NHTSA Form 1537 CIOT Discussion Guide

OMB Control No. 2127-0682

Expiration Date 08/31/2021

FOCUS GROUPS FOR ASSESSMENT OF CREATIVE CONCEPTS SUPPORTING A NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE SEAT BELT USE AMONG PICKUP TRUCK DRIVERS

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

DRAFT – Dec. 31, 2019

Research Goal

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for keeping people safe on America’s roadways and its mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity.

NHTSA is conducting qualitative research to evaluate four TV concepts for a future advertisement designed to influence how drivers and passengers think about the risk, consequences and dangers of not wearing seat belt and to encourage them to wear their seat belt every time they drive or ride in a vehicle. Knowledge gained from this research will improve the agency’s ability to deliver effective communications that clearly convey the personal costs (physical and emotional) of not wearing a seat belt (tickets/points, physical injury or death to self or others, emotional injury to loved ones) and promote awareness of police enforcing seat belt laws.

NOTE TO MODERATOR: When group is fully assembled, read:

This focus group is being conducted to collect information that will help us better understand your opinions about an important highway safety issue.

This collection of information is voluntary and will be used for formative purposes only so that we may develop communications programs designed to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths. A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2127-0682. Your participation today in this collection of information is estimated to average 75 minutes, including the time for reviewing instructions. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, DC, 20590.

Warm-up [10 min/10 min TOTAL]

• Welcome & Introduction

• When you are riding in a vehicle or driving, what are some of the things that help make you feel safe?

• And what are some of the things that make you feel concerned?

• Can you think of some reasons why people don’t wear seat belts 100% of the time they are a driver or passenger in a vehicle?

As you may recall when you were being recruited to participate in this group, the research sponsor is especially interested in hearing opinions about some advertising ideas from people who don’t wear their seat belts 100% of the time. Our discussion this evening is not to make judgments, nor to inform law enforcement officials about seat belt use by you or anyone. Instead, we just want to hear your thoughts about advertising ideas related to seat belt use.

NOTES TO MODERATOR: Transition to discussion about advertising concepts. Because the concepts will be presented in the form of animatics, it will be helpful to show respondents an example of an animatic and the final commercial that came from it. Therefore, show “No Good Excuse” animatic, then finished commercial. This will help respondents be accustomed to mentally linking an animatic iteration with a finished version.

Then proceed to each of the four concepts for seat belt use. Label/refer to each as “A,” “B,” “C” and “D” to avoid potential bias that could be associated with each concept’s internal name.

“A” will be “Seat Belt Dud”

“B” will be “No One Around For Miles”

“C” will be “Headlines”

“D” will be “Nice Truck”

Among the different groups, rotate the order of presentation so no particular concept is always shown first or last.

Show each – one at a time – just once. Then distribute notes sheet for that commercial to each respondent for his initial independent, written comments.

After all respondents have finished noting comments, facilitate discussion:

EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL CONCEPTS [10 min per concept/60 min TOTAL]

• Present first/next concept.

• After reviewing this concept, I’d like each of you to complete a worksheet (we will do a separate worksheet for each concept). Please take a few minutes and answer the questions on this sheet and then we will discuss. Provide concept worksheet (see pages 5-9).

Discussion (after 5 minutes)

How many of you graded this an “A?” “B?” – etc. for all grades

noteS to moderator:

For each of the highest and lowest grades, probe for reasons why.

If commercial gets high grades from most participants, probe those who graded it “B” or “C” relative to, “What would need to be done to the commercial so that you might give it a higher grade?”

Assume the idea’s main intent is to remind people to wear their seat belt every time they drive or ride in a vehicle. What one or two things in the idea help convey a message that would get people to think that?

What one or two things in this commercial really stick out in your mind?

Does the commercial remind you of anything you’ve seen or heard before?

NOTE TO MODERATOR: Play the commercial again. Then ask:

What other thoughts do you have about this after seeing it a second time?

Probe as appropriate.

REPEAT FOR REMAINING CONCEPTS

COMPARISON OF CONCEPTS [10 min/70 min TOTAL]

• Now that we have seen all of the concepts, let’s talk about them together. Which of these ideas is best and convincing you to wear a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a vehicle?

  • How many say A?

  • How many say B?

  • How many say C?

  • How many say D?

• Those who picked “A”: Please share your reasons for picking that.

  • Ask each person who picked “A” to give his reasons.

• Those who picked “B”: Please share your reasons for picking that.

  • Ask each person who picked “B” to give his reasons.

• Those who picked “C”: Please share your reasons for picking that.

  • Ask each person who picked “C” to give his reasons.

• Those who picked “D”: Please share your reasons for picking that.

  • Ask each person who picked “D” to give his reasons.

As we mentioned at the beginning of the session, the research sponsor is especially interested in hearing opinions about some advertising ideas from people who don’t wear their seat belts 100% of the time.

Which of these concepts, if any, are effective in making you feel that NOT wearing a seat belt is dangerous and deadly? And that you always need to wear a seat belt whether you are the driver or a passenger? PROBE ON WHAT ELEMENTS CONVEY THAT BELIEF.

Which of these concepts, if any, are effective in making you believe that police are out enforcing seat belt laws to save lives, and if stopped, you will get a ticket? PROBE ON WHAT ELEMENTS CONVEY THAT BELIEF.

Which of these concepts, if any, are effective in making you feel scared of the consequences of not wearing a seat belt—not just for yourself, but for family or friends who could be affected by their injury or death as well as the safety of fellow passengers and motorists if they are ejected from the vehicle? PROBE ON WHAT ELEMENTS CONVEY THAT BELIEF.

WRAP-UP & CLOSE [5 min/75 min TOTAL]

That’s all the questions & activities we have planned for this evening. Do you have any questions, comments or other ideas you would like to share before we wrap-up?

Thank you for your time this evening.

WORKSHEET – CONCEPT A

Things you especially like about this commercial

Things you don’t like about this commercial

The main thing that sticks out in your mind

Grade it. If its main purpose is to remind people to wear their seat belt every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.) – give it a grade of A, B, C, D or F:

Please circle one:

• A

• B

• C

• D

• F

WORKSHEET – CONCEPT B

Things you especially like about this commercial

Things you don’t like about this commercial

The main thing that sticks out in your mind

Grade it. If its main purpose is to remind people to wear their seat belt every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.) – give it a grade of A, B, C, D or F:

Please circle one:

• A

• B

• C

• D

• F

WORKSHEET – CONCEPT C

Things you especially like about this commercial

Things you don’t like about this commercial

The main thing that sticks out in your mind

Grade it. If its main purpose is to remind people to wear their seat belt every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.) – give it a grade of A, B, C, D or F:

Please circle one:

• A

• B

• C

• D

• F

WORKSHEET – CONCEPT D

Things you especially like about this commercial

Things you don’t like about this commercial

The main thing that sticks out in your mind

Grade it. If its main purpose is to remind people to wear their seat belt every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.) – give it a grade of A, B, C, D or F:

Please circle one:

• A

• B

• C

• D

• F

NHTSA Form 1537