ASMB SS #7 - Cognitive Testing Protocol

American Survey of Mortgage Borrowers
Cognitive Interview Protocol
Notes for the Interviewer






Interviews will be conducted via WebEx, with respondents joining the audio by
telephone. We will not be using webcams.
Record the telephone interview using a handheld digital record. Also record the WebEx
session. Ensure respondent names or identifying information are not captured on either
recording.
Respondents will be sent a packet of materials (see content list below) via FedEx with
the request not to open the envelopes included inside.
Monitor the chat for questions from observers.

Packet Contents



Consent Form
Envelope #1 contains the cover letter and full questionnaire.
Do not have the respondent complete the full questionnaire. They will complete the shortened
testing version of the questionnaire (in the form of a fillable PDF) on WebEx.



Envelope #2 contains the shortened testing version of the questionnaire.
Only have the respondent open Envelope #2 in case technical difficulties prevent use of the
fillable PDF in WebEx.

Introduction
Hello, my name is ______________ and I work for Westat, a survey research company in
Rockville, Maryland. Thank you for taking the time to participate in this research study.
Westat is working with the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau to develop questions for a national survey of mortgage borrowers. Before surveys are
conducted, it’s important to try out questions with the help of people such as yourself.
It is important that the questions make sense, are easy to answer, and that everyone
understands the questions the same way. If you agree to take part in this study, we will ask you
to complete a questionnaire. After you finish, I will ask you some questions about the answers
you gave, including what you think the questions were asking or how you came up with your
answers. There are no right or wrong answers. Our purpose is not to compile information about
you. Instead, your interview along with those of others will show us how to improve these
questions.
We’ll need the materials we sent you for our interview. Do you have the FedEx package we sent
to you?

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IF NO, AND THE MATERIALS ARE CLOSE BY, ASK THE RESPONDENT TO RETRIEVE THEM. IF
THEY AREN’T CLOSE BY, PROCEED WITH THE INTERVIEW USING ELECTRONIC VERSIONS OF
THE MATERIALS (CONSENT, LETTER, FULL QUESTIONNAIRE). MODIFY INSTRUCTIONS TO
RESPONDENT AS NEEDED.

Informed Consent
Before we get started, there are a few things I should mention. This is a research project, and
your participation is voluntary. If you prefer not to answer any questions just say so and we’ll go
on to the next one. It’s also okay if you change your mind after starting and would rather not
participate.
All your answers, everything you say, will be kept confidential. We will not use your name or
other identifying information in any reports. The interview will take about an hour and you will
receive $75. We will also need to audio record our conversation. This helps me so I can listen to
what you are saying and won’t have to take a lot of detailed notes while you are talking; it will
also help when we write up a summary of this interview. We will also record what happens on
the computer screen that we are sharing. We are not using webcams, so it will just record you
clicking on answers to questions. Only project staff will have access to the recordings and other
project materials. These materials will be destroyed once we have completed the project.
Finally, some of the researchers developing the questions are here today observing our
interview to learn if there are things that might need to be changed to improve the survey
questionnaire.
There’s a sheet of paper in the FedEx envelope that has “Consent to Answer Questions to be
used in a Survey of Mortgage Borrowers.” It contains all of the things I just told you about your
rights in this interview. Please read it over and let me know when you finish. If you have any
questions, please ask.
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE RESPONDENT.
AFTER RESPONDENT FINISHES,

Do you agree to participate in this interview and to have the

interview recorded?
IF RESPONDENT ANSWERS NO, TERMINATE INTERVIEW.

The date and time is _______. Now
that the recorder is running, let me ask again, do you agree to participate in this interview. Is it
okay with you if we record this interview?
TURN ON AUDIO RECORDER AND START WEBEX RECORDING.

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Reactions to Survey Packet
Research Questions
 Is there anything confusing or unclear in the cover letter and survey cover?
 Do respondents understand the purpose of the survey?
 Do respondents have any concerns about completing the survey?

Before we get to the survey itself, I’d like you to open Envelope #1. It contains a letter and
questionnaire. For the actual survey, this is what would be mailed to people. Unlike you, they
would not know ahead of time that they were getting it.
In addition to the letter and questionnaire, the envelope would contain a $10 bill as a token of
appreciation.
If you received this in the mail at home, what would you do?
IF NEEDED: read it, toss it, respond to the survey right away, set it aside to respond to later, etc.
What reactions, if any, do you have to what’s inside the envelope?

