Housing Search Process for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Task Order GSA Contract No. C-NYC-00936-004
UI No: 08577-004-00
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Submission for Housing Search Process for Racial and Ethnic Minorities Large Scale Cognitive Testing and Qualitative Interviews
Part A: Justification
July 22, 2015
Prepared for:
Judson James, PhD
Government Technical Representative
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Policy Development and Research
451 Seventh St, SW
Washington, DC 20410
Prepared by
Maria Krysan
University of Illinois Chicago
Molly M. Scott
Josh Leopold
Martha Galvez
Jessica Luna
The Urban Institute
A1. CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAKE THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION NECESSARY 4
A2. HOW, BY WHOM, AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE THE INFORMATION IS TO BE USED 5
A2.2 PURPOSE OF THE DATA COLLECTION 6
A2.3 WHO WILL USE THE INFORMATION 7
A2.4 INSTRUMENT ITEM-BY-ITEM JUSTIFICATION 7
A4. EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY DUPLICATION 18
A5. METHODS TO MINIMIZE THE BURDEN ON SMALL BUSINESSES OR OTHER SMALL ENTITIES 18
A6. CONSEQUENCES IF DATA ARE NOT COLLECTED 18
A8. FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES 19
A9. REMUNERATION TO RESPONDENTS 23
A10. ASSURANCES OF CONFIDENTIALITY 23
A11. QUESTIONS OF A SENSITIVE NATURE 26
A12. ESTIMATES OF THE BURDEN OF THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION 26
A12.1 ESTIMATE OF RESPONDENT BURDEN HOURS 26
A13. TOTAL ANNUAL COST BURDEN TO RESPONDENT OR RECORD KEEPERS 27
A14. ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL COST TO THE GOVERNMENT 28
A15. REASONS FOR ANY PROGRAM CHANGES OR ADJUSTMENTS 28
A16. PLANS FOR TABULATION, ANALYSIS, AND PUBLICATION 28
A16.1 PLANS FOR TABULATION & ANALYSIS 28
A16.2 PLANS FOR PUBLICATION 29
A17. APPROVAL TO NOT DISPLAY THE OMB EXPIRATION DATE 31
A18. EXCEPTION TO THE CERTIFICATION STATEMENT 31
APPENDIX A. HOUSING SEARCH STUDY MODULES 33
Recent Mover Cognitive Test Protocol 39
Current Searcher Cognitive Test Protocol 56
APPENDIX B: IN DEPTH INTERVIEW PROTOCOL (CONSENT FORM AND INTERVIEW GUIDE) 95
APPENDIX C: HOUSING SEARCH LOG 108
APPENDIX D. DIR DATA SECURITY PLAN 111
This supporting statement provides detailed information on proposed data collection activities associated with the study on the Housing Search Process for Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Task Order #4 of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Indefinite Quantity Contract on Housing Discrimination Studies (C-NYC-00936-004). The study is being conducted by the Urban Institute (UI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, in collaboration with its team of subcontractors from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the University of Washington (UWA), and Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR), for the Office of Policy Development and Research at HUD.
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act) prohibits discrimination in the rental market based on race and/or ethnicity and charges HUD to study the nature and extent of discrimination (Sec. 808. [42 U.S.C. 3608]). HUD fulfills this obligation using multiple methods, including its flagship paired-testing studies. These rigorous experiments (Turner et al. 2002; Turner et al. 2013) have shown that people of different racial/ethnic groups are treated differently by landlords and real estate agents.
However, as stated in the RFP for this task order, understanding racial and ethnic differences in the housing search process is important to address a common critique of these studies. National HUD-funded studies of housing discrimination routinely measure their results assuming a common search pattern defined by the testing protocols and executed by both the minority tester and the nonminority tester. As a result, we do not know whether the stages of the process captured by the audit studies map on to what people actually do when they search for housing.
At some point in a housing search, an individual interacts with a landlord in the way that the audit studies capture, but the interaction may not come about in the manner assumed by an audit study methodology (i.e. finding a listing on the internet or in the newspaper). We also know nothing about how the searcher decided to inquire about the unit, what factors shaped that decision, how the searcher interprets the interaction with the landlord, and how this interaction shapes the searcher’s subsequent housing search decisions. In other words, while we know a great deal about what happens in terms of race/ethnicity at the point of the interaction between a prospective tenant and landlord, we know very little about what precedes and follows that interaction and how these factors ultimately affect housing outcomes.
