Recruiting Methods and Ads

2022 ACS Content Test – Cognitive Testing Recruitment Advertisement Specifications

Recruitment Strategies

Online recruitment

Craigslist: We will post advertisements (ads) in locations where we will be conducting the cognitive interviews. Craigslist ads will be posted in areas such as Chicago, Berkeley, the Research Triangle area, Phoenix, and the DC metro area. We will post the ads under the “gig” section or other sections commonly used for posting recruitment ads for jobs or research participation.

For example:

• https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/doc/etc

• https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/doc/ggg

• https://raleigh.craigslist.org/search/ggg?

• https://chicago.craigslist.org/d/gigs/search/ggg

Facebook groups: Facebook groups will be used for specific and targeted advertising. The ads will be placed in Facebook groups of local communities near RTI offices and other places where interviews will be conducted. The ads will also be placed in interest groups organized or frequented by prospective participants with the targeted sub-characteristics. Posting ads under Facebook groups requires approval by the Facebook group moderator.

Some example Facebook groups:

• [Durham County Online Yard Sale] https://www.facebook.com/groups/459478054147145/

• [Maryland Homeschoolers] https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarylandHomeschoolers/

• [ADHD- ASD-ODD- SPD anxiety support group for parents] https://www.facebook.com/groups/1491471687796155/

Reddit: Upon approval of the Reddit moderators, we will post ads in subreddits (or subsections). These ads are equivalent to traditional classified ads in newspapers or online bulletin boards. The general ads will be posted under subreddits of local communities near RTI offices and other places where interviews will be conducted, and the subreddit commonly used for posting recruitment ads for research participation. We will also post targeted ads in the subsections of special interests or affinity groups to recruit participants of specific sub-characteristics, such as electric vehicle owners.

For example:

• General advertisement:

  • [Chicago] https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/

  • [Washington DC] https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/

  • [Research Triangle Area] https://www.reddit.com/r/triangle/

  • [Sample Size] https://www.reddit.com/r/SampleSize/

• Targeted advertisement:

  • [ex. Electric Vehicles]: https://www.reddit.com/r/electricvehicles/

  • [ex: Use ride-share to get to work]: https://www.reddit.com/r/uber/

Cross-platforms targeted advertising via Google or Facebook : Google Ads or Facebook Business will be used for cross-platform targeted advertising. A set of demographic characteristics and keywords representing the required sub-characteristics will be used as the targeting criteria for determining the dissemination of the advertisement. The ads will be delivered to users’ browser tabs or social media feeds by Google or Facebook’s campaign services. For example, Google Ads can deliver the recruitment advertisement to the targeted users on the websites, video content, or social media platforms they are browsing online. Interested users can click the ad to be redirected to the landing page of the study before providing consent to proceed to complete the screening questionnaire.

Community-based recruitment

Community publication: We will post (ads) in the local community paper where we will be conducting the cognitive interviews. Ads will be posted in Chicago, Berkeley, the Research Triangle area, and the DC metro area.

Census Bureau/RTI/RSS social network: Staff will email information or hand out flyers to their personal networks.

Post flyers: We will post flyers at a variety of public locations, including community centers, libraries, ethnic grocery stores, local social service offices, college dormitories, and local churches.

Work directly with staff: We will work directly with staff at community-based organizations like adult literacy groups that primarily serve foreign language speakers, local social service offices, companies that sell or service certain features of interest (e.g., solar panels or septic systems).

Snowball sampling: We will ask participants to hand out a flyer, or to provide an email address or phone number for one or more persons they know who have the same sub-characteristics.

Sending flyers to residents: Based on ZIP codes where there are characteristics of interest, we will have staff put flyers under residents’ doors.

In-person intercept screening survey: We go to locations where our prospective participants are most likely to be located and will conduct screening there.¹

General Advertisement

Get paid for one hour of telling us your opinions

RTI International, a not-for-profit research organization working with the U.S. Census Bureau, is looking for adults (ages 18 and over) to give their reactions and opinions about questions in a national survey. The interview will be conducted either online using a secure video conferencing app or in a convenient physical location, such as at our office in [LOCATION] or in a public library. The interview will take about 60 minutes. We will provide $40 to each eligible person who participates in the 60-minute interview.

