Information Collection Form

Attachment 1
Request for Approval under the “Fast Track Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine
Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0136)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:
Communication of hazard information and other factors influencing consumer decision making
in online purchases
PURPOSE:
On Behalf of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Fors Marsh Group is
conducting ethnographic intercept interviews and individual in-depth interviews with primary
caregivers of children aged 3-6 years. The primary objective of this study is to better understand
what they look for when purchasing household items (both toys and non-toys) that their children
may have access to and their reactions to warning labels on these items. We are also interested
in understanding parents’ suggestions for improving warning labels to make them more useful.
The data from this study will assist CPSC in developing more effective warning labels for
products sold online used by or accessible to young children. This study will take place in two
phases.
Given that most CPSC product safety hazard regulations were initially drafted to regulate the purchase of
toys in brick and mortar stores, it is important to first understand how consumers are interacting with
product safety information in this setting. The long-term goal of this research is to be able to update
product safety hazard guidelines to be inclusive of online sales but also to still reflect how safety hazard
guidelines are interpreted through the sale of toys in general. We see this initial research in brick-andmortar stores as laying the groundwork for the questions and hypothesis we bring into the online research
phase.

BACKGROUND:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public against
dangers associated with consumer products. CPSC research shows that emergency departments
across the United States treated approximately 251,366 toy-related injuries in 2017 and that
approximately 36% of those cases were for children 0 – 4 years-old. 1 Some data suggests that
parents purchase toys regardless of labels that indicate the toy is hazardous for their child’s age
group. 2 Factors that influence the effectiveness of warning labels include warning location and
vividness along with familiarity with the warning message. 3

1

Retrieved from: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/2017-Neiss-datahighlights.pdf?3i3POG9cN.rIyu2ggrsUkD1XU_zoiFRP
2
Langlois, J. A., Wallen, B. A., Teret, S. P., Bailey, L. A., Hershey, J. H., & Peeler, M. O. (2016,). The Impact of
Specific Toy Warning Labels. JAMA. 1991;265(21):2848–2850. doi:10.1001/jama.1991.03460210094036
3
Argo, J. J., & Main, K. J. (2004). Meta-Analyses of the Effectiveness of Warning Labels. Journal of Public Policy
& Marketing,23(2), 193-208. doi:10.1509/jppm.23.2.193.51400

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By way of ethnographic intercept interviews and individual in-depth interviews, CPSC seeks to
better understand (1) what safety information consumers look for in traditional and online
shopping experiences for both toy and non-toy products and (2) how to translate that information
in an effective manner to provide recommendations about how to improve communication of
safety information in online shopping experiences. Many consumers today use online purchasing
platforms to research and buy consumer products. Several factors (e.g., lack of warnings about
the potential safety hazards) impact whether consumers are well-informed about product’s
potential risks and intended users. Ultimately, CPSC is interested in understanding the type,
placement, and content of online information that should be presented to help consumers make
informed decisions before they purchase a product.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: For the CPSC Communication of Hazard Information
and Other Factors Influencing Consumer Decision Making in Online Purchases interviews,
primary caregivers of children between the ages of 3-6 years will be included. Participants will
be interviewed either in the ethnographic intercept interviews or the individual in-depth
interviews (IDIs):
•

Sixteen caregivers will participate in the 10-minute intercept interviews.

•

Twenty-four caregivers will participate in the 60-minute individual interviews.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)
[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form

[ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software

[] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group

[X ] Other: Individual Interviews

CERTIFICATION:
I certify the following to be true:
1. The collection is voluntary.
2. The collection is low burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.
3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal
agencies.
4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.
5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential
policy decisions.
6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have
experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.
Name:
To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:
Personally Identifiable Information:
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1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No
2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the
Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No
3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Gifts or Payments:
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [X] Yes [] No ($15 for intercepts and $45 for in-depth interviews)
Participants in the ethnographic intercept interviews will receive $20 for about 10 minutes
of their time. Participants in the individual interviews l receive $75 for about 60 minutes of
their time.
BURDEN HOURS
Ethnographic Intercept Interviews
Category of Respondent

No. of Respondents

Participation Time

Burden

Screened participants who did not
qualify

48 (three times the
final participant
sample)

2 minutes per
participant

2
hours
and
40
minutes

10 minutes per
participant

2
hours
and
40
minutes

Screened participants who qualified 16
and did participate in the study

Individual In-Depth Interviews
Category of Respondent

No. of Respondents

Participation Time

Burden

Screened participants who did not
qualify

72 (three times the
final participant
sample)

10 minutes per
participant

2
hours
and
40
minutes

60 minutes per
participant

24 hours

Screened participants who qualified 24
and did participate in the study

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $_________.
Total estimated cost to the government for conducting the data collection is as follows:
Number of Participants
Total estimated cost of conducting interviews
Cost per completed Participant includes $15-$45 stipend

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40

This estimate is based on the total cost of the conducting the interviews, divided by the specified
number of completed participants.
If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please
provide answers to the following questions:
The selection of your targeted respondents
1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential
respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X]Yes [ ] No
If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If
the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of
respondents and how you will select them
For the ethnographic intercept interviews, participants will be recruited from a privatelyowned toy store and asked if they would like to participate. All participants will be primary
caregivers of at least one child between the ages of 3-6 years. Recruitment will involve the
following strategy. Our research team will set-up a table either just inside or just outside of the store
we choose for recruitment. Strategy #1 will be to verbally greet customers as they walk by and say,
“would you be interested in answering a few questions in exchange for a gift card?” Depending on
customer traffic and the effectiveness of strategy #1, we will also walk around the store and greet
customers with the aforementioned message.

For the individual in-depth interviews, participants will be recruited from Fors Marsh
Group’s participant panel. All participants will be primary caregivers of at least one child
between the ages of 3-6 years. This recruitment plan maximizes our ability to recruit the
target audience.
Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[ ] Telephone
[X] In-person
[ ] Mail
[ ] Other, Explain
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [ ] No
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the
request.

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