Beyond the need to better design future fair housing testing and enforcement efforts, a sound understanding of the dynamic and often iterative housing search process is needed for other reasons as well. HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling, as well as the Office of Housing Choice Vouchers, among others, needs to better understand housing search processes to inform their policies and practices aimed to “build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination” and help racial/ethnic minorities overcome barriers they may experiences in the housing market. In addition, HUD needs guidance on how to leverage its own regular data collection efforts, like the American Housing Survey, to document the complexities of the housing search process at scale nationwide.
Because so little is known about housing search, the research team has developed a multi-pronged approach to pilot innovative methods, while beginning to build understanding of potential differences in the process by race and ethnicity and how HUD programs might adapt its protocols for fair housing testing and re-shape its programs and policies.
First of all, the research team will analyze existing datasets including the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the American Housing Survey (AHS), and the Chicago Area Study (CAS). These analyses leverage these surveys’ strong sampling design to provide estimates of prevalence as well as statistically valid tests of racial/ethnic differences in the population for the very limited number of housing search related variables.
In addition to these analyses, the research team plans two original data collection activities designed specifically to begin fleshing out a more detailed conceptual framework for the housing search by: 1) exploring dimensions completely absent in existing survey data, 2) gathering information at different time points during active housing searches—a technique yet untested— and 3) engaging only respondents who are currently searching or have moved in the past 2 months to improve upon the often nebulous reporting windows of the existing survey data. For example, the AHS asks respondents to report on their search behavior and priorities up to 24 months after the search is complete, and the CAS, while providing the most detailed information about search processes, asks respondents to recall searches happening as much as 10 years after the search.
In many ways, this venture feels qualitative in nature, yet HUD needs data and information that goes beyond very small anecdotal samples and lays meaningful groundwork for large-scale traditional survey methods in the future. For this reason, we propose two original exploratory data collection activities which complement each other and achieve these ends.
The Housing Search Study (HSS) will consist of 525 half-hour, 1-time phone cognitive testing interviews with diverse respondents who have moved into a rental property within the last two months. In addition, the HSS will follow 175 people actively engaged in a search for a rental property over a period of up to 28 days. The number of cognitive testing interviews for current searchers will depend on the status of each respondent’s housing search. All respondents will participate in an initial interview at time 1 (to last 30 minutes) and will receive a follow-up call two weekends later at time 2 (to last 20 minutes). Only respondents who are still actively searching at time 2 will receive a follow-up call at time 3 (also to last 20 minutes). Cognitive tests with current searchers are designed to map the iterative and dynamic qualities of housing search.
In-depth interviews will consist of 1-time, 1-hour long in-person conversations with 48 respondents identified through the first two original data collection efforts to explore the narratives surrounding the most salient racial/ethnic differences in the housing search process and outcomes that emerge from early analyses of data from the cognitive tests.
The goal of the original data collection activities is not to estimate the prevalence of racial/ethnic difference in the housing search, but rather to develop a nuanced understanding of the process and identify potential drivers of racial/ethnic differences in order to inform the design of future fair-housing testing methodologies, potential points of intervention for HUD programs, and suggest directions for future research.
In addition, the substantial time and high cost that would be associated with screening general population samples for relatively rare population characteristics (e.g., a very recent mover and/or someone who is actively searching for housing) make a probability sampling design highly impractical for the Housing Search Study cognitive tests.
As a result, convenience sampling is both the most appropriate and most cost effective way for the research team to identify respondents for the Housing Search Study cognitive tests. 1 Similarly, the research team will use purposive sampling from these tests to select respondents for the in-depth interviews.
All original data collection activities will be conducted in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The research team selected the area for this exploratory work for several reasons. First, D.C. is a diverse metropolitan area both in terms of its racial/ethnic composition and geographic features, and has a concentration of renters (35%) similar to the nation as a whole (32%). Represented in the region are quite diverse sub-markets, some with very high foreclosure rates (e.g. Prince George’s County) and others (e.g. Arlington, the District of Columbia) where the housing market has bounced back rather quickly. This permits us to examine patterns for the processes in different types of areas. In addition, there are efficiencies for conducting Housing Search Study recruitment and the fielding of the in-depth interviews in the metropolitan area in which the project manager, the research analysts, and assistants are geographically located.
