Form Attachment B Attachment B Survey Instrument

Welcome! Thanks for your interest in this study.

This study is part of our research into how to improve surveys. Please do your best to respond to the questions accurately.

The study should take about 10 minutes. Please only start the study when you will be able to complete the whole study without interruption.

Please do not use your browser's back button. 

This voluntary study is being collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under OMB No. 1220-0141 (Expiration Date: March 31, 2021). Without this currently-approved number, we could not conduct this survey. We estimate that it will take on average 10 minutes to complete this survey. Your participation is voluntary, and you have the right to stop at any time. This survey is being administered by Qualtrics and resides on a server outside of the BLS Domain. The BLS cannot guarantee the protection of survey responses and advises against the inclusion of sensitive personal information in any response. By proceeding with this study, you give your consent to participate in this study.

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During this survey we’ll ask you a few questions about yourself and your household. All questions are voluntary.

Conditions 1 and 3 instructions:

• Because of the importance of this survey, we are asking you to think carefully about each question and answer honestly. Please select ‘don’t know’ if you are uncertain of a response instead of giving incorrect answers.

Conditions 2 and 4 instructions:

• Because of the importance of this survey, we are asking you to think carefully about each question and answer honestly. Please select ‘don’t know,’ or ‘prefer not to say’ instead of giving incorrect answers.

[ ] Please click to confirm that you commit to doing this.

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1. How many people, 15 years old or older, are living or staying with you, including yourself?

   • 1 (just yourself)

   • 2 people

   • 3 people

   • 4 people

   • 5 people

   • 6 or more people

2. <if 1 other person> You indicated that one other person is living or staying with you. Please enter the initials (first, middle, and last) of the other person who is living or staying with you.

<for 2 or more other people> You indicated that more than one other person is living or staying with you. Please enter the initials (first, middle, and last) of each of the people who are living or staying with you (do not include yourself).

If you have 6 more people living or staying with you, please select 5 of them.

<insert appropriate number of text boxes based on response to Q1>

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1. (skip if only 1 person living in the household) You indicated that [TEXT FILL] other [person/people] are living or staying with you. In the space(s) below, please indicate how you are related to [that/each] person. <instrument will randomly select 1 other HH member>

[TEXT FILL initials of each of the other HH members]

<Dropdown menu with the following selections>

Opposite-sex husband/wife/spouse

Opposite-sex unmarried partner

Same-sex husband/wife/spouse

Same-sex unmarried partner

Biological son or daughter

Adopted son or daughter

Stepson or stepdaughter

Brother or sister

Father or mother

Grandchild

Parent-in-law

Son-in-law or daughter-in-law

Other relative

Roommate or housemate

Foster child

Other nonrelative

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Next, we have some questions about you.

What is your age?

• _____

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

What is the highest level of education you’ve completed?

• Less than 1st grade

• 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade

• 5th or 6th grade

• 7th or 8th grade

• 9th grade

• 10th grade

• 11th grade

• 12th grade without diploma

• High school graduate with diploma or the equivalent (For example: GED)

• Some college but no degree

• Associate degree in college (Occupational/vocational program)

• Associate degree in college (Academic program)

• Bachelor's degree (For example: BA, AB, BS)

• Master's degree (For example: MA, MS, MEng, MEd, MSW, MBA)

• Professional School Degree (For example: MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, JD)

• Doctorate degree (For example: PhD, EdD)

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

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What is your sex?

• Male

• Female

What is your current marital status?

• Now married

• Widowed

• Divorced

• Separated

• Never married

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

Are you of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?

• No. Not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin

• Yes, Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano

• Yes, Puerto Rican

• Yes, Cuban

• Yes, another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (specify): _________

What is your race? Mark one or more boxes.

• White

• Black or African American

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

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Next, we have some questions about your employment status. (NOTE: Skip patterns will NOT be visible to participants).

Last week, other than any work you did on Amazon Mechanical Turk, did you do any work for pay?

• Yes (skip out of the labor force questions)

• No (skip to the layoff question)

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

Last week, were you on layoff from a job?

• Yes

• No (go to question on looking for work)

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

Last week, were you temporarily absent from a job or a business?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

(If yes) Have you been informed that you will be recalled to work within the next 6 months or been given a date to return to work?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

Group 1: Series of closed-ended questions (When self-responding, participants will be asked the first part of the stem in parenthesis (Have you…), when responding as a proxy, participants will be asked the second part (Has he or she…)

LK

(Have you/Has he or she) been doing anything to find work during the last 4 weeks?

Please exclude anything you have done on Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Yes

No

*Exit question series as soon as respondent says yes to an active activity

LKM01 (If LK = Yes) (PASSIVE)

(Have you/Has he or she) looked at job ads or worked on a resume?

Yes

No

LKM02 (If LK = Yes) (PASSIVE)

(Have you/Has he or she) picked up a job application or started filling out a job application?

Yes

No

LKM03 (If LK = Yes) (PASSIVE)

(Have you/Has he or she) attended any job training programs?

Yes

No

LKM04 (If LK = Yes) (ACTIVE)

(Have you/Has he or she) answered any job ads or submitted a resume to any employers or recruiters?

Yes

No

LKM05 (If LKM04 = No) (ACTIVE)

(Have you/Has he or she) contacted anyone about finding a job, including employers, job placement centers, schools, unions or professional registers, or friends or family?

Yes

No

LKM06 (If LKM05 = No) (OPEN END; If ask this, then do not ask general open-end probe)

Please describe what (you/he or she) did to look for work.

