Changes to Questionnaires Based on Cognitive Interviews

2019 Feral Swine Survey

Changes to Questionnaires Based on Cognitive Interviews

Six cognitive interviews were completed for the 2019 Feral Swine Survey, two in Arkansas, two in Oklahoma, one in Georgia, and one in South Carolina. Several changes were made to the questionnaire based on this testing. Changes impacting comprehension included more explicitly defining the term “wild pig,” adding “trees/orchards, hay, sod” to more of the crops questions, clarifying the types of damage included, and changing the wording of the “values of crop production” questions. In addition; to reduce the chances of the farm operator skipping certain sections or questions, some of the screening questions were removed or more specific skip instructions were incorporated.

Some changes to the questionnaire were made to address data quality issues. For example, categories of property damage were added or re-worded to include pasture, and fencing questions were changed to better capture data that was caused by wild pigs. The hunting section was modified to collect data on additional species.