Disclosure Testing

INTRO SCREEN
Thank you for participating in this survey! The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a
government agency that works to make financial products and services fair for consumers. This survey
will ask you questions about debt collection.
Your opinions are very important to us. The survey is voluntary and will take about 20 minutes to finish.
Privacy Act Statement
5 U.S.C. 552(a)(e)(3)
The information you provide through your responses to ICF will assist the study sponsor, the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), in evaluating potential debt collection disclosure forms.
The CFPB will not obtain or access personally identifiable information. The agency will only obtain and
access de-identified results and aggregated analyses of those results. This information will not be
disclosed as outlined in the Routine Uses for the SORN CFPB.022-Market and Consumer Research
Records SORN, 77 FR 67802
This collection of information is authorized by Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013 and 1022,
codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493 and 5512.
Participation in this study is voluntary; you are not required to participate. However, if you do not
include the requested information, you may not participate in the study.
For the assurances of confidentiality provided to respondents by KnowledgePanel, please see:
http://www.knpanel.com/participate/privacy2.html.
Paperwork Reduction Act
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person
is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.
The OMB control number for this collection is 3170-xxxx. It expires on xx/xx/xxxx. Comments regarding
this collection of information, including the estimated response time, suggestions for improving the
usefulness of the information, or suggestions for reducing the burden to respond to this collection
should be submitted to Bureau at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA Office),
1700 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20552, or by email to [email protected].
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Panel Relations at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

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INSTRUCTIONS
Use the buttons to get through the survey:
• Click on the NEXT button to save your responses and continue to the next page.
• Click on the PREVIOUS button to go back to a previous page. You may change your answers if
you need to. Do not use your browser’s Back button. This may cause you to exit the
questionnaire.
01 Continue
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//ASK ALL//

SCEN1. Please read the scenario below about someone named Person A.
Person A bought a couch from Main Street Store 10 years ago using a Main Street Store credit
card. The credit card company contacted Person A several times about the bill over the years,
but Person A has not paid it off.
Person A receives a notice about the debt from North South Group, a debt collector. It says that
he or she still owes some of the balance from the card. Person A knows that he or she does still
owe some money, and thinks the amount on the notice looks about right. It would not be easy,
but Person A probably could find a way to come up with money to pay the debt.
Click “Next” to read the notice that Person A received in the mail. You will then be asked a series
of questions that relate to the information in the notice.
01

Continue

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//ASK ALL//
NOTICE. PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY NOTICE
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//ASK ALL//
//START DISPLAY OF THUMBNAIL OF THE NOTICE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN//

NOTE1. At any time during this survey, you can look at the notice again by clicking the image on the
right of the screen.
01 Continue
2

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//ASK ALL//

Pre_Q25a.
//IF VALIDATION NOTICE=W, O1, CC, OR R1 DISPLAY: Please look at this text that
appears on the notice. You may or may not have already noticed this text when reading the notice.
The following questions relate to this text, so please make sure you read the text carefully before
continuing.

//SHOW BOX WITH RELEVANT 1-2 SENTENCES//
BOX IF VALIDATION NOTICE=O1

“Because of the age of this debt, we cannot sue you for it. In most cases, the
debt cannot appear on your credit report."
BOX IF VALIDATION NOTICE= W

"Because of the age of this debt, we will not sue you for it."
BOX IF VALIDATION NOTICE=R1 OR CC

“Because of the age of this debt, we cannot sue you for it unless you make a
payment or acknowledge it in writing.”
01

Continue

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//ASK ALL//

PreQ1. The following questions ask how likely you would be to take several different actions in response
to the notice. Please answer the questions using a 5-point scale where 1 means “very unlikely” and 5
means “very likely.”
01

Continue

3

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//ASK ALL//
//DISPLAY NEWQ01- NEWQ03 ON SAME PAGE//
//RANDOMIZE ORDER OF NEWQ01 AND NEWQ02//

NEWQ01. If you were in Person A’s situation, how likely would you be to ignore this notice and not
respond to it?
01 1 Very unlikely
02 2
03 3
04 4
05 5 Very likely
88 MISSING ///HIDDEN///
NEWQ02. If you were in Person A’s situation, how likely would you be to make a full or partial
payment on this debt?
01
02
03
04
05
89

1 Very unlikely
2
3
4
5 Very likely
MISSING ///HIDDEN///

//OPEN END: 1,000 CHARACTERS MAX//

NEWQ03. When you answered the two questions above, what were you thinking about? Please list
everything you were thinking about in the space below.
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//ASK ALL//

Pre_Q06. Imagine that six months have passed after Person A received the notice. Person A has not
done anything in response to the notice. Now Person A is applying for a car loan and the dealer is
checking Person A’s credit report.
01 CONTINUE
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Q06. Using a 5-point scale where 1 means “very unlikely” and 5 means “very likely,” how likely do
you think it is that this debt will appear on Person A’s credit report?