Cover Letter
Okay, now I’d like you to read the cover letter. Let me know when you’re finished.
What do you think of the letter? What, if anything, grabs your attention?
What, if anything, is confusing or unclear?
If you received this in the mail, would you choose to complete the paper survey or to complete it
online? Why?

Survey Cover
Now I’d like you take a few moments to read the text on the cover of the stapled survey. Just the
first page—no need to flip it open. Let me know when you’re finished.
What do you think of the cover?
What, if anything, is confusing or unclear?

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Think-Aloud Completion of Questionnaire
Now, I’d like you to complete a shorter version of the survey on the computer. It’s here on the
screen, and I’m going to give you control so that you can answer the questions. You just move
the mouse and click on the answer you want. If you decide to change your answer, you can do
that as well. You can scroll up and down to move around the survey.
You may notice that the questions are only on the left side of the page. That’s just to make it
easier to scroll through the survey. When we mail the actual survey to people, it will have two
columns of questions side-by-side.
As I mentioned before, we’re interested in what you’re thinking while you’re filling out the survey.
So, I’m going to ask you to think out loud. It would be helpful if you could tell me about any
reactions—good or bad—that you have to the survey and the questions in it. You don’t have to
read the questions themselves out loud—just tell me what you’re thinking as you go through the
survey. I may sometimes interrupt you with a question.
WHILE THE RESPONDENT COMPLETES THE QUESTIONNAIRE, MAKE NOTES ON:
 Any comments spoken aloud;
 Any difficulty following skip items;
 Any hesitation answering;
 Any questions left blank, and
 When respondent changes an answer.

For now, please answer it the way you would if I wasn’t here
listening. I’m making a note of your question, and after you finish the survey, we’ll talk about it.
IF RESPONDENT ASKS A QUESTION,

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General Retrospective Probing
Thank you for completing the survey. Now I’m going to ask you some questions.

Overall Impressions
Research Questions
 What items are difficult for respondents for respondents to understand? What makes them difficult?
Signs of difficulty include: re-reading the question stem, voicing that a question is difficult to answer
 What items are difficult for respondents to answer? What makes them difficult?
Signs of difficulty include: taking a long time to answer, difficulty mapping answer to response options

First, just tell me your overall impressions of the survey.
IF NEEDED, PROBE ON SURVEY ORGANIZATION, INSTRUCTIONS.

Items and Skip Instructions
Was there anything in the survey that was unclear or confusing? What was unclear?
Were there any questions that seemed repetitive to you? Which ones?
How easy or difficult was it to follow the skip instructions? IF DIFFICULT, What was difficult and
why?

Targeted Retrospective Probing
INTERVIEWER NOTE: [BRACKETED NUMBERS IN GREEN] ARE ORIGINAL ITEM NUMBERS; ONLY
INCLUDED TO FACILITATE LATER ANALYSIS.

Now I’d like to talk about some of the questions in the survey. We may go out of order, but let’s
start back at the beginning.
TAKE CONTROL BACK ON WEBEX AND SCROLL THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRE AS PROBING.
FIRST, ASK SCRIPTED PROBES, WORKING THROUGH THE ENTIRE QUESTIONNAIRE.
(IF THE ITEMS WITH SCRIPTED PROBES ALSO HAD ISSUES THAT AROSE DURING THE THINKALOUD, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO GO AHEAD AND PROBE ON THOSE. USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT
IN TERMS OF TIME MANAGEMENT.)
NEXT, ASK ABOUT ANY OUTSTANDING ISSUES FROM YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND THE
RESPONDENT’S THINK-ALOUD COMMENTS.
CHECK CHAT FOR ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE OBSERVERS.

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Questionnaire with Embedded Probes
1.

At any time in 2020 did you have a mortgage
loan?
[1]

 Yes, I had (or still have) at least one mortgage loan
 No, I did not have a mortgage loan
on any property
Go to 44 on page 10

Research Questions
 Question 5 [NEW5] are new items. Explore any issues that
emerge.
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

Question 2 [2]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

2.