[Open ended text box, medium size]

Group 2: Self-selection of modified codes

LK

(Have you/Has he or she) been doing anything to find work during the last 4 weeks?

Please exclude anything you have done on Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Yes

No

LKM_Code (If LK = Yes)

Please select the code that best describes the things (you have/he or she has) done to look for work during the last 4 weeks. Select all that apply.

• Looked at job ads

• Worked on resume

• Picked up a job application or began filling out a job application

• Checked union/professional registers

• Attended a job training program

• Answered a job ad

• Submitted a resume or job application

• Contacted a private recruiter or job placement center

• Contacted an employer

• Contacted an Armed Forces Recruiting Office

• Contacted a school employment center

• Contacted friends or relatives

• Other – please specify

Groups 1 and 2: Open-ended version of question (half of participants to complete before the close-ended questions; half to complete after)

Please list all of the things (you have/he or she has) done to look for work during the last 4 weeks.

Please exclude anything you have done on Amazon Mechanical Turk.

_______________

[Repeat these items for the other randomly selected HH member to answer as proxy] with instructions stating: “Now, we have some questions about [insert initials of other household member selected].”

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Vignettes

Next, we will ask you to read about other people who are currently unemployed and looking for work. Based on the descriptions you read, please answer the following questions about the things they have been doing to look for work.

[insert vignettes in random order]

Active/passive vignette:

Alex lost his job two weeks ago. Since then, he has gone to the jobs center for help with his resume three times and submitted his resume to at least 12 places.

Passive vignette:

Pat just graduated from high school with her degree and is looking for a job. She has looked online at job ads and talked with a teacher about studying to get a real estate license.

[insert Group 1 or Group 2 question set about vignette characters as based on condition participants were assigned to. No open-ended question will be asked for the vignettes since we know how the job search strategy would be categorized per CPS]

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Next, we have some questions about your household. [Note these are to be asked at the household level only]

In the past 3 months, how much money has your household given to benefit charities or other organizations? ____

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

What has been your household’s usual monthly expense for alcohol, including beer and wine, to be served at home? _____

1. Don’t know

2. Prefer not to say

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Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you or anyone in your household have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

Do you or anyone in your household have difficulty dressing or bathing?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you or anyone in your household have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

(If one person household)

Which category represents your total combined income during the past 12 months?

This includes money from jobs, net income from business, farm or rent, pensions, dividends, interest, social security payments and any other money income received.

(if 2+ person household)

Which category represents the total combined income of all members of your family during the past 12 months?

This includes money from jobs, net income from business, farm or rent, pensions, dividends, interest, social security payments and any other money income received by members of your family who are 15 years of age or older.

• Less than $5,000

• 5,000 to 7,499

• 7,500 to 9,999

• 10,000 to 12,499

• 12,500 to 14,999

• 15,000 to 19,999

• 20,000 to 24,999

• 25,000 to 29,999

• 30,000 to 34,999

• 35,000 to 39,999

• 40,000 to 49,999

• 50,000 to 59,999

• 60,000 to 74,999

• 75,000 to 99,999

• 100,000 to 149,999

• 150,000 or more

• Don’t know

• Prefer not to say

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[For each question that was originally answered “DK” or “Prefer not to say” or skipped:]

Earlier, you either answered Don’t Know, Prefer not to say, or skipped the following question [insert question stem]

For what reason(s) did you select this response? Select all that apply.

• I was unsure of the answer

• My answer could vary depending on the situation

• The question was unclear

• The response categories were unclear

• I didn’t have the information needed to answer

• I thought the question invaded privacy or confidentiality

• I thought the question was too sensitive or personal

• I thought the question was not something the government should be asking

• I wasn’t comfortable providing that information in an online survey

• Other reason, specify: ______

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Burden questions

1. How burdensome was this survey to complete?

   • Not at all burdensome

   • Somewhat burdensome

   • Moderately burdensome

   • Very burdensome

   • Extremely burdensome

2. How enjoyable was this survey to complete?

   • Not at all enjoyable

   • Somewhat enjoyable

   • Moderately enjoyable

   • Very enjoyable

   • Extremely enjoyable

3. How sensitive was this survey to complete?

   • Not at all sensitive

   • Somewhat sensitive

   • Moderately sensitive

   • Very sensitive

   • Extremely sensitive

4. How difficult was this survey to complete?

   • Not at all difficult

   • Somewhat difficult

   • Moderately difficult

   • Very difficult

   • Extremely difficult

And if you have any other feedback for us about the survey, please leave it here:

__________

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Thank you for completing this study!

To receive payment for participating in this study, please copy the validation code shown below and paste it in the form on this page for this HIT and submit the task.

We will check that code you paste in matches our own database and then approve your payment.

Your code is: _____.

Appendix: Source of questions used in the instrument [this will not be shown to participants, but is a reference of where each question was taken from]

Age	This or a similar question appears on the CPS and ACS. To protect participants’ confidentiality, we do not ask for date of birth but rather directly for age. The CPS uses date of birth to determine age.
Education	CPS
Marital status	ACS
Family income	CPS
Charity donations	Consumer Expenditure Interview
Alcohol spending	Consumer Expenditure Interview
Disability – concentrating	CPS Disability Supplement
Disability – bathing	CPS Disability Supplement
Disability – errands	CPS Disability Supplement
Sex	ACS and CPS
Ethnicity	ACS
Race	CPS
Labor Force questions	CPS