To see if you are eligible for the study, please complete a short questionnaire at

www.XXXXXXXX.com

or call [NAME] at [NUMBER]

or

1-800-XXX-XXXX ext. [EXTENSION]

Example of Specific Advertisement

Get paid for one hour of telling us your opinions

RTI International, a not-for-profit research organization working with the U.S. Census Bureau, is looking for adults (ages 18 and over) to give their reactions and opinions about questions in a national survey. We are recruiting participants who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Lives with multiple families in one home address,

• Lives with people not related to them,

• Has a child(ren) ages 0 to 5,

• Has a child(ren) in custody arrangements,

• Is a foster parent,

• Usually lives or stays with someone currently deployed in the United States Armed Forces,

• Has a child(ren) who live(s) away at college,

• Uses a septic system for their owned/rented home,

• Primarily heats the home using natural gas,

• Primarily heats the home using butane/propane gas,

• Primarily heats the home using alternative fuel sources (not natural gas or butane/propane gas),

• Has solar panels for their owned/rented home,

• Is a parent or guardian of a homeschooled child(ren),

• Did not finish high school or get a GED,

• Is aged 65 or older,

• Is enrolled in Medicaid,

• Has health insurance for own child(ren) through a state Children’s Health Insurance program (CHIP)

• Has health insurance through a state or federal marketplace (like healthcare.gov) or Obamacare

• Is a parent of a child(ren) with a disabilit(ies),

• Is an individual with disabilities, especially learning disabilities,

• Is a non-native English speaker,

• Is aged 50 or older,

• Has purchased a vehicle in the last 10 years,

• Owns or leases a plug-in electric vehicle,

• Owns or leases a non-plug-in electric or hybrid vehicle,

• Is a part of a homeowners association (HOA),

• Lives in a condominium,

• Is part of a voluntary neighborhood association,

• Rents their home with a homeowners association (HOA) or condo fee,

• Uses Uber, Lyft, or another ride-hailing service app to get to work,

• Uses carpool, vanpool, slug line to get to work,

• Primarily earned money through gig work (e.g., Lyft/Uber, Upwork) last year,

• Worked at least 35 hours per week last year,

• Did not work for pay in the last year,

• Was self-employed last year,

• Received rental income last year,

• Received commission, bonus, or tips last year,

• Received retirement income last year,

• Received food stamps/ SNAP benefits last year,

• Received cash public assistance last year, or

• Paid in cash for work

The interview will be conducted either online using a secure video conferencing app or in a convenient physical location, such as at our offices in [LOCATION] or in a public library. The interview will take about 60 minutes. We will provide $40 to each eligible person who participates in the 60-minute interview.

To see if you are eligible for the study, please complete a short questionnaire at

www.XXXXXXXX.com

or call [NAME] at [NUMBER]

or

1-800-XXX-XXXX ext. [EXTENSION]

Example of Targeted Advertisement (very specific)

Get paid for one hour of telling us your opinions

Do you have a septic system for your home?

RTI International, a not-for-profit research organization working with the U.S. Census Bureau, is looking for adults (ages 18 and over) to give their reactions and opinions about questions in a national survey. We are recruiting participants who:

• Use a septic system for their owned/rented home. [this will be replaced with corresponding text from specific advertisement text above]

The interview will be conducted either online using a secure video conferencing app or in a physical convenient location, such as at our office in [LOCATION] or in a public library. The interview will take about 60 minutes. We will provide $40 to each eligible person who participates in the 60-minute interview.

To see if you are eligible for the study, please complete a short questionnaire at

www.XXXXXXXX.com

or call [NAME] at [NUMBER]

or

1-800-XXX-XXXX ext. [EXTENSION]