Which one of these reasons best describes why
you took out this mortgage? If you had more than
one mortgage during that time, please refer to your
experiences with the mortgage you took out the
earliest as you complete this survey.
[2]








To buy a property
To refinance or modify an earlier mortgage
To add/remove a co-borrower
To finance a construction loan
To take out a new loan on a mortgage-free property
Some other purpose (specify) _____________

Question 5 [NEW5]

How did you decide on your answer to
Question 5?

___________________________________
3.

[3]

When did you take out this mortgage?

_______/______
month
year

4.

[NEW4]

About how much do you think this property is
worth in terms of what could it sell for now or the
sale price if you sold it?
$________________. 00
 Don’t know

5.

[NEW5]

Did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your
assessment of the worth of this property?





No effect
Yes, worth is higher because of the pandemic
Yes, worth is somewhat lower because of the pandemic
Yes, worth is a lot lower because of the pandemic

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Mortgage Forbearance
6.

Earlier this year, in response to the Covid-19
pandemic, many borrowers were able to obtain a
forbearance (a temporary suspension, reduction, or
pause in making mortgage payments).
Did you get a forbearance?
[19]

 Yes
 No

7.

Question 6 [19]

Were any of the following a reason you did
not or could not get a forbearance?

[21]

Yes

No

Did not know about it

Did not think I needed it

Uncertain about how the delayed
payments would be repaid

Concerned all delayed payments had to be
paid in full at the end of forbearance

Concerned about the effect on my
credit score

Received another form of mortgage
relief

I did not qualify

Other (specify) ____________________ 




REASON FOR CHOICE OF “NO.”







Yes

No











Did you find the explanation in the parentheses
helpful or not helpful? Why?

Were there any questions in this section about
mortgage forbearance that were not clear or
difficult to answer?

What was the time period of your initial
forbearance?

Which ones? What made them
unclear/difficult?
IF YES,

When you got your forbearance, did your lender
or mortgage servicer, the company that sends you
your mortgage statements…
[23]

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Is there another term you use or have heard for
temporarily stopping or lowering a mortgage
payment? Where did you first hear it?

Mortgage Forbearance Section

[22]

Offer only one time period option
Make it clear what would happen at the end
of the forbearance period and how to
repay suspended payments
Provide you with a written forbearance
agreement

Were you familiar with the term “forbearance”
before this study?



 3 months
 6 months
 Other ______ months

10.

Do you have an agreement with your
lender about missing payments or paying a
lower amount? PROBE AS NEEDED TO DETERMINE
IF NO,



How did you apply for forbearance?

On the phone with a live person
Automated phone system
Online portal
Other (specify) _________________

9.

Tell me about your answer to this question.

[20]

Skip to 15
8.

Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 Are respondents familiar with the term “forbearance”?
Is the parenthetical explanation in Q6 [19] clear?
 Do respondents have any difficulty answering Q6 [19]?
Per recruitment criteria, we would expect respondents to
answer “Yes.” If they don’t, why not?
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

Yes

No













Question 7 [20]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

Question 8 [21]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

7

11.

[24]

What is the current status of your forbearance?

 Took forbearance, but continued to make regular
payments  Skip to 15
 Still in initial forbearance period
 In an extended forbearance period
 Out of forbearance

12.

When your forbearance period ends or has
ended, which of the following best describes how
your deferred or reduced payments will be repaid?
[25]

 Paid or will pay the deferred amount due at the
end of forbearance
 Set up or plan to set up a repayment plan
 Already have or plan to get a loan
modification
 Paid or will pay off the deferred amount with a
refinance, home sale or when loan is paid off

Question 11 [24]

 Unsure/Don’t know

13.

How confident are you that you will be able to
repay the deferred payments?
[26]

 Very

14.

 Somewhat

Not
Already
 at all  paid off

How satisfied were you with the process of
getting and working through the forbearance?
[27]

 Very

 Somewhat

 Not at all

Difficulty Making Mortgage Payments
15.

[28] Did you have any concerns or face any
difficulties making your mortgage payments in
2020? If you would have had difficulties making your
payment without forbearance, please answer yes.

 Yes – had concerns or difficulties
 Yes – would have had concerns without forbearance
 No
Skip to 25

16.