4

01
02
03
04
05
88

1 Very unlikely
2
3
4
5 Very likely
MISSING ///HIDDEN///

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5

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//RANDOMIZE QUESTION PAIRS Q10 & Q11, Q12 & Q13, Q14 & Q15, Q16 & Q17//

Pre_Q10.
In each of the following situations, how likely would the debt collector would be to
sue Person A to collect the debt? Please treat each of these situations separately.

1 – Very
unlikely

2

3

//ASK ALL//
Q10a. Person A makes a
payment of $100 toward the
debt referenced in the notice.
//ASK ALL//
Q12a. Person A sends a letter
to the debt collector saying, “I
know I owe the debt, but I
have some questions about it
before I pay.”
//ASK ALL//
Q14a. Person A calls the debt
collector and said, “I know I
owe the debt, but I have
some questions about it
before I pay.”
//ASK ALL//
Q16a. Person A ignores the
notice and takes no action.
//ASK IF NOT VERSION CC//
Q21. Person A thinks that
there is a mistake in the
notice. He or she mails in the
tear-off portion on the
bottom of the notice,
checking the box that says “I
want to dispute this debt.”

6

4

5 – Very likely

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Pre_Q11. Do you think the debt collector is legally allowed to sue Person A in each of the following
situations? Please treat each of these situations separately.

1 – Yes

2--No

//ASK ALL//
Q11a. Person A makes a
payment of $100 toward the
debt referenced in the notice.
//ASK ALL//
Q13a. Person A sends a letter
to the debt collector saying, “I
know I owe the debt, but I
have some questions about it
before I pay.”
//ASK ALL//Q15a. Person A
calls the debt collector and
said, “I know I owe the debt,
but I have some questions
about it before I pay.”
//ASK ALL//
Q17a. Person A ignores the
notice and takes no action.
//ASK IF NOT VERSION CC//
Q22. Person A thinks that
there is a mistake in the
notice. He or she mails in the
tear-off portion on the
bottom of the notice,
checking the box that says “I
want to dispute this debt.”
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7

3—It depends

97—Not
sure/Don’t
know

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CEASE1. Based on this notice, does Person A have a legal right to dispute this debt if he or she thinks
that there is an error?
01
02
03
97
88

Yes
No
It depends
Not sure/don’t know
MISSING ///HIDDEN///

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Pre_Q08. Now imagine that Person A ignored the notice and took no action. Sometime in the future, the
debt from the notice is turned over to a different debt collector who becomes responsible for collecting
the debt.
01

CONTINUE

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//ASK ALL//

Q08. How likely do you think it is that the new debt collector will sue Person A to collect the
amount owed on this debt?
01
02
03
04
05
88

1 Very unlikely
2
3
4
5 Very likely
MISSING ///HIDDEN///

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//ASK ALL//

Q09. Do you think the new debt collector is legally allowed to sue Person A if Person A does not pay
the amount owed?
01 Yes
02 No
03 It depends
97 Not sure/don’t know
88 MISSING ///HIDDEN///
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//END DISPLAY OF THUMBNAIL OF THE NOTICE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN//

Pre_Q33.
01

Now we have a few questions about your opinions and experiences.

CONTINUE

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//ASK ALL//
//DISPLAY AS GRID – RANDOMIZE Q3301 THROUGH Q3309//

Q33. Please indicate your degree of agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements
about debt and debt collection, using a 5-point scale where 1 means “definitely disagree” and 5
means “definitely agree”.

1 – definitely
disagree

2

3

Q3301. People should pay
their debts even if money is
tight.
Q3302. If someone borrows
money and then loses income
(like because of an illness or
losing a job), the person
should not have to repay the
amount he or she borrowed.
Q3303. Debt collectors
generally have accurate
information about the debts
that they are collecting.
Q3304. If a debt collector
asks someone to pay a certain
amount, it is because the
debt collector has some
information that shows that
the person owes that
amount.

