Census Tests 17/18 & 20 Pretesting Plan

The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). The objective of this research is to conduct cognitive testing on some of the materials for the 2013 Census Tests (also known as Tests 17/18 and 20), a part of the Census Bureau’s 2020 Census Research and Planning program. The goals of the 2013 Census Test will be to test various alternate contact strategies and modes with the intent of optimizing self-response and to test several research questions for nonresponse follow-up (NRFU). The NRFU research question of interest here is whether reordering the coverage questions based on tract or block level census information or administrative record information could improve within household coverage.

There are two parts to this cognitive interviewing study. The first is testing content for email and text messages that will be sent out as a part of the 2013 Census Tests. The goal of this is to test for comprehension, saliency and sensitivity. The second is to test the possible reordering of the coverage probes for the NRFU research questions. The goal of this part of the study is to understand if reordering changes how the questions are understood.

In September and October of 2012, staff from the Census Bureau will conduct a maximum of 40 cognitive interviews with respondents in the Washington, DC metro area. In order to test respondents from the general public, we plan to conduct interviews in the lab as well as in neutral locations, for example, non-profit service providers, libraries, and churches. We will recruit a diverse set of respondents, varying on demographics such as age, education, income and race. We will also recruit populations for whom the undercount and overcount probes are particularly relevant. These include people with newborn babies or foster children, roommates, adult children, grandparents who need assisted care and general complex household compositions. Based on recruiting, we will order the coverage probes in ways that would simulate how they may be ordered based on census or administrative record data for the 2013 test.

For the first part of the interview, respondents will be asked to read alternative paper versions of emails and text messages. They will be probed about their reactions to the content of the message and the mode of its delivery. For the second part, the NRFU questions will be administered by the researchers. Respondents will be probed about the coverage questions. The exact information used to order the probes is yet to be determined. For question 7, each option will be ordered first in at least 5 interviews. Questions 32 through 38 will each be asked first in the series for at least four respondents. Otherwise, the ordering will remain unchanged. The draft materials to be tested and the protocol are enclosed.

Cognitive interviews will be tape-recorded, with the participants' permission, to facilitate summary of the results. All participants will be informed that their response is voluntary and that the information they provide is confidential. Respondents will receive $40 for their participation.

The estimated time for completion of each of the cognitive interviews is an hour. Thus, the estimated burden for this research is 40 hours.

The contact person for questions regarding data collection and study design is:

Jennifer Hunter Childs

Center for Survey Measurement

U.S. Census Bureau

Room 5K020A

Washington, D.C. 20233

(301) 763-4927

jennifer.hunter.childs@census.gov