When did you start having concerns or
difficulties making the mortgage payments?
[29]






Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 Do respondents understand the distinction between an
initial and extended forbearance period in Q11 [24]?
 Do respondents understand what Q12 [25] is asking?
o Are respondents able to map their answers to the
response options? If not, why not?
o If respondents select “Unsure/Don’t know,” why? Is an
appropriate response option missing, or do they not
know? If unsure, how would they have answered if
the last response option was just “Don’t know”?
 Q15 [28] serves as the gateway to Q17-Q24 [30-37], which
are key items.
o Do respondents notice the instruction to treat this item
as a hypothetical if they are in forbearance?
o Do respondents have any difficulty answering?
Per recruitment criteria, we would expect respondents
to answer “Yes.” If they don’t, why not?

2019 or earlier
Jan – March 2020
April – June 2020
July 2020 or later

In your own words, what is the difference
between an “initial forbearance period” and an
“extended forbearance period”?
Question 12 [25]

How easy or difficult was it to answer Question
12? What made it easy or difficult?
IF ANSWERED UNSURE/DON’T KNOW,

Tell me more
about how you decided which answer to
choose. IF RESPONDENT INDICATES THEY KIND OF
KNEW BUT WERE UNSURE, If this last option only
said “Don’t know,” would your answer have
changed? How would it have changed and
why?
IF NEEED, Tell

me about what will happen when
your forbearance ends.
Question 15 [28]

In your own words, what is Question 15
asking?
Tell me about how you
decided between the two yes options.
IF ANSWERED YES,

If you hadn’t gotten
forbearance, do you think you would have been
worried about making your mortgage
payments?
IF ANSWERED NO,

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17.

When you had concerns or faced difficulties in
2020, what happened to the mortgage payments?
[30]

 Made all payments on time
 Made partial payments (in forbearance)
 Made all payments, but made one or more late
payments
 Did not make all my payments

18.

Did any of the following raise concerns or make
it difficult to make your mortgage payments?
[31]

Yes

No

Layoff, unemployment, or reduced
hours of work

Retirement

Business failure

Separation, divorce, or partner left

Illness, disability, or death of someone
in your household

Disaster affecting this property

Increase in required mortgage payments

Payments for other mortgages
(e.g. HELOC, 2nd mortgage)

Payments for other large debts

Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic

Other unexpected expenses not listed above
(specify)__________________________
Other loss of income not listed above
(specify)__________________________ 

19.






Question 17 [30]





Question 18 [31]

How easy or difficult was it to answer Question
17? IF DIFFICULT, What made it difficult?

What reaction, if any, did you have to Question
18?





Tell me more about your answer to the row that
asks about COVID-19.



In your own words, what is the “COVID-19
pandemic”?



Did you do any of the following to address your
concerns or difficulties paying this mortgage?
[32]

Yes

Borrowed money from family or friend
Borrowed from or cashed out a retirement
account
Took out a home equity loan/line of credit
Borrowed money somewhere else
Rented out part of the property or added
roommates
Put the property up for sale
Sold other assets
Delayed making any major purchases
Negotiated lower or delayed payments on
expenses/debts (not your mortgage)
Reduced other expenses/purchases
Increased work hours
Started a second job
Started a new or better paying job
Received unemployment benefits

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Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 Are the response options in Q17 [30] mutually exclusive
and exhaustive? Will respondents in forbearance who
stopped paying be reluctant to select “Did not make all
my payments”?
 How well does the inclusion of COVID-19 in Q18 [31]
work?
o How do respondents interpret “COVID-19”?
o Does the inclusion of COVID-19 confuse
respondents?
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

No





































Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

9

20.

Other than discussions about forbearance, did
you have any other contact or talk with your
lender/servicer related to your concerns or
payment difficulties?
[33]

 Yes
 No

21.

Skip to 25

Term “Servicer”

Did you discuss any of the following with your
lender/servicer to address your concerns or
payment difficulties?
[34]

Yes

A loan modification

Refinancing your mortgage

Available government programs

Financial counseling

Debt consolidation

A way to get caught up on missed
payments

Selling or giving up the property

Other (specify) __________________
______________________________ 

22.

