Group Quarters Residency Halls Focus Groups Plan

The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). We will conduct focus groups with college students. This is part of a larger research project that aims to develop the best methods to evaluate the coverage of group quarters population as part of the Census Bureau’s coverage measurement program in 2020.

The purpose of the larger research project is to help develop the most feasible method to evaluate the accuracy of the census count in living arrangements known as “group quarters,” defined as places where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. Group quarters (GQs) can include, but are not limited to, federal detention centers, residential treatment centers, college/university student housing, domestic violence shelters, group homes, and military barracks.

The proposed study will build upon a multi-method study that was utilized in connection with the 2010 Census to address the larger research question of how to evaluate the accuracy of census coverage in university housing. As part of that effort, an ethnographic study (including observation, in-depth interviews with student residents and residence hall staff), a small scale census coverage measurement-like survey and a post enumeration debriefing focus group were conducted. (The letters requesting approval for these research studies were submitted to OMB on March 10^th and March 30, 2010.) One of the major finding was that college students use technology to communicate in ways that should be considered when trying to solicit their participation in a survey.

The major goal of this new research is to explore how survey researchers can capitalize on this group’s prolific use of communication technologies to effectively reach and conduct surveys with this group. This includes exploring the types of communication technology that students deem appropriate for surveying them and the communication messages used.

This study will be conducted at the University of Texas at Austin in late April, 2011. Up to five focus groups, comprised of between four and eight students, will be conducted on campus by Dr. Keri Stephens, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies, who conducted the original ethnographic research at University of Texas, Austin. The same university was chosen due to the availability of convenient and target sample. This is a non representative sample and cannot be used to generalize to the larger college student population. A copy of the protocol that will be used to guide the focus groups is enclosed.

Participants will be recruited from the Department of Communication Studies participant pool that includes students from all majors on campus who are taking a required basic communication course. The students in this pool can choose among studies to receive extra credit by participating in research.

The focus groups will be audio-taped and transcribed. Participants will be told that their participation is voluntary and that the information they provide will be confidential. A copy of the consent form they will be asked to sign is enclosed. The participants will not receive monetary incentives but course credit for participating in this research.

A maximum of 40 students will be recruited to participate in focus groups The estimated time for completion of each focus group is about one-half hour. Thus, the maximum estimated burden for this research is 20 hours (40 participants X half hour).

The contact person for questions regarding this data collection is:

Anna Y. Chan

Research Social Scientist

Statistical Research Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20233

(301) 763-8462

anna.y.chan@census.gov