Focus Group Audience Criteria

Appendix D – Focus Group Audience Criteria with Quota Tables

For each audience, the following tables provide an overview of the specific recruitment procedures. They contain the unique characteristics that each group will include and soft quotas for recruiting an appropriate mix of participants of different genders, ages, races, countries of origin, and education levels. These recruitment tables will be used as guidelines for the soft quotas of the focus groups. Recommendations for audiences were created in collaboration with U.S. Census Bureau Subject Matter Experts (SME) and Research Team multicultural experts.

Note: Full representation of the total population of the United States, across all potential audiences, would require more groups than the schedule or budget allows for fielding, and is not required to ensure an effective campaign. Following standard communication industry practices, audiences have been prioritized based on the guidance from the Decennial Communications Coordination Office and the IPC Program Management Office and balanced against time, budget, and Census Bureau SME and multicultural agency recommendations.

Based on previous experience working with these different populations we know different groups will have different show rates. Therefore, we are over-recruiting for groups. This will reduce the risk of not having enough participants to run a focus group.

All audiences will represent a combination of risk of non-response traits (based on Erdman & Bates 2017) via a points-based recruiting strategy, including:

• Single female head-of-household

• Rents home

• Less than high school education

• Parents of children 4 years old or younger

• Moved in the last 4 years

• Annual household income of less than $35,000

• Living in multi-unit or mobile home

• Large household (6+ people)

Audiences:

English Groups

1. American Indian / Alaska Native

2. Black or African American

3. Middle Eastern or North African

4. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

5. People Living in Rural Locations

6. People with Young Children in Household

Non-English Groups

7. Arabic

8. Chinese, Cantonese

9. Chinese, Mandarin

10. Filipino (Tagalog)

11. Haitian Creole

12. Japanese

13. Korean

14. Polish

15. Brazilian (Portuguese)

16. Russian

17. Spanish, Puerto Rico

18. Spanish, U.S. Mainland

19. Sub-Saharan Africa Diaspora (French Speaking)

20. Vietnamese

ENGLISH GROUPS

Audience #1: American Indian / Alaska Native (AIAN) – 24 focus groups

Definition: Self-identifies as Alaska Native; Is a Shareholder of an Alaska Native Corporation; Is culturally connected; Speaks English
Location: (4) Kotzebue, AK
Alaska Native (AN)
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	8	8	8	8
	Some college	8	8	8	8
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	16	0	16	0
	Male	0	16	0	16
Age	18-24	4	0	4	0
	25-34	8	0	8	0
	35-44	4	0	4	0
	45-54	0	8	0	8
	55 or older	0	8	0	8
Race	Alaska Native	16	16	16	16
	Other	0	0	0	0

Definition: Self-identifies as American Indian; Is a member of a Tribe; Is culturally connected; Speaks English
Location: Green Bay. WI; (4) Riverside, CA; (4) Bismarck, ND;
American Indian (AI)
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	8	8	8	8
	Some college	8	8	8	8
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	16	0	16	0
	Male	0	16	0	16
Age	18-24	4	0	4	0
	25-34	8	0	8	0
	35-44	4	0	4	0
	45-54	0	8	0	8
	55 or older	0	8	0	8
Race	American Indian	16	16	16	16
	Other	0	0	0	0

Definition: Self-identifies as American Indian; Is a member of a Tribe; Is culturally connected; Speaks English
Locations; (2) Seattle, WA; (2) Oklahoma City; (2) Asheville, NC; (2) Miami, FL.
American Indian (AI)
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	8	8
	Some college	8	8
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	16	0
	Male	0	16
Age	18-24	4	0
	25-34	8	0
	35-44	4	0
	45-54	0	8
	55 or older	0	8
Race	American Indian	16	16
	Other	0	0

Audience #2: Black or African American (BAA) – 16 focus groups

Definition: Self-identifies as Black or African American; 18-34 years old; has an income of $35,000 or less; has an education of some college or less; speaks English
Location: (1) Atlanta, GA; (1) Oakland, CA; (1) Jackson, MS; (1) Dayton, OH
Black or African American (BAA) – Younger Group
		Session 1
Education	High school or less	10
	Some college	4
	College graduate +	0
Gender	Female	7
	Male	7
Age	18-24	7
	25-34	7
	35-44	0
	45-54	0
	55 or older	0
Race	BAA, not Hispanic (NH)	14
	Other race groups	0

Definition: Self-identifies as Black or African American; 45 years and older; has an income of $35,000 or less; has an education of some college or less; speaks English
Location: (1) Atlanta, GA; (1) Oakland, CA; (1) Jackson, MS; (1) Dayton, OH
Black or African American (BAA) – Older Group
		Session 1
Education	High school or less	10
	Some college	4
	College graduate +	0
Gender	Female	7
	Male	7
Age	18-24	0
	25-34	0
	35-44	0
	45-54	7
	55 or older	7
Race	BAA, not Hispanic (NH)	14
	Other race groups	0

