Debt Collection Disclosure Testing

This document contains survey instructions, items and questions to
be used in quantitative testing. Not all survey items will be included.
Respondents are randomly assigned to read one of several versions
of a debt collection notice; some questions are asked based on the
version of the debt collection validation notice a respondent sees.
Introduction Screen

Thank you for participating in this survey! The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (“Bureau”) 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 Bureau of
Consumer Financial Protection (“Bureau”), in evaluating potential debt collection disclosure forms.
The Bureau 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.
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.
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Panel Relations at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

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Paperwork Reduction Act Statement:
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 3170-00XX. 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 the Bureau at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA
Office), 1700 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20552, or by email to [email protected].

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.

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.

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Alternative vignette:
[Some participants are assigned to a notice with “errors” or inconsistencies with the vignette. This is to
help us determine whether different versions are more helpful in recognizing errors in a debt.]

Person A bought a couch from Main Street Store [x] years ago using a [Store name] 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.
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 info
NOTICE. PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY NOTICE

//START DISPLAY OF THUMBNAIL OF THE NOTICE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN//

At any time during this survey, you can look at the notice again by clicking the image on the right of
the screen.
Pre_Q25a. 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//

[The Language shown will depend on
the notice the respondent was
randomly assigned to view.]

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.”

3

NEWQ01. If you were in Person A’s situation, how likely would you be to ignore this notice and not
respond to it?
01
02
03
04
05
88

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

NEWQ03. When you answered the two questions above, what were you thinking about? Please list
everything you were thinking about in the space below.
[text entry 1,000 character maximum]
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.
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?
01
02
03
04
05
88

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

4

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

4

5 – Very
likely

Q10a. Person A makes a payment of $100
toward the debt referenced in the notice.
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.”
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.”
Q16a. Person A ignores the notice and takes no
action.
Q21. [skip if G notice] 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.”

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

Q11a. Person A makes a payment of $100
toward the debt referenced in the notice.

5

2--No

3—It
depends

97—Not
sure/Don’t
know

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.”
Q15a. Person A calls the debt collector and says,
“I know I owe the debt, but I have some
questions about it before I pay.”
Q17a. Person A ignores the notice and takes no
action.
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.”
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///

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.
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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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///

Pre_Q33.

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

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
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.
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.

7

2

3

4

5–
definitely
agree

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.

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///

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.
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///

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///

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

Q3701. Because of my money situation, I feel like I will never have the things I want in life.
8

01
02
03
04
05
06

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

Q3702. I am just getting by financially.
01
1 Describes me completely
02
2
03
3
04
4
05
5 Does not describe me at all
06
Don’t Know
Q3703. I am concerned that the money I have or will save won’t last.
01
1 Describes me completely
02
2
03
3
04
4
05
5 Does not describe me at all
06
Don’t Know
Q38. How often does each of the following statements apply to you?
Q3801. I have money left over at the end of the month.
01
1 Always
02
2
03
3
04
4
05
5 Never
06
Don’t Know
Q3802. My finances control my life.
01
1 Always
02
2
03
3
04
4
05
5 Never
06
Don’t Know
9

The following are additional survey items the team will consider
including. The length of the survey will not exceed 30 minutes. The
final survey instrument is unlikely to include all of the items in this
document.
Understanding of debt-related lawsuits

1. When can Person A be sued by the debt collector? If you’re not sure, please make your best
guess.
a) The debt collector can sue Person A anytime
b) The debt collector can sue 30 days after sending the notice
c) The debt collector can sue once they confirm the debt is owed by Person A
d) Both B and C
e) The debt collector cannot sue for this debt
2. How confident are you in your answer to the previous question?
• Not at all confident
• Somewhat confident
• Very confident
[If select partial payment in TBD or revival condition, ask]
3. You said earlier that if you were Person A, you would make a payment on this debt. Did you
know that making a payment can enable the debt collector to sue for this debt?
• Yes, I am aware that making a payment enables the debt collector to sue for this debt.
 3a. Ok, you said “Yes, I am aware that making a payment enables the debt
collector to sue for this debt.” Could you please explain your thoughts?
 [text entry]
• No, I was not aware that making a payment enables the debt collector to sue for this
debt.
 3b. Do you remember seeing any information on the form telling you that
making a payment would allow the debt collector to sue for this debt?
 Yes
 No

4. You cannot be sued for unpaid debts that are too old. Think about what “too old” means to
you. How many years do you think it take for an unpaid debt to be too old for you to be sued
over it?
It takes about _______ years.

10

Comprehension and Confidence
(correct answers flagged with a “[c]”)

1. Why is North South Group contacting Person A? Choose the best answer.
a) They are sending Person A bill
b) They are a debt collector attempting to collect a debt [c]
c) All of the above
2. How confident are you in your answer to the previous question?
• Not at all confident
• Somewhat confident
• Very confident
3. Two months after reading the notice, Person A writes to the debt collector to dispute the
debt. Which of the following is true?
a) The debt collector will sue Person A for disputing the debt in writing.
b) The collector does not have to respond with evidence proof that Person A owes the
debt. [c]
c) The debt collector will stop trying to collect the debt until they show evidence that
Person A owes the debt.
d) None of the above
4. How confident are you in your answer to the previous question?
• Not at all confident
• Somewhat confident
• Very confident
5. According to the notice, if Person A wanted to make a payment on the debt, where would
they send the payment?
a) North South Group
b) Bank of Rockville [c]
c) None of the above
6. How confident are you in your answer to the previous question?
• Not at all confident
• Somewhat confident
• Very confident
7. Suppose Person A has questions about whether the amount owed is correct, and calls the
number on the form to ask about it. Which of the following statements do you think is most
correct?
a) Regardless of what the debt collector says, Person A could still write to legally dispute
the debt before the 30 day period ends. [c]
b) Person A would no longer be able to write to dispute the debt.
c) Person A could still write to dispute the debt, but only if the debt collector agrees that
there is a problem with the debt.
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d) None of the above.
8. How confident are you in your answer to the previous question?
• Not at all confident
• Somewhat confident
• Very confident
9. How confident are you that you could make a recommendation to Person A about how to
respond to the notice?
• Not at all confident
• Somewhat confident
• Very confident
10. Do you know how to dispute this debt?
a) I don’t at all know how to dispute this debt
b) I somewhat know how to dispute this debt
c) I definitely know how to dispute this debt