9

4

5 – definitely
agree

Q3305. If a debt collector
sues a consumer, it is because
the debt collector has some
evidence that proves that the
consumer owes the debt.
Q3306. Debt collectors will
often sue consumers if they
do not pay their debts.
Q3307. If a debt collector
sues a consumer, the
consumer is not likely to win
in court.
Q3308. Debt collectors are
generally trustworthy.
Q3309. Debt collectors
generally don’t care whether
the people they are trying to
collect debts from actually
owe the debt.
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//ASK ALL//

Q34. How frequently do you check your credit report?
01
02
03
04
05
88

4 or more times per year
2-3 times per year
Once per year
Less than once per year
I have never checked my credit report
MISSING ///HIDDEN///

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//ASK ALL//

Q35. Have you ever been contacted by a debt collector attempting to collect a debt from you? Do
include instances when you were contacted about debts that you believed you did not owe. Do not
include instances when a creditor or debt collector contacted you by mistake because they had the
wrong phone number or address.

10

01
02
03
04
88

Yes, I have been contacted about five or more debts
Yes, I have been contacted about two to four debts
Yes, I have been contacted about one debt
No
MISSING ///HIDDEN///

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//ASK ALL//

Q36. Have you ever been sued by a debt collector or creditor attempting to collect a debt from you?
01
02
03
04
88

Yes, five or more times
Yes, two to four times
Yes, one time
No
MISSING ///HIDDEN///

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//ASK ALL//
// RANDOMIZE Q3701 THROUGH Q3703//

Q37. How well does each of the following statements describe you or your situation?
01

CONTINUE

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//ASK ALL//

Q3701. Because of my money situation, I feel like I will never have the things I want in life.
01
02
03
04
05
06

1 Describes me completely
2
3
4
5 Does not describe me at all
Don’t Know

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Q3702. I am just getting by financially.
01
02
03
04
05
06

1 Describes me completely
2
3
4
5 Does not describe me at all
Don’t Know

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//ASK ALL//

Q3703. I am concerned that the money I have or will save won’t last.
01
02
03
04
05
06

1 Describes me completely
2
3
4
5 Does not describe me at all
Don’t Know

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//ASK ALL//
// RANDOMIZE Q3801 THROUGH Q3802//

Q38. How often does each of the following statements apply to you? RANDOMIZE SUB-QUESTIONS
01

CONTINUE

//ASK ALL//

Q3801. I have money left over at the end of the month.
01
02
03
04
05
06

1 Always
2
3
4
5 Never
Don’t Know

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//ASK ALL//

Q3802. My finances control my life.
01
02
03
04
05
06

1 Always
2
3
4
5 Never
Don’t Know

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//ASK ALL//

SUBMIT.
Thank you for completing this survey! If you are ready to submit your responses, please
click the SUBMIT button below. Once you submit your responses you will not be able to return to the
survey or change any answers.

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THIS PAGE ONLY//
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//ASK IF SUBMIT//

Thank.
Thank you for your participation. Your answers have been submitted. The information
you have provided will help the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) better understand how
you and others perceive the current debt collection process.
You may now close your browser.

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Validation notices for different treatments
1

•

Validation notice without TBD disclosure (X)

Split 10 yr/3 yr

2

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure (“cannot”) (C)

Split 10 yr/3 yr

3

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure (“will not”) (W)

Split 10 yr/3 yr

4

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure (“cannot”) and obsolescence disclosure v1 (O1)

All 10 yr

5

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure and obsolescence disclosure v2 (O2)

All 10 yr

6

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure and non-obsolescence disclosure v1 (N1)

All 3 yr

7

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure and revival disclosure v1 (R1)

Split 10 yr/3 yr

8

o Revival v1 with obsolescence v1 (R1O1)

All 10 yr

9

o Revival v1 with obsolescence v2 (R1O2)

All 10 yr

10

o Revival v1 with non-obsolescence v1 (R1NO1)

All 3 yr

11

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure and revival disclosure v2 (R2)

Split 10 yr/3 yr (?)

12

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure and revival disclosure v3 (R3)

Split 10 yr/3 yr (?)

13

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure and revival disclosure v4 (R4)

Split 10 yr/3 yr (?)

14

•

Validation notice with TBD disclosure and revival disclosure v5 (R5)

Split 10 yr/3 yr (?)

15