[35]

No

Don’t
Know























No

Don’t
Know





















Questions 20- 23 ask about the lender-slashservicer. In your own words, what is a servicer?
Is that a term you’ve heard before?
Question 21 [34]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

Did the lender/servicer offer you…
Yes

A repayment plan to make up
missed payments

A pre-approved plan to modify your
mortgage payment permanently

A way for you to apply to modify your
mortgage payment permanently

A way to sell the property to satisfy
the mortgage

A way to give the property to the
lender to satisfy the mortgage


23.

Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 Are respondents familiar with the term “servicer” (or
remember the definition from Q10 [23])?
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

Overall, how satisfied were you with your
interactions with your lender/servicer?
[36]

 Very

 Somewhat

 Not at all

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24.

Were any of the following a challenge to you in
getting help to address your concerns or payment
difficulties?
[37]

Yes

No

Not knowing how or where to apply
for programs

The application process for programs
was too much trouble

Did not think I qualified for any program

Did not feel comfortable talking with the
loan servicer

Was told I did not qualify for a program

Turned down for the programs I applied to 
Difficulty getting the correct documents
submitted in a timely fashion

Loan servicer was unable or unwilling to
help me

Difficulty in reaching or communicating
with loan servicer

Loan servicer gave inconsistent or conflicting
information

Other problem (specify) ______________
___________________________________ 











26.



Compared to January 2020, how would you
describe your situation today?

[45]

Still own property and have a mortgage
Still own property but no mortgage
Skip to 35
In the process of foreclosure now
No longer own the property
Skip to 37
Other _________________

Question 25 [44]

Tell me about your answer to Question 25.
Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

How easy or difficult was it to tell which
question you should answer next?
IF DIFFICULT, What made it difficult?
Did you have any problems figuring out what
questions to skip and what questions to
answer over the next few pages?

Did you ever consider selling this property?

 Yes
 No

27.

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,



[44]







Question 24 [37]



The Property/Mortgage Today
25.

Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 Do respondents have any difficult following the skip
instructions at Q25 [44]?
o This serves as the gateway to the remaining items in
this section, which are key.
 Do respondents have difficulty following the subsequent
skip patterns in these sections?
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

Skip to 28

Were any of the following a reason you did not
consider selling this property?
[46]

Not enough equity in the property
Selling is too much trouble, very stressful
Problems were not yet severe enough to
warrant selling
Wanted to stay as long as I could/try to
work out problems

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Yes

No















11

28.

Compared to January 2020, how would you
describe the loan terms and lender on this
mortgage? If you got a forbearance, do not consider
this a change in the terms of your loan.
[47]






29.

Same terms, same lender
Same terms, different lender
Different terms, same lender
Different terms, different lender

Question 28 [47]

Skip to 32

At any time in 2020, did you ever consider
changing the loan terms or lender on this
mortgage?

Tell me how you decided on your answer to
Question 28.

[48]

 Yes
 No

30.

Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 Do respondents understand the distinctions between the
response options in Q28 [47]?
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

How confident are you about your answer?
How would you know if the terms or
lender changed on your mortgage?
IF NEEDED,

Skip to 35

Did you take any specific action to change the
loan terms or lender?
[49]

Question 31 [50]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

 Shopped around for rates, information, etc.
 Talked with a lender/servicer and was told I did not
qualify
 Applied but withdrew the application
 Applied but was rejected by the lender/servicer
 Applied, was accepted, but decided not to change
 Did not take any action

31.

Were any of the following a reason you did not
or could not change the loan terms or lender?
[50]

Not enough income to qualify
Low credit score, credit issues
Too much other debt
Savings not worth the cost or hassle
New loan not better than what I had
Low appraisal/home value
Other (specify) ________________

Yes








No








Skip to 35

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12

Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

Changed Lender/Loan Terms
32.

When did you change the loan terms and/or
lender?
[51]

Question 34 [53]

______ / ______
Month / Year

33.

[52]

How does the new loan compare to the old loan?
Higher

Monthly payment
Principal balance
Interest rate
Remaining years/months on loan

34.

Tell me about your answer.
Did you consider selecting any of the
other options? Why or why not?
IF OTHER SPECIFY,






Same

IF NEEDED,

Lower











Did you change the loan terms and/or lender for
any of the following reasons?
[53]

Could not afford to make the payments
Divorce, separation, or partner left
Death of a household member
Illness or disability
Job loss
Avoid foreclosure
Other (specify)__________________

Yes

No

















Still Own the Property
35.

