Supporting Statement

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 420-0545)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Online Bulletin Boards with Millennials to Gather Information for Peace Corps Recruitment

PURPOSE:

• To explore perceptions of the Peace Corps and other volunteer organizations among the Millennial generation

• To understand what career options and opportunities college graduates entertain and how the Peace Corps fits into that competitive set

• To learn what messages and marketing strategies best resonate with Millennials and that the Peace Corps can leverage for future communications

• To gather reactions to specific recruitment concepts

• To provide input for the content and questionnaire wording of the next phase of research, the quantitative survey

This qualitative component is part of an ongoing research effort about Millennials and the Peace Corps. In addition to these online bulletin boards, qualitative research also includes a set of focus groups with Parents of Millennials, which we will be submitting under a separate OMB generic clearance form. Formative research preceded qualitative research and included stakeholder interviews, secondary research, social listening, and an omnibus survey (approved by OMB). A quantitative survey phase will follow the qualitative project, which will also be submitted under a separate OMB generic clearance form. The project goal is to understand what messages will most appeal to Millennials to interest them in joining the Peace Corps.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Millennials, aged 15-26, will participate in a set of three online bulletin boards. Each respondent must have a working computer at home with internet access. At least one-third must be active participants in volunteer or community service activities. Each of the three online bulletin boards will include a separate age group:

• 15-17 year olds currently enrolled in high school (for participants in this age group, Ipsos will secure parental permission)

• 18-22 year olds currently attending a four-year college or university

• 23-26 year olds who are graduates of a four-year college or university

A mix of genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic statuses will be included and participants will come from throughout the USA.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[] Focus Group [X] Other: Online Bulletin Boards

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:___ Denora Miller, FOIA/Privacy Act Officer

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ X] Yes [ ] No

In order to screen for the right types of participants, Ipsos will collect the following personally identifiable information from Millennials:

• Gender

• Age

• Race/ethnicity

• Household Income

• Employment status of parents

• Current educational level and name of school

First names will be used during the discussions. Posts and comments by participants will be identified by their first name, or by a photo or avatar that participants voluntarily submit. All identifying information will be removed in the final report. Some demographic data may be linked to direct quotes if relevant. None of the PII will be used to identify individuals for later contact or sales targeting.

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [X] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ X] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [X ] Yes [] No

Participants in the online bulletin boards will be given $150 for their participation over three days. We believe this is the minimum amount needed to ensure that participants log in at least six times for 20-30 minutes each time over a three-day period. Ipsos has provided up to $300 for similar participation among select consumers. By way of comparison, focus group consumers who attend a two-hour session on a single day routinely receive $80-$120.

There is an evolving body of literature that suggests that using incentives can actually reduce nonresponse bias in some situations by bringing in a more representative set of respondents. [1},[2],[3]. This may be particularly effective in reducing nonresponse due to topic saliency.[4]

[1] Castiglioni, L., & Pforr, K. (2007). The effect of incentives in reducing non-response bias in a

multi-actor survey. Presented at the 2^nd annual European Survey Research Association

Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, June, 2007.

[2] Singer, E. (2002). The Use of Incentives to Reduce Nonresponse in Household Surveys. (R. M.

Groves, D. A. Dillman, J. L. Eltinge, & R. J. A. Little, Eds.) Survey nonresponse, (051), 163

-178. University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Retrieved from

http://www.isr.umich.edu/src/smp/Electronic.

[3] Singer, E. (2006). Nonresponse bias in household surveys. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(5),

637-645.

[4] Groves, R., Couper, M., Presser, S., Singer, E., Tourangeau, R., Acosta, G., & Nelson, L.

(2006). Experiments in producing nonresponse bias. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(5), 720-736.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals	36	160 minutes	96 hours
Totals	36	160 minutes	96 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is ~ $38,500

An approximate Cost Breakdown is:

Project Management	$3,625
Incentives	$6,750
Moderation	$16,900
Recruitment	$5,175
QualSpace Platform and Setup	$1,950
Analysis and Reporting	$4,100
TOTAL	$38,500

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Databases maintained by research suppliers will be used to recruit for the online bulletin boards. A screener’s guide is being submitted for OMB clearance as part of this package. The databases are comprised of people who have agreed to participate in studies for research suppliers. Individuals or their parents who appear to meet the age criteria will be randomly selected and contacted by phone. Those who successfully meet all the criteria in the screener questionnaire will be invited to participate in the online bulletin boards. For children 15-17, permission will be requested of a parent for the child to participate.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ X ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ X] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X] Yes [ ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Please note, the participant screener’s guide and moderator’s guide are being submitted as part of this package as separate documents.

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