11. Would you dispute this debt if you were Person A?
a) Definitely not
b) Probably not
c) Probably yes
d) Definitely yes

Questions related to electronic disclosures
Next, imagine you had to receive a notice from a debt collector telling you that you owe a debt. You
could receive it by postal mail, email, or text message….

Version 1
Please rate these methods of sending you the notice using the scale below.
Receiving the notice by postal mail would
be…

Not Okay

Okay

Better

Best

Receiving the notice in the body of an email
would be…

Not Okay

Okay

Better

Best

12

Receiving the notice by clicking on a link
delivered by email would be…

Not Okay

Okay

Better

Best

Receiving the notice by clicking on a link
delivered by text message would be…

Not Okay

Okay

Better

Best

Version 2
Please rate how willing you are to receive the notice through each of these methods.
By postal mail

Not at all
willing

Only a little
willing

Somewhat
willing

Very willing

By email

Not at all
willing

Only a little
willing

Somewhat
willing

Very willing

By clicking a link delivered in an
email

Not at all
willing

Only a little
willing

Somewhat
willing

Very willing

By clicking a link delivered in a
text message

Not at all
willing

Only a little
willing

Somewhat
willing

Very willing

1. Do you ever review your spam folder to see if it contains emails you should read?
a) No, I never review my spam folder
b) Yes, I review my spam folder
c) I don’t know what “spam” is
d) I don’t have an email account or I don’t use my email account(s)
2.

[skip if 2 = a, c, d] If you think a message marked as “spam” might not be spam, do you open
it?”
• No, I never open email marked as spam
• Yes, I usually open most emails marked as spam
• Yes, but only if the subject line looks ok (does not look like spam)
• Yes, but only if I recognize the sender
• Yes, but only if both the subject line looks ok and I recognize the sender

3. When you get a new loan or a new credit card, do you usually sign up to get your bills
electronically or online?
• No, never
1. Why don’t you sign up to get your bills online? Check all that apply:
1. I like getting paper versions of my bills in the mail
2. I have tried in the past and didn’t like it
3. It was too hard to sign up for electronic versions
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•
•

4. I’m not sure why I don’t sign up
5. Other, please describe []
Yes, sometimes
Yes, always

4. Overall, how confident do you feel using computers, smartphones, or other electronic devices
to do the things you need to do online?
• Not at all confident
• Only a little confident
• Somewhat confident
• Very confident
[For participants assigned a version of the notice that contains “Errors”]

1. Do you think the debt described in the notice is Person A’s debt?
• This is definitely not Person A’s debt
• This is probably not Person A’s debt
• I’m not sure if this is Person A’s debt
• This is probably Person A’s debt
• This is definitely Person A’s debt
2. How confident are you that the notice correctly describes a debt owed by Person A?
• I am not at all confident that this notice correctly describes a debt owed by Person A
• I am somewhat confident that this notice correctly describes a debt owed by Person A
• I am very confident that this notice correctly describes a debt owed by Person A.

Hypothetical Scenario Robustness Checks
Comments from the 60-day PRA period revealed concern about the use of hypothetical scenarios. The
following questions may help Bureau researchers determine whether responses to hypothetical
scenarios enable estimates of real behavior by measuring the prevalence of forecasting errors (mistakes
in predicting what one would feel or do) in the context of receiving and responding to a debt collection
notice
Based on responses to existing 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.
01
02
03
04

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
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If Q35 (Have you ever been contacted by a debt collector attempting to collect a debt from you?...) 01
02 or 03, ask:
Think of your most recent experience seeing a notice from a debt collector saying that you owe a
debt:

1. When you saw the notice, how did you feel?
Not at all

A little

Anxious, worried, or nervous
Sad, depressed, or down
Angry, frustrated, or annoyed
Embarrassed, guilty, or ashamed
Indifferent or neutral

2. Were the details describing the debt correct?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Wasn’t sure
3. What did you do in response to the notice?
a) Nothing
b) I called someone for advice
c) I called the debt collector
d) I wrote to the debt collector
e) I made a partial payment
f) I made a full payment
g) I disputed the debt
h) Other [ ]

If 04, ask:

15

Somewhat

Very much

If you were to receive a notice that said you owe a debt (like the one you saw today addressed to
Person A)…
1. How do you think you would feel when you saw what the notice said?
Not at all

A little

Somewhat

Very much

Anxious, worried, or nervous
Sad, depressed, or down
Angry, frustrated, or annoyed
Embarrassed, guilty, or ashamed
Indifferent

2. Imagine that the details about the debt (like the amount and who you owe) are all correct.
What would you do in response to the notice?
a) Nothing
b) I would call someone for advice
c) I would call the debt collector
d) I would write to the debt collector
e) I would make a partial payment
f) I would make a full payment
g) I would dispute the debt in writing
h) Other [ ]
3. Imagine that the amount of the debt is incorrect – it is $240 more than what you think you
owe. What would you do in response to the notice?
a) Nothing
b) I would call someone for advice
c) I would call the debt collector
d) I would write to the debt collector
e) I would make a partial payment
f) I would make a full payment
g) I would dispute the debt in writing
h) Other [ ]

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