How likely is it that in the next year or two you
will…?
[54]

Very

Sell your property
Move but keep your property
Refinance the mortgage on
your property
Pay off your mortgage and own
property mortgage-free
Lose your property because you
cannot afford the payment

36.

Somewhat

Not
at all




























Did the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic cause
you to do any of the following?
[55]

Delay or cancel a major home improvement
or remodeling project
Delay or cancel maintenance
Delay or cancel a planned move or sale
of your property
Sell investment property or second home
Take out a home equity loan/line of credit

Yes

No















Skip to 43

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13

No Property/No Mortgage
37.

What happened to the property you no longer
have?
[56]

 Sold the property at reduced price agreed to by
lender (short sale)
 Sold the property - regular sale
 Property in foreclosure now
 Property was taken in foreclosure
 Gave home to lender to cancel mortgage debt
(deed-in-lieu, mortgage release, "cash for keys”)
 Walked away and let the lender have the property
 Other _________________________

38.

[57]

Question 37 [56]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

Question 39 [58]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

When did this happen?
_____/______
Month / Year

39.

Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?

Considering the decision to end the mortgage,
would you say the decision was primarily…
[58]

Question 40 [59]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?
IF OTHER,

 Your or your family’s decision
 Lender or servicer’s decision
 Other ___________________________

40.

Which of the following best describes why you
no longer have this property?
[59]

 Owed more on the loan than the property was
worth or could sell it for
 Could not afford the mortgage and related expenses
(maintenance, taxes, condo fees, etc.)
 Could afford the property, but no longer have it for
other reasons (specify)__________________
_______________________________________

41.

Do you currently own or rent your primary
residence?
[60]

 Own
Skip to 43
 Rent
 Live with family or friends

42.

When do you think you might purchase another
primary residence?
[61]






1 – 2 years
3 – 5 years
Over 5 years
Never

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14

43.

Would any of the following events cause you to
consider buying sooner or at all?
[62]

Yes









Increase in income/more hours at work
Improved credit score
Saving more for a down payment
Paying off other debts first
Lower interest rate
Lower required credit score
Other (specify) ________________

No









Research Questions
 With the exception of Q44 [63], these are new items.
Explore any issues that emerge.
 If respondent selects “Other, please specify” option, why?
 Is the list of pay types exhaustive in Q45 [70] ? Is the
inclusion of employee types (i.e., contract worker and
self/employed) in the list of types of pay confusing?
 Is the list of work statuses in Q46 [71] exhaustive?
 How do respondents interpret “beginning of 2020,”
especially if pay/ status changed before the pandemic?
 Do respondents have any difficulty answering the items
in the “Your Household” section?

 Nothing, will not buy again
Question 43 [62]

Did you consider choosing any of the
other answers listed? IF YES, Why did you
decide on “Other”?

Your Household
44.

[63]

IF OTHER,

What is your current marital status?

 Married
 Separated
 Never married

Your Household Section

How easy or difficult was it to answer the
questions in the “Your Household” section?
IF DIFFICULT, Which one(s) were difficult to
answer? What made it difficult?

 Divorced
 Widowed

Please answer the following questions for you
and your spouse or partner, if applicable.

Question 45 [70]

45.

If you were working at the beginning of 2020 how
were you paid? Mark all that apply.
[70]

You

46.

Spouse/
Partner

Salary
Commissions
Bonus
Contract worker
Hourly wages
Tips
Self-employed/other

















Not working





What was your work status at the beginning of
2020? Mark all that apply.
[71]

Self-employed full time
Self-employed part time
Employed full time
Employed part time
Retired
Unemployed, temporarily laid-off,
furlough
Not working for pay (student,
homemaker, disabled)

You

Spouse/
Partner





















ASMB 2020 Cognitive Testing Protocol 2020.07.15.docx

How easy or difficult was it to answer Question
45? IF DIFFICULT, What made it difficult?
IF SELECTED “SELF-EMPLOYED/OTHER,” Tell

me
about your answer to this one. IF NEEDED, Were
you answering “Self-employed” or “Other”?
IF NEEDED, Was

there anything missing from this
list? Anything you were surprised to see?
Question 46 [71]

How easy or difficult was it to answer Question
46? IF DIFFICULT, What made it difficult?
Timeframe for Questions 45 [70] and 46 [71]

When you were answering Questions 45 and
46, what timeframe were you thinking about?
Did you have the same work status for all of
January and February of this year?
IF APPLICABLE, Did your spouse/partner?
IF WORK CHANGED AT BEGINNING OF 2020, How did
you decide your answer? Which time period
were you thinking about?
15

47.