This submission requests approval for original data collection tasks 1 and 2—the Housing Search Study (HSS) and the in-depth interviews—for this exploratory study. The data collected will dovetail with other planned analyses of secondary data to provide large-scale, nuanced information to address the task order’s research questions as articulated in the RFP:
What are the primary ways racial and ethnic minorities search for rental housing?
To what extent are these patterns different from the housing search patterns of whites?
What parts of these search patterns would be easy to document? What parts would be hard to document?
What can be clearly demonstrated or inferred about the consequences of these differences for relative housing opportunities?
What can be clearly demonstrated or inferred about the consequences of these differences about the ability to test for enforcement purposes?
What can be clearly demonstrated or inferred about the consequences of these differences about appropriate educational programs?
What are the most promising areas for further research, both on substantive importance grounds and feasibility of available research strategies?
Findings from our data collection efforts will all culminate in a final report that will inform multiple aspects of HUD policy and local practice. First, HUD’s Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Office will use the information to inform fair housing enforcement and the design of its paired-testing methodology for future studies of racial/ethnic discrimination in the rental housing market. Second, HUD’s Housing Counseling and Housing Choice Voucher Office will be able to identify the types of potential interventions that its programs might pilot to assist racial/ethnic minorities in overcoming obstacles during their housing search process that might negatively affect their housing outcomes. Third, HUD’s Policy Development and Research department will have insights from these exploratory analyses—including the methods used and the types of questions asked— to leverage for adding to or improving standing data collection methods that have the potential to provide greater—and statistically valid—estimates of housing search inequalities. Fourth, HUD will be able to identify subsequent research needs to better understand the dynamics of housing search as well as racial/ethnic differences in this process.
Our exploratory data collection methods are designed to complement each other, as well as our analyses of existing survey data, in order to minimize duplication and respondent burden while maximizing the usefulness of the data to HUD.
There is considerable overlap in the aspects of housing search explored with recent movers and current searchers. However, the way the information is captured is very different depending on the type of respondent. The interviews with recent movers have the advantage of greater numbers of respondents that will allow us to examine how race/ethnicity may interplay with other potential drivers of differences in housing search behaviors, including income, age, and household composition. The interviews with current searchers will be significantly smaller in scale, but are designed to capture finer grained details about the housing search, and enable documentation of changes in priorities and expectations over time because of its repetition of core questions at different time points throughout respondents’ active housing searches.
The in-depth interviews complement the Housing Search Study’s cognitive tests by providing a vehicle to understand the how and why behind trends in racial/ethnic differences that surface in these data collection efforts. Qualitative methods are much stronger in their ability to construct coherent narratives to explain how multiple factors combine to shape housing search.
The remaining parts of this section carefully explain each item in the Housing Search Study’s cognitive tests and the in-depth interviews to justify each question's importance and alignment with our other data collection and analytic methods. The instruments are included as Appendix A (Housing Search Study Module) and Appendix B (in-depth interview module).
EXHIBIT 1. Item by item justification for Housing Search Study |
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Question(s) / Topic(s) |
Content and justification for inclusion |
SEARCH CONTEXT |
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Individual Characteristics
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Screening Questions
We begin the survey with several screening questions to determine respondents’ eligibility for the study and to place them into the correct modules. First, we establish that the respondent has either recently moved into a rental unit in the DC metropolitan area within the last two months (recent movers) or is currently looking for a rental unit in the area (current searcher) (Q S1 S2, S5). We have also decided to screen out renters living in subsidized public housing complexes (S3) because their unit is typically assigned by the housing authority. Involvement in search (S6) is necessary to ask of all potential respondents to determine if they will be able to answer the questions effectively; if someone was not at all involved in their search or does not expect to be involved at all (e.g. their spouse will make all the decisions), then we cannot expect to obtain reliable information about the housing search from the respondent. Racial and ethnic background (S7, S8) is asked because it is the central research question of the study- how housing search processes vary for different racial and ethnic groups. These questions are in the screener because we are stratifying the sample to ensure an adequate number of black, white, and Latino respondents. Household composition (S10) is asked both because it is critical context for the search and also because, although we are not stratifying the sample by household composition, we may need to cap certain types of respondents, like single adults, to make sure we have a diverse sample. We ask for age (S9) so that we can diversify our type of respondents and avoid having all of one type of renter (e.g. recent college graduates searching for housing in the D.C. area) within our study respondent pool. Similarly, we want to avoid having a high number of respondents that are short-term renters in the D.C. area, thus our question about the amount of time that a respondent intends to stay in their current residence (for recent movers) or their new one (for current searchers) (S4). We also ask about recruitment method (S12) in order to track referrals and ensure that our respondents are not all coming from the same source (e.g. Craigslist), which would mean that many of our respondents would be much too similar in their search methods and approaches. The Household Income (S11) question will be used to stratify the sample to make sure that we have an appropriate mix of higher, medium, and lower income renters since we know that the rental search process is dependent on what range of units are affordable to the searcher and that, without stratifying, there are likely to be significant differences in income across racial and ethnic groups (Squires 2002).
