Focus Groups for attitudes, opinions, perceptions and awareness about VA

Whitman Insight Strategies

DDB Chicago – Ad Council

Veteran Spouse/Loved One Screener

Respondent Specs for recruiting:

RECRUIT 6 PARTICIPANTS PER EVENING

RECRUIT 2 “FLOATERS” PER EVENING

INTERVIEWS LAST 30 MINUTES PER

RECRUIT 2 SPANISH-LANGUAGE INTERVIEWS PER EVENING

Tentative Schedule

TBD

WHITMAN INSIGHT STRATEGIES

DDB Chicago – Ad Council – Spouses/Loved Ones IDIs

IMPORTANT NOTES TO RECRUITER:

• If respondent asks who is conducting the research, tell him/her that it is being conducted by Whitman Strategies, an independent opinion research company, on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”) and conducted by a third-party. Instruct respondent that the information collected will be kept private to the extent of the law. No personal identifiers will be disclosed to the VA.

• If respondent terminates at any of the following questions, please politely terminate but attempt to get a name and reference (telephone or email) for a fellow area-vet, or a family member/loved one that might be willing to participate:

• (IF RESPONDENT CANNOT PARTICIPATE) “I’m sorry that you cannot attend, but do you know of any friends in the area who have served, or any of your loved ones or family members that might be interested in participating? They will be paid $75 for their time.”

• When pronouncing VA – say each letter separately “vee-ay”

PARTICIPANT SCREENER

Name:

Address:

City/State/Zip:

Phone Number:

Date:

Recruited By:

Hello, my name is ( __________ ) and I’m calling from ( ____________ ). We’re conducting a study on different issues in the area, and would like to include your views. I can assure you that we are not trying to sell you anything. If you are invited to attend the group discussion planned for this project, you’ll be paid $75 on the spot for voicing your opinions.

S1. Do you have any family or loved ones who have served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces? Active duty includes serving in the U.S. Armed Forces as well as activation from the Reserves or National Guard.

1. Yes

2. No THANK & TERMINATE

S2. What is your relationship with him or her?

1. Wife

2. Husband

3. Girlfriend (include Fiancé)

4. Boyfriend

5. Mother

6. Father

7. Friend (THANK AND TEMINATE)

8. Other _______(THANK AND TERNIMATE)

RECRUIT A MIX

S3. In which branch or branches did he/she serve on active duty? {ACCEPT MULTIPLE RESPONSES}

1. Army

2. Navy

3. Air Force

4. Marine Corps

5. National Guard/Reserves

6. Coast Guard

S3-1. And to the best of your knowledge, when your family member or loved one left service, did he or she do so….

1. Under honorable discharge

2. Under general discharge

3. Under dishonorable discharge TERMINATE

4. Through another means (SPECIFY______________)

5. Don’t know TERMINATE

TERMINATE IF ANOTHER MEANS INCLUDES DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE

S4. What is your age? ______________ (Record Age)

1. Under 18 {THANK & TERMINATE}

2. 18-24

3. 25-29

4. 30-34

5. 35-39

6. 40-44

7. 45-49

8. 50-54

9. 55-59

10. 60-65

11. 66-69

12. 70+

S4-1. And how old is your loved one who served?

1. Under 18 {THANK & TERMINATE}

2. 18-24

3. 25-29

4. 30-34

5. 35-39

6. 40-44

7. 45-49

8. 50-54

9. 55-59

10. 60-65

11. 66-69

12. 70+

S4-2. Code Respondent Type

1. Vet under 45

2. Vet 45 or over

S5. [GENDER]: {BY OBSERVATION}

1. Male

2. Female

S6. And to the best of your knowledge, during which time periods did your spouse or loved one serve in the U.S. Armed Forces?

[DO NOT READ. RECORD TIME PERIOD AND VERIFY BELOW]

	Time Period	Conflict	Yes, Served [CHECK BOX]
1	September 2001 – Present	Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq)
2	1990 to 2001	First Persian Gulf War
3	1975 to 1990
4	1962 to 1975	Vietnam
5	1955 – 1962
6	1950 to 1955	Korean War
7	1947 to 1950
8	1941 to 1946	World War II
9	Before 1941

[INTERVIEWER’S NOTE: FOR EVERY TIME PERIOD MENTIONED BY RESPONDENT THAT HAS TEXT IN CONFLICT BOX—VERIFY BY ASKING RESPONDENT IF HE/SHE SERVED DURING CONFLICT]

S6-1. Code Spouse Veteran Type:

1	Today’s Vets	Male Age 55+
2	Gap Year Vets	Male Age 35-54 S6=2,3 S6 does not = 1
3	Next Generation Vets	Male or Female Under 45 S6=1

RECRUIT A MIX OF SPOUSES/LOVED ONES FROM ACROSS THE VETERAN SEGMENTATION

S7. Has your spouse or loved one that served ever applied for or used any benefits through the VA (say “vee-ay”) or Department of Veterans Affairs?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t know {DO NOT READ}

S8. [IF YES in S7] Please tell me which benefits your spouse or loved one has applied for from the VA, and which he/she have actually used… (DO NOT READ LIST)

	Applied For	Used
Health care
Life insurance
Home loans
Education or training
Vocational rehabilitation
Burial or memorial benefits
Disability compensation
Pension
Dependent benefits
Transition assistance

RECRUIT MIX

S8-1. Which of the following income groups reflects your TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME last year before taxes? (Just stop me when I read the correct category.)

{READ CODES 1-7}

1. Less than $25,000

2. $25,000 to less than $50,000

3. $50,000 to less than $75,000

4. $75,000 to less than $100,000

5. $100,000 to less than $150,000

6. $150,000 to less than $200,000

7. $250,000 or more

8. Don’t know {Do not read} {THANK & TERMINATE}

9. Refused/NA {Do not read} {THANK & TERMINATE}

S9. How would you describe your race?

1 White

2 Black or African-American

3 Asian

4 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

5 American Indian or Alaskan Native

6. Hispanic or Latino Yes/No

7 Other {Do not read}

8 Don’t Know {Do not read}

9 Refused {Do not read}

RECRUIT MIX

S10. And when you are at home do you primarily speak…

1. English only

2. More English than Spanish

3. More Spanish than English

4. Spanish only

S10-1. Thinking about your media consumption habits, such as watching TV or reading a newspaper, do you typically consume media…

1. In English only

2. More in English than in Spanish

3. In English and Spanish equally

4. More in Spanish than in English

5. In Spanish Only

PARTICIPANTS FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE GROUPS MUST ANSWER S10=3-4 AND S10-1=3-5

S11. One last question, changing the subject a little bit: If you could have dinner with any famous person, living or dead, who would you have dinner with and why?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IN ANSWERING THE ABOVE, RESPONDENTS MUST BE ABLE TO EASILY AND CLEARLY EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS.

THANK AND RECRUIT