Definition: Self-identifies as Black or African American; has an income of $35,000 or less; an education of some college or less; speaks English
Location: (1) Atlanta, GA; (1) Oakland, CA; (1) Jackson, MS; (1) Dayton, OH
Black or African American (BAA) – Mixed Group
		Session 1
Education	High school or less	10
	Some college	4
	College graduate +	0
Gender	Female	7
	Male	7
Age	18-24	5
	25-34	4
	35-44	5
	45-54	0
	55 or older	0
Race	BAA, not Hispanic (NH)	14
	Other race groups	0

Audience #3: Middle Eastern or North African – 4 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Middle Eastern or North African; speaks English
Location: (2) Peoria, IL; (2) Orange County, CA
Middle Eastern or North African (MENA)
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	4
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	14	0
	Male	0	14
Age	18-24	3	3
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	2	2
Race	MENA, not Hispanic	14	14
	Other	0	0

Audience #4: Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander – 8 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Native Hawaiian (indigenous) or Pacific Islander; speaks English and NHPI language
Location: (2) San Diego, CA; (2) Salt Lake City, UT
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHPI)
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	10	10
	Some college	6	6
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	8	8
	Male	8	8
Age	18-24	3	3
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	4	4
Race	Native Hawaiian	4	4
	Micronesian islands	6	6
	Polynesian/Melanesian islands	6	6

Definition: Self identifies as Native Hawaiian (indigenous) or Pacific Islander; speaks English and NHPI language
Location: (4) Honolulu, HI
Alaska Native (AN)
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	10	10	10	10
	Some college	6	6	6	6
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	8	8	8	8
	Male	8	8	8	8
Age	18-24	3	3	3	3
	25-34	3	3	3	3
	35-44	3	3	3	3
	45-54	3	3	3	3
	55 or older	4	4	4	4
Race	Native Hawaiian	4	4	4	4
	Micronesian islands	6	6	6	6
	Polynesian/Melanesian islands	6	6	6	6

Audience #5: People Living in Rural Locations – 4 focus groups

Definition: Lives in a Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) that is identified as rural in the 2010 Census
Location: (2) Beckley, WV; (2) Jackson, MS; (2) Bozeman, MT (2)
Rural
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	2	2
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	4	4
Race	White, not Hispanic (NH)	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #6: People with Young Children Living in the Household – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as non-White; is in a household of 6+ OR has an income of less than $35,000; living with a child 4 years or younger
Location: (2) El Paso, TX (2) Philadelphia, PA
People with Young Children in Household
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	White, not Hispanic	0	0
	BAA, not Hispanic	5	5
	Hispanic	6	6
	Other races, not Hispanic	3	3

NON-ENGLISH GROUPS

Audience #7: Arabic – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as MENA; speaks Arabic at home
Location: (2) Paterson, NJ
Arabic
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	14	0
	Male	0	14
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	MENA, not Hispanic	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #8: Chinese, Cantonese – 4 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Chinese; speaks Cantonese at home
Location: (2) San Francisco, CA; (2) New York, NY
Chinese, Cantonese
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	0	0
	25-34	1	1
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	5	5
	55 or older	5	5
Race	Asian – Chinese (Cantonese)	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #9: Chinese, Mandarin – 4 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Chinese; speaks Mandarin at home
Location: (2) Houston, TX; (2) New York, NY
Chinese, Mandarin
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	Asian – Chinese (Mandarin)	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #10: Filipino (Tagalog) – 4 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Filipino; speaks Tagalog at home
Location: (2) Honolulu, HI; (2) Las Vegas, NV
Filipino
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	Asian – Filipino	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #11: Haitian Creole – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Haitian; speaks Haitian Creole at home
Location: (2) Miami, FL
Haitian Creole
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	14	14
	Some college	0	0
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	4	4
	35-44	4	4
	45-54	2	2
	55 or older	2	2
Race	Haitian	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #12 Japanese – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Japanese; speaks Japanese at home
Location: (2) Los Angeles, CA
Japanese
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	2	2
	Some college	6	6
	College graduate +	6	6
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	Asian – Japanese	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #13: Korean – 4 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Korean; speaks Korean at home
Location: (2) Los Angeles, CA; (2) DC-Fairfax-Montgomery, DC, VA, MD
Korean
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	Asian – Korean	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #14: Polish – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Polish; speaks Polish at home
Location: (2) Chicago, IL
Polish
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	White – Polish	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #15: Brazilian (Portuguese) – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Brazilian; speaks Portuguese at home
Location: (2) Boston, MA
Portuguese
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	Brazil	14	14
	Other	0	0

Audience #16: Russian – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Russian; speaks Russian well
Location: (2) Brooklyn, NY
Russian
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	White – Russian	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #17: Spanish, Puerto Rico – 8 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Puerto Rican; speaks Spanish at home; homeowners
Location: (2) San Juan, PR
Spanish, Puerto Rico – Urban Homeowners
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	2	2
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	4	4
Race	Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish	14	14
	Others	0	0
Home	Owner	14	14
	Renter	0	0
Income	$34,999 or less	14	0
	$35,000 – 74,999	0	10
	More than $75,000	0	4