Demographics We include basic demographic questions, such as age (D1), gender (D2) and marital status (D3), because they will be important for understanding our respondent universe and for controlling for variables besides race and ethnicity that could play a key part in housing search. A more nuanced income level (D4) is more likely to be answered at the conclusion of the survey rather than up front, so we probe for this question a second time to increase the likelihood that respondents will answer—this will boost our analyses. U.S. citizenship status (D7) is relevant in that recent immigrants may not have as strong social networks outside of their own ethnic group and may also search for more informal housing than citizens. Education (D5) is another social marker for income and socioeconomic status and may also reflect differences in choices that different groups make or different search methods (e.g., the use of the internet). Employment status (D6) is important to note whether or not a respondent has steady income, or is able to devote time to searching. We ask about disability status (D8) because we know that is a factor that limits the availability of housing and because discrimination against people with disabilities in the housing market is of policy interest to the Obama Administration. We also ask about the availability of automobiles (D9) because we want to analyze the impact of access to a car on the rental search process, because it is a potentially important aspect of the process that has not been previously studied.
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Housing Search Context
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Current (pre-move) residence (street, city, zip) (Q5) is asked of recent movers to determine where they lived before and analyze differences in neighborhood moves by race to determine if there are significant differences in the racial composition or neighborhood qualities that whites vs. minorities move to. We also need this information to determine their eligibility for the study to make sure they live within the area we have determined we are examining. Current residence is asked of current searchers for similar reasons, to compare where they began and ended their search (or to determine, for those whose searches are unsuccessful, if there are correlations among neighborhoods for those unsuccessful searchers). We also ask for housing type and lease status (Q2) to test a hypothesis that racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to live in large, professionally managed apartment buildings and more likely to seek informal leasing arrangements. Reason for the move (Q6) is asked to determine if there are racial differences between reasons for moving. We ask recent movers about their timeline to ascertain the level of stress and truncation that the respondent went through in their search; we ask it for current searchers at baseline in order to be able to analyze later if stressful searches lead to certain trends in housing search methods and if they vary by race. Financial Health (Recent movers Q 36; Current Searchers Q9) is important to capture for recent movers to find out what external factors limited the search that they underwent; for current searchers, we can have a better understanding of what their housing search constraints will be and can use that variable to investigate how these barriers affected search outcomes (obtained in T2 or T3). Section 8 status (Recent movers Q 37; Current Searchers Q10) is asked because the presence of a section 8/housing choice voucher allows low-income renters to rent units that would otherwise be unaffordable to them, but it may present particular constraints for the housing search (e.g. the voucher must be used within 60 days, the landlord may not accept the voucher), which could factor into outcomes and should be a variable in our analyses. Additionally, the housing search process of voucher households is an important policy issue for HUD. For recent movers of color (Q37), and current searchers (Q11), we ask if they think people of their racial or ethnic group have as a good a chance as whites to get any housing they can afford to assess whether respondents believe that discrimination is common in the housing market and how that belief affects their processes for finding housing (e.g., relying more on social networks and less on public listings).
