at all, does nutrition, healthy eating or eating healthy on a budget come up in your online/social media everyday lives?

   1. How often? What sparks it?

   2. What’s the tone of the conversation?

   3. What’s your reaction? Wanting more/wanting to get away?

   4. Who are the people in your life posting about nutrition and healthy eating – anyone?

   5. Which brands or organizations do you see talking about nutrition and healthy eating in social media – what do they have to say?

   6. Who or what would you want to hear from online/via social media when it comes to nutrition and healthy eating? What makes you say that?

   7. Do you ever see information online or through social media about where to get food when money is tight? Who’s talking about that? What information do you see about ways to stretch your food dollar?

   8. What, specifically, would make you want to share something with others on social media regarding nutrition and healthy eating?

7. Continuing the brainstorming, how could we use online and social media platforms to spread the word about nutrition and healthy eating? What could you see being useful on….

   1. Facebook

   2. Twitter

   3. Pinterest

   4. Instagram

   5. Snapchat

   6. YouTube

   7. An App

   8. Other digital or social media tools you’re using?

   9. [ONCE SOMEONE SELECTS A SPECIFIC PLATFORM:] What about that platform makes it better to use than another?

Thank you for all those ideas. Next we are going to look at some examples together and continue brainstorming. Keep in mind these are examples that were created for the focus groups, they are not finished materials, and the team needs your feedback to make them even better. [REVIEW UP TO 6 PIECES OF STIMULI PER GROUP. SEE FINAL PAGE OF THE GUIDE FOR ROTATION SCHEDULE.]

Test mock-ups of SNAP-Ed/MyPlate content (35 minutes)

[Objectives: explore how MyPlate consumer nutritional materials can best be seen, used and shared; explore reactions to existing content; determine how SNAP-Educators can best position informational and actionable content.]

HANDOUT FOR RATINGS AND INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK. [HANDOUT #1]

1. RATE EACH EXAMPLE, INDIVIDUALLY

   1. New and interesting information (1-5 scale)

   2. Likely to use the information (1-5 scale)

   3. Likely to share the information (1-5 scale)

2. DISCUSS EACH EXAMPLE, GROUP DISCUSSION

   1. What was your first impression? Positives/negatives

   2. What’s the big idea? What’s the point here?

   3. How relevant does it feel to you?

   4. How could you use the information, if you would?

   5. How likely are you to share it? In what way? With whom?

   6. How likely are you to save the information and come back to it later? How so?

   7. What happens next? How likely are you to act on this information? What do you need to act it or make a change?

   8. Was anything a big negative or a turn-off?

   9. Who would you expect to share this information? How would your impression change if it came from another source?

3. DEBRIEF ON THE SET OF MATERIALS, AFTER ALL

   1. Of everything we reviewed, pick 1 example that you would be most likely to use or do, and put a big STAR by it.

   2. What about that example was speaking to you? How do you imagine putting that information to use?

   3. Which examples are best for starting conversations? What is the conversation-starter?

   4. Could you see these materials working together? Which fit together? Which do not go together? How could they reinforce each other? Is there a way to piece them together into a roadmap for nutrition and healthy eating?

4. Now looking back at the first TIMELINE/IMAGE you shared, where could some of these materials appear in your digital and social media world?

   1. What’s a good fit with your websites and platforms?

   2. What is most like the content you’re getting now? What is new and different?

   3. What makes this a fit? Why do you think others don’t work as well?

      1. Which of these do you think are best shared via social media? What makes you say that?

      2. Thinking about the platforms that we have discussed today, please fill in the blank, “I would be most likely to read this information if I saw it on _________________.” Why that platform?

      3. Would your answer be the same if I asked on which one would you be most likely to share the information? What makes you say that?

5. As you know, this research is being conducted for “USDA” and the Food and Nutrition Service.

   1. We saw MyPlate.gov in the materials today. Did anybody recognize MyPlate? How do you know that resource? Positive/negative/neutral

   2. Your state has a program called _____ [MODERATOR, LEAD WITH NAME OF STATE/LOCAL PROGRAM], also known as “SNAP” the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps.

      1. How many of you are familiar with _____ or SNAP?

      2. How many of you have received any information from _____ or SNAP?

         1. What do you typically receive?

         2. How do you receive it?

         3. Where does it come up in the digital and social media world?

         4. How would you like to receive it? What would be most helpful?

   3. How do you feel about this information coming from SNAP?

      1. Does it make you any more/less interested in the information?

   4. Do the materials we looked at today seem like the kind of thing you’d see from _____ or SNAP?

      1. What makes you think “yes”?

      2. What makes you think “no”? Is that a good or a bad thing? What makes you say that?

   5. Of the different platforms we discussed, which platforms do you think _____ or SNAP should use to share this type of information? What makes you say that? [MODERATOR, COMPARE RESPONSES TO THOSE RECEIVED IN SECTION 4, ABOVE]

   6. What advice do you have for _____ or SNAP to get more conversation going around nutrition and healthy eating?

      1. How would you start word-of-mouth online?

      2. How do you want to participate or be part of the healthy eating conversation? What if it comes from SNAP?

Wrap-Up (10 minutes)

[Objectives: Check with viewers for additional questions. Press respondents for “most important” aspects from the discussion.]

1. As I check with my colleagues to see if they have any additional questions, please answer the questions on this HANDOUT #2:

   1. Leaving the room what is going to stick with you? What do you want to go out and tell someone else about?

   2. Let’s be realistic for a moment, if USDA or SNAP want to use social media to better share information on nutrition and healthy eating, what should they do to get you to notice it? What makes you say that?

   3. What would it take for you to try a new idea to help you to eat healthier?

2. ASK ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BACK ROOM

3. Thank you for your time and opinions!

FOR REFERENCE – STIMULI AND ROTATION SCHEDULE

Mock-ups as examples for testing, reflecting a mix of foods and tastes.
Always show videos as a pair (#1 and 6).

1. Homemade video (actionable communication- recipe)

2. Facebook post (informational and actionable communication)

3. Twitter post (informational and actionable communication)

4. Pinterest post (actionable communication – recipe )

5. Email Newsletter (informational and actionable communication)

6. Gov video (actionable communication – recipe)

Specifications:	English-language				Spanish-language
	Baltimore	Chicago	Phoenix	Farmington, NM		Outside Seattle	Chicago	Miami
SNAP-eligible, 18-29-year-old adults, non-married/do not have children	1,2,3,4,5,6	2,3,4,5,6,1	3,4,5,6,1,2	4,5,6,1,2,3		5,6,1,2,3,4	6,1,2,3,4,5	1,2,3,4,5,6
SNAP-eligible, 18-44-year-old adults, with children	1,2,3,4,5,6	2,3,4,5,6,1	3,4,5,6,1,2	4,5,6,1,2,3		5,6,1,2,3,4	6,1,2,3,4,5	1,2,3,4,5,6
SNAP-eligible, 45-75-year-old empty nesters or adults in that age range who do not have children	1,2,3,4,5,6	2,3,4,5,6,1	3,4,5,6,1,2	4,5,6,1,2,3		5,6,1,2,3,4	6,1,2,3,4,5	1,2,3,4,5,6

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