Definition: Self identifies as Puerto Rican; speaks Spanish at home; renters
Location: (2) San Juan, PR
Spanish, Puerto Rico – Urban Non-Homeowners
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	4	4
	25-34	4	4
	35-44	2	2
	45-54	2	2
	55 or older	2	2
Race	Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish	14	14
	Others	0	0
Home	Owner	0	0
	Renter	14	14
Income	$34,999 or less	14	0
	$35,000 – 74,999	0	10
	More than $75,000	0	4

Definition: Self identifies as Dominican; speaks Spanish at home
Location: (2) San Juan, PR
Spanish, Puerto Rico – Dominican Immigrants
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	2	2
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	4	4
Race	Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish (Dominican)	14	14
	Others	0	0
Length in Puerto Rico	Since 2011 or later	14	0
	Before 2011	0	14

Definition: Self identifies as Puerto Rican; speaks Spanish at home
Location: (2) Utuado, PR
Spanish, Puerto Rico - Rural
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	2	2
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	4	4
Race	Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish	14	14
	Others	0	0
Utuado	Town	14	0
	Rural	0	14

Audience #18: Spanish, U.S. Mainland – 20 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Hispanic; speaks Spanish at home
Location: (4) Miami, FL
Hispanic
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	10	10	10	10
	Some college	4	4	4	4
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	14	0	7	7
	Male	0	14	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2	2	2
	25-34	4	4	4	4
	35-44	4	4	4	4
	45-54	2	2	2	2
	55 or older	2	2	2	2
Ancestry	Mexican	0	0	0	0
	Central American	0	0	0	0
	South American	4	4	4	4
	Puerto Rican	4	4	4	4
	Cuban	4	4	4	4

Definition: Self identifies as Hispanic; speaks Spanish at home
Location: (4) Boston, MA
Hispanic
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	10	10	10	10
	Some college	4	4	4	4
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	14	0	7	7
	Male	0	14	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2	2	2
	25-34	4	4	4	4
	35-44	4	4	4	4
	45-54	2	2	2	2
	55 or older	2	2	2	2
Ancestry	Mexican	0	0	0	0
	Central American	3	3	3	3
	Dominican	4	4	4	4
	South American	3	3	3	3
	Puerto Rican	4	4	4	4

Definition: Self identifies as Hispanic; speaks Spanish at home
Location: (4) Yakima, WA
Hispanic
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	10	10	10	10
	Some college	4	4	4	4
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	14	0	7	7
	Male	0	14	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2	2	2
	25-34	4	4	4	4
	35-44	4	4	4	4
	45-54	2	2	2	2
	55 or older	2	2	2	2
Ancestry	Mexican	14	14	14	14
	Central American	0	0	0	0
	Dominican	0	0	0	0
	South American	0	0	0	0
	Puerto Rican	0	0	0	0

Definition: Self identifies as Hispanic; speaks Spanish at home
Location: (4) McAllen, TX
Hispanic
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	10	10	10	10
	Some college	4	4	4	4
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	14	0	7	7
	Male	0	14	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2	2	2
	25-34	4	4	4	4
	35-44	4	4	4	4
	45-54	2	2	2	2
	55 or older	2	2	2	2
Ancestry	Mexican	8	8	8	8
	Central American	6	6	6	6
	Dominican	0	0	0	0
	South American	0	0	0	0
	Puerto Rican	0	0	0	0

Definition: Self identifies as Hispanic; speaks Spanish at home
Location: (4) Chicago, IL
Hispanic
		Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Education	High school or less	10	10	10	10
	Some college	4	4	4	4
	College graduate +	0	0	0	0
Gender	Female	14	0	7	7
	Male	0	14	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2	2	2
	25-34	4	4	4	4
	35-44	4	4	4	4
	45-54	2	2	2	2
	55 or older	2	2	2	2
Ancestry	Mexican	7	7	7	7
	Central American	0	0	0	0
	Dominican	0	0	0	0
	South American	0	0	0	0
	Puerto Rican	3	3	3	3

Audience #19: Sub-Saharan Africa Diaspora (French Speaking) – 2 focus groups

Definition: Self identifies as Sub-Saharan African; speaks French at home
Location: (2) Arlington, VA
French-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa Diaspora
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	0	0
	Some college	7	7
	College graduate +	7	7
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	4	4
	35-44	4	4
	45-54	2	2
	55 or older	2	2
Race	African	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

Audience #20: Vietnamese – 4 focus groups

Self identifies as Chinese; speaks Cantonese

Definition: Self identifies as Vietnamese; speaks Vietnamese at home
Location: (2) Orange County, CA; (2) Houston, TX
Vietnamese
		Session 1	Session 2
Education	High school or less	9	9
	Some college	5	5
	College graduate +	0	0
Gender	Female	7	7
	Male	7	7
Age	18-24	2	2
	25-34	3	3
	35-44	3	3
	45-54	3	3
	55 or older	3	3
Race	Asian – Vietnamese	14	14
	Other race groups	0	0

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