Did you experience any of the following in 2020?
Mark all that apply
[72]

You

Reduced hours at work
Reduction in pay
Temporarily laid-off, furloughed
Job loss, unemployment

48.

49.






Spouse/
Partner






What is your work status today? Mark all that
apply.
[73]

You

Spouse/
Partner

No change from beginning of year





Self-employed full time
Self-employed part time
Employed full time
Employed part time
Retired
Unemployed, temporarily laid-off,
furlough
Not working for pay (student,
homemaker, disabled)





















Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.
 Do respondents understand the term “non-relatives” in
Q49 [75]?
 Are respondents able to map their answers to the
response options in Q50 [76]?
o e.g., What answer do respondents choose if they had
a child under the age of 18 move into the household?

Question 49 [75]

Let’s look at the next-to-last response option in
Question 49: “Non-relatives.”
In your own words, what does “non-relatives
mean?
Question 50 [76]

How easy or difficult was it to answer Question
50? IF DIFFICULT, what made it difficult?
What’s your
relationship to the person(s) who moved in?
IF SELECTED “SOMEONE ELSE,”

Besides you (and your spouse/partner), who else
is a permanent resident in your household? Mark
all that apply.
[75]








Children/grandchildren 12 and under
Children/grandchildren 13 -18
Children/grandchildren age 19 or older
Parents of you or your spouse or partner
Other relatives like siblings or cousins
Non-relatives

 No one else

50.

Has anyone temporarily moved into your home?
Mark all that apply.
[76]






Adult children
Grandchildren
Parents
Someone else

 No one

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16

51.

[77]

In 2020, did any of the following happen?

Marriage, remarried, or new partner
New permanent addition to your
household (not spouse/partner)
Death of household member
Separation, divorce, or partner left
Other person left your household
(not spouse/partner)
Disability or serious illness of a
household member

52.

No





















DOUBLE-CHECK THE CHAT FOR ANY QUESTIONS
FROM THE OBSERVERS.

In 2019, what was your total annual household
income before taxes?
[80]








53.

Yes

Research Questions
 These are new items. Explore any issues that emerge.

Less than $35,000
$35,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $174,999
$175,000 or more

What do you think your total annual household
will be in 2020 compared to 2019?
[81]







A lot higher
Somewhat higher
Same
Somewhat lower
A lot lower

54.

[82]

How likely is it that your total annual
household income in 2021 will return to what it
was in 2019?
 Very likely
 Somewhat likely
 Not at all likely

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17

Respondent Story
Research Questions
 How did the respondent hear about forbearance?
 How did they get forbearance?
 How is forbearance working out for them?
 Where are they today?

We’re done with the questionnaire. Now I’d like to hear from you about your experiences with
forbearance.

Process of getting forbearance
In your own words, please tell me how you first heard about forbearance and what you did to
get forbearance.
PROBE AS NEEDED TO GET FULL PICTURE OF FORBEARANCE PROCESS.

Life with forbearance today
Tell me about how things changed—or didn’t change—after you got forbearance.
Do you feel like having forbearance is helpful? Why or why not?
In terms of your mortgage, how are things right now?
Do you have any concerns or problems right now with your mortgage? IF YES, Tell
me about them.
IF NEEDED,

Closing
DOUBLE-CHECK THE CHAT FOR ANY REMAINING QUESTIONS FROM THE OBSERVERS.

That is all the questions I have for you. Is there anything we haven't discussed that you would
like to mention?
DISCUSS ANY RESPONDENT COMMENTS.

VENDOR should be sending your $75 to you soon. Please reach out to them with any
questions. If you have other questions, our contact information is provided on that very first form
we looked at.
Please throw away everything else we sent you. IF ENVELOPE #2 NOT NEEDED, Envelope #2 was
something we sent you just in case we had technical difficulties. You can throw it away too.
STOP AUDIO RECORDER AND WEBEX RECORDING.

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18