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DECISION MAKING
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Initial Parameters
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For our current searchers, in order to have a reference point at which to refer back to in T2 and T3, it is essential to obtain their Initial preferred location (Q16, baseline), Initial preferred unit characteristics (Q17, 18, 19,20, baseline), and Initial preferred neighborhood characteristics (Q21, baseline). To our knowledge, no other studies have prospectively followed searchers within a truncated time period in a non-qualitative fashion (save among certain low-income populations studied as part of mobility experiments). This original data collection will allow us to determine racial and ethnic differences in the search process in real time. Analysis of AHS data has shown that blacks and Hispanics tend to report similar levels of satisfaction in their housing unit and neighborhood as whites. These questions, repeated over time, will help us understand if blacks and Hispanics have lower expectations at the outset of their search or are more likely to lower their expectations during the search process.
We also ask if respondents having a difficult time meeting all their criteria are more likely to adjust their criteria by expanding their price range (Q62, baseline), reducing their expectations for their housing unit, or reducing their expectations for their neighborhood.
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Whether to start, stop, or continue searching
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For recent movers, this will be a retrospective accounting, asking respondents to recall where they were hoping to look at the start of the search. For current searchers, however, we can more confidently measure any adjustments to search criteria about their neighborhood preferences and unit preferences, because we will ask respondents multiple times to report whether they are still searching and what their preferences are. If current searchers adjust their responses about the importance of different unit or neighborhood factors in T2 or T3 we will ask them why these factors became more or less important to them (Q10, Q11, still searching; Q 11, Q18 done searching). This will reduce problems of recall and retrospective rationalizations inherent in most studies of housing searches (AHS, PSID, etc.) and even to some extent among our recent movers.
We ask for searchers who are still searching at T3 why they are still searching (Q39); for those who have stopped searching and have not found a home, we also ask why they think this is the case and their expectations for a new move in the future, (done searching Q64-66).
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INFORMATION GATHERING
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How information was gathered
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Past research has shown that Blacks are more likely to find their housing unit through word of mouth than whites. However, little is known about how exactly renters of different races and ethnicities find housing and how the use of social networks influences residential segregation.
We ask specific questions targeting use of social networks, both for searches in general, and for the specific units that recent movers selected (Q43-44) and current searchers who are successful use ( Q21-22, Done searching). These are highlighted because little is known about how people use social networks during their search and who in particular in their network is involved. We also ask about the race/ethnicity of the person who told someone about the unit they moved into in order to discern if there are differences or similarities among racial groups in who is more likely to obtain information from within or outside their racial group for housing. We also ask about online social media usage (recent movers Q 45, Q53; baseline Q19, Q21; still searching Q21, Q25; done searching Q33, Q35) because while it is known that different racial groups may use different social media tools in different ways, the extent to which this difference manifests during the housing search process is not known. |
What kind of information was sought/gathered and subjective evaluation of the information gathering process
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We also ask a series of questions about how respondents inquired about units they were interested in. We ask how many inquiries they made, how they contacted the property owner (email, phone, in-person (recent movers Q59; baseline Q 31, still searching Q33, done searching, Q27)) and how difficult they found it to get the information they were looking for (recent movers Q 60; done searching Q38). We ask these questions to test the hypothesis that blacks and Hispanics will have a more difficult time finding the information they are looking for through their inquiries.
We also ask about the specific neighborhood features recent movers (57) and current searchers sought more information about. This will help us determine if searchers actually seek additional information about neighborhoods or rely on their existing perceptions. It’s also a way to use revealed preferences to determine what neighborhood features are most important to respondents.
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Subjective evaluation of the efficacy of the search process and experiences and options
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We ask respondents overall how difficult it was to find available units that they liked in their price range (Q61 recent movers; Q 77 still searching; Q 59 done searching). We will analyze how these responses differ by race and ethnicity after controlling for income. Given our interest in racial/ethnic differences in the search, and the evidence that minorities experience more discrimination, we will include direct questions of searchers about their perceptions of unfair treatment due to their race/ethnicity. Importantly, we will include questions that directly assess the extent to which these perceptions result in individuals modifying their behavior during the information gathering process in order to avoid discrimination. (Recent movers Q65, still searching Q33, done searching Q52)
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EVALUATING OPTIONS
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What characteristics were used to evaluate the options (note: Initial parameters described in Decisionmaking Section)
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We ask both current searchers (Baseline Q 31; still searching Q15; done searching Q27, 37) and recent movers (Q 58, Q59) to report the number of units and neighborhoods that respondents consider to determine if there are racial differences. We also ask about the number of units they visited in-person (Q 26-38 still searching; Q43-57 done searching). For recent movers we ask general questions about respondents’ experiences visiting units (Q63, Q64). For the current searchers, we have the unique opportunity to ask respondents specific information about individual visits that occurred since their last interview. This will give us detailed information about experiential differences by race and ethnicity. We will ask respondents about their general experiences visiting units, how they were treated(Q 31, 32 still searching; Q 50, 51 done searching), and whether they decided to continue searching in that neighborhood after the visit (still searching Q 8, 9, 10, 28, 29; done searching Q 39, 40, 48, 49). We also ask if they decided to make an application for the unit and the outcome of that application (Still searching Q34-38).
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FINAL OUTCOME
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Details of the outcome
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We ask of current searchers at the second time wave if they are still searching for housing in order to determine whether they should receive the “Still Searching” or “done searching” module (Screening Questions). If they are done searching, we ask if the search was successful and they found a new unit or not, so that we may be able to compare groups based on their outcomes and analyze differences between successful and unsuccessful searches, by race.
Unit characteristics (number of bedrooms, rent of household, location) is asked of current searchers who are done searching (Q, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15) to determine how well this matches up against the initial stated preference of the searcher and if this varies by race, ethnicity, or other variables. The location of the new unit will also be obtained in order to determine neighborhood differences by racial/ethnic groups (done searching Q 3).
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Relationship between ideal characteristics and the outcome
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For respondents who have successfully moved, we ask a series of questions about their satisfaction with their new home and their neighborhood (Recent movers Q 7-32; done searching, Q 8, 9, 12, 16, 19). We then probe for those items that respondents note that they did not get what they had hoped for or they are unsatisfied with in their new home. Importantly, we ask recent movers about their thoughts on the racial/ethnic composition of their neighborhood and record open-ended answers for those who say it was better/worse than they hoped for, in order to capture how neighborhood racial and ethnic mix affects recent movers.
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Subjective Evaluation of the Search Process
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We ask both recent movers and current searchers about their overall measures of satisfaction (Q76, recent movers) with the housing search process itself, specifically asking them to rate the extent to which a housing search was perceived as difficult (Q40, current searchers still searching; Q58, current searchers done searching) and directly probing on whether issues of racial/ethnic discrimination were salient to them (recent movers Q78-81; current searchers still searching Q43-46; done searching Q60-63). An important factor in assessing the housing search process is also its length. For recent movers, we will ask this as a global question (Q34) and for current searchers we will calculate the length given the dates that the respondent offers for the start and end of their search (Q1 of done searching) (except for those current searchers those that are still searching at T3).
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EXHIBIT 2. Item-by-item justification for in-depth interview guide protocol |
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Question(s) / Topic(s) |
Content and justification for inclusion |
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MODULE 1: Movers Respondents who completed a search and moved to a new location |
Module 1 Intro/opening Q1 |
The opening question asks participants who recently completed a move to describe their overall perception of their recent search experience. This question is meant to encourage and help participants share information about the search context and the respondents’ evaluation of the final outcome. Specifically, the individual circumstances and experience of the move that can shed light on the context in which the move took place and allow the respondent to feel more comfortable sharing their story with the interviewer. Main research domains: Housing search context, individual characteristics, details and evaluation of the final outcome. |
Module 1 Recent Move Decisions Qs 2, 3, 4 |
The Recent Move questions ask respondents who recently completed a move to explain why they decided or needed to move, the details of their initial response to the need/decision to move, and to describe where they moved. In particular, these questions encourage respondents to describe why they chose the neighborhood they moved to, whether they considered or disregarded other neighborhoods, and to discuss why they like or dislike the neighborhood they ultimately moved to. The answers to these questions will shed light on whether move motivations or the need for involuntary moves vary by race/ethnicity in ways that may impact search strategies or outcomes, and whether there are variations in neighborhood preferences or perceptions of neighborhood characteristics. Main research domains: Search context, individual characteristics, decision making, evaluating options. |
Module 1 Search Strategies 5a-f |
A key component of this study is to identify specific housing search strategies, and how those strategies may vary by race in ways that impact final housing outcomes. In this section, respondents will be provided opportunities to first identify any search strategies they used during their recent search, and then will be encouraged to describe and demonstrate these