Table 1. Recruitment strategy and teasers for each characteristic of interest

Sub-characteristic	Recruitment Strategies										Recruiting teasers
	Online			Community based recruitment
	Craigslist/ Facebook Groups/	Google/ Facebook Ads	Reddit	Community publication	Post flyer	Working with staff	Census Bureau/RTI/RSS social network	Snowball sampling	Sending flyers to addresses	In-person intercept screening survey
Multiple families living together	x	x		x	x		x	x	x		Do you live with other families in your home?
Related subfamilies	x	x		x	x		x	x	x		Are you married and living with your parents or in-laws? Do you live with grandparents? Do you live with an aunt/uncle? Do you live with a niece/nephew?
Unrelated subfamilies/ individuals	x	x		x	x		x	x			Do you live with a family who is not related to you?
Subfamilies with children (ages 0 to 4)	x	x		x	x		x				Do you have a child(ren) ages 0 to 5?
Children in custody arrangements	x	x		x	x		x				Do you share custody of your child(ren)?
Foster children	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x			Are you a foster parent?
No one related to each other	x	x	x	x	x		x				Do you live with people who are not related to you? Do you live with a roommate?
Active duty military (lower priority)	x	x		x	x		x				Are you or your spouse on active duty in the military?
Children who live away at college (lower priority)	x	x		x	x		x				Do you have a child who is living in a college or university dorm? Do you have a child who would be living away at college if the college were not closed because of COVID-19?
Septic systems	x	x		x	x	x	x		x		Do you have a septic system for your home?
Public sewer	x	x		x	x		x				Do you have public sewer service for your home?
Home heating fuel uses natural gas the most	x	x		x	x				x		Do you primarily use natural gas to heat your home?
Home heating fuel uses butane/propane gas the most	x	x		x	x				x		Do you primarily use butane/propane gas to heat your home?
Home heating fuel uses other fuel the most	x	x		x	x				x		Do you primarily use other fuel (not natural gas or butane/propane gas) to heat your home?
Home has solar panels	x	x		x	x	x	x		x	x	Does your home have solar panels?
Parents of homeschooled children	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Are you a parent of a homeschooler?
Age 25+ with less than high school diploma or GED	x	x		x	x		x	x			Are you an adult who did not finish high school or receive a GED?
Parents of children age 3 to 5	x	x		x	x	x	x				Do you have a child(ren) ages 0 to 5?
Age 65+	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Are you 65 or older?
Enrolled in Medicaid	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Are you on Medicaid? Do you have health insurance provided by the government?
Enrolled in CHIP	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Does anyone in your household have health insurance through a state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)? Do you have health insurance provided by the government?
Enrolled in state or federal marketplace	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Did you purchase health insurance through a state or federal marketplace (like healthcare.gov) or Obamacare?
Parents of children with disabilities	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Are you a parent of a child with (a) disability(ies)?
Individuals with disabilities, esp. learning disabilities	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Do you have difficulty remembering or concentrating? Do you have a disability? Do you live with someone who has a learning disability?
Non-native English speakers	x	x		x	x		x			x	Is [any target language] your native language? Do you speak a language other than English at home?
Age 50+	x	x		x	x		x				Are you 50 or older?
Purchased a vehicle in the last 10 years	x	x		x	x		x				Have you purchased a car or a truck in the last 10 years? Have you bought a car or a truck in the last 10 years?
Own or lease a plug-in electric vehicle	x	x	x	x	x		x	x			Do you own or lease a plug-in electric vehicle? Do you own or lease an electric vehicle?
Own or lease a non-plug-in electric or hybrid vehicle	x	x	x	x	x		x				Do you own or lease a non-plug-in electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle? Do you own or lease an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle?
Homeowners with HOA fee	x	x		x	x	x	x				Do you belong to a homeowner’s association? Are you a member of a homeowner’s association?
Homeowners that live in a condominium	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Do you live in a condominium?
Homeowners that are part of voluntary neighborhood associations	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Are you a member of a voluntary neighborhood association?
Renters with HOA or condo fee	x	x		x	x	x	x				Do you pay a Homeowners Association (HOA) fee? Do you pay a condominium fee?
Use ride-share to get to work	x	x	x	x	x		x	x			Have you used a ride-share or ride-hailing app (e.g., Lyft/Uber) to get to work?
Use multi-passenger transportation (e.g., carpool, vanpool, slug line)	x	x	x	x	x		x	x		x	Have you carpooled, vanpooled, or used the slug line to get work?
Irregular workers in the prior year	x	x		x	x		x	x			Did you earn money through gig work (e.g., music gigs, Lyft/Uber driver, Upwork tasks) last year?
Regular workers in the prior year	x	x		x	x		x	x			Did you work at least 35 hours per week last year? Do you have a full-time job?
Did not work in the prior year	x	x		x	x		x	x			Were you not working for pay last year?
Retirement, self-employment, or rental income; commission/bonus/tips in prior year	x	x		x	x		x	x			Are you paid in cash for your work? Did you receive rental income last year? Did you earn retirement income last year? Did you receive any commission, tips, or bonus last year? Are you self-employed?
Received SNAP or public assistance benefits in prior year	x	x		x	x	x	x	x			Did you receive food stamps or SNAP benefits last year? Did you receive cash public assistance last year?

1 Note that this strategy may be limited due to COVID-19, but we have done this in limited circumstances with spanish speaking monolinguals, and have found it effective. This may be a viable option for Round 2.

21