Focus Groups for Assessment of Creative Concepts Supporting a National Awareness Campaign to Reduce Drug-Impaired Driving

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 2105-0573)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Focus Groups for Assessment of

Creative Concepts Supporting a National Awareness Campaign to

Reduce Drug-Impaired Driving

PURPOSE:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was authorized by the Highway Safety Act of 1966 to carry out a Congressional mandate to reduce the mounting number of deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on our Nation’s highways. In response to GAO recommendations contained in Section 4009 (Increasing Public Awareness of the Dangers of Drug-Impaired Driving), GAO-15-293 of the FAST ACT, Public Law 114-94, NHTSA was directed to “…increase public awareness of the dangers of drug-impaired driving.” NHTSA is developing a drug-impaired communications campaign to support state efforts to raise drivers’ awareness of the risks and dangers of driving while under the influence of marijuana and/or alcohol. This campaign is planned to be implemented in Summer 2018.

Drivers impaired by marijuana have become a mounting problem on the nation’s highways. NHTSA’s 2013/14 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers (www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/812118-Roadside_Survey_2014.pdf) found that 12.6 percent of weekend nighttime drivers had evidence of marijuana use; this was an increase from 8.6 percent in a similar study in 2007. This represents a large 48 percent increase in the prevalence of drivers testing positive for THC in just seven years. In its report to Congress (Compton, R. (2017, July). Marijuana-Impaired Driving- A Report to Congress. (DOT HS 812 440). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.), NHTSA noted, “There is evidence that marijuana use impairs psychomotor skills, divided attention, lane tracking and cognitive functions (Ramaekers, 2000; Robbe & O’Hanlon, 1993; Moskowitz, 1995; Hartman & Huestis, 2013).” Adding concern to increased use of marijuana is that 30 states and the District of Columbia have some form of legalized marijuana use. These and other facts give significant credence to the importance of discouraging drivers from operating vehicles while under the influence of marijuana.

Additionally, drivers impaired by alcohol continues to be a significant concern to law enforcement, NHTSA and the driving public at large. According to statistics published by NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2017, October). Alcohol-impaired driving: 2016 data. (Traffic Safety Facts. DOT HS 812 450). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration):

• In 2016 (most recent data available), there were 10,497 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.

• These alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 28 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the U.S. in 2016.

• The estimated economic cost of all alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in the U.S. in 2010 (the most recent year for which cost data are available) was $44 billion.

An integral part of NHTSA’s plan is development of a public communications campaign to increase and sustain awareness of the risks and dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol and/or marijuana. For assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of creative concept alternatives, NHTSA seeks to use a qualitative research methodology in the form of focus groups. For past NHTSA campaigns, market research findings in the form of focus groups have been important in gathering feedback because they allow a more in-depth understanding of drivers’ attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and feelings than do quantitative studies. Focus groups serve the narrowly defined need for direct and informal opinion on a specific topic.

NHTSA proposes conducting six focus groups among drivers who are ages 18-34 and who are recreational users of marijuana and/or alcohol. For the focus groups, two groups will be conducted in each of three cities: Alexandria or Arlington, VA; Chicago, IL; and Tulsa, OK. While marijuana and/or alcohol use is prevalent in nearly every community across the nation, these three cities provide sufficiently large populations to accommodate the recruiting specifications, as well as locally-based, research industry-accredited resources for efficient recruiting and facilitation of focus groups.

Focus groups will play an important role in gathering this information because they allow for more in-depth understanding of people’s attitudes, beliefs, and motivations than do other kinds of studies. If such information is not collected, it will be more difficult and less cost-effective for NHTSA to develop and distribute potentially life-saving messages to its target audience. 

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Focus group respondents will correspond to the campaign’s target audience: male and female drivers ages 18 to 34 who are recreational users of marijuana and/or alcohol. Six groups will be conducted, each composed of seven to nine pre-screened individuals matching that profile. Each group is projected to last 90 minutes in duration. (This total time is a combination of an “arrive early” window of 15 minutes plus 75-minute focus group session (but is exclusive of the 5-minute screening/recruiting time that’s noted in the BURDEN HOURS section on the fourth page)). Although no more than nine participants will be seated for each group, more than nine per group will be recruited. Given the target market profile for this effort, fifteen people will be recruited for each group in anticipation of at least nine showing. Even with advance confirmations from qualified recruits, the sensitive nature of the subject matter for this research necessitates the higher number of recruits. Should more than nine arrive on time, only nine will be seated in the group, and the others will be released (as well as paid their promised incentives). For the six groups, three cities will be used, with two groups per city. Each proposed city is relatively major in size and has marketing research industry-accredited focus group facilities available:

• Alexandria or Arlington, VA (community contingent on the more favorable bid/cost for recruiting and facilitation)

• Chicago, IL

• Tulsa, OK

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

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

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

[X] Focus Group [ ] Other: ____________________

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: ___Susan McMeen __________________________________________

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

Personally Identifiable Information:

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

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

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes ] No

Gifts or Payments:

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

Each respondent will be provided with $75 following her/his participation in a focus group session. This amount is in line with the industry standard, relative to focus group participation by people in the target market. These industry-standard stipends help to ensure that respondents can be recruited efficiently and ensure their arrival and participation in the groups. These standards exist to provide fair compensation for costs incurred by participants while attending groups, based on the location of and expenses in each market. As noted earlier, pre-screened and invited respondents who arrive on time but are released prior to the group will also be awarded their stipends (also in keeping with marketing research industry standards).

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	Number of Respondents per Category	Participation Time	Total Burden Hours (Number of Respondents x Participation Time)
Unqualified/Refusal Respondents: Individuals who will be contacted, but screened out or refuse participation	1,200	5 minutes	100
Qualified & Confirmed-Acceptance Respondents Who Participate: Individuals who will meet screening criteria, accept participation, and participate in full group sessions	54	95 minutes 5 minutes screening + 15 minutes pre-group arrival + 75 minutes group discussion	85.5
Qualified & Accepted “No-Shows” or “Released-Shows”: Individuals who meet screening criteria and are accepted, but either do not show up for the group; or show up and are released prior to start of group	36	20 minutes for “Released-Shows”; (-0- minutes for “No-Shows”) 5 minutes screening + 15 minutes pre-group arrival (for burden hours calculation, assumption is all individuals are “Released-Shows”)	12
Totals	1,290		197.5 hours

TOTAL BURDEN HOURS: 197.5 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $67,000.

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?

Each focus group facility in each city does the recruiting on behalf of NHTSA and NHTSA’s contractor, The Tombras Group, as described in the screener.  The facility’s recruiting staff works primarily from a pool within its proprietary database of people in that marketplace who have previously submitted demographic, lifestyle and product preference information.  Upon receipt of a screener such as the one for this project, the recruitment manager at the focus group facility will filter the database to search for potential respondents in the designated age group (and any other relevant specs if the firm happens to have one or more of those other criteria established in the database).  Then the recruiters will use telephone calls to those potential respondents to administer the full screener.

 

In any given household, only one person will be screened and confirmed.

 

After going through the database, if the recruiters can't fill the specified total numbers and/or quotas, the secondary step is procuring sample from any of numerous national sample providers of names, addresses and phone numbers.  The recruiters will then make phone calls to this list until the recruiting is completed.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[X] Telephone

[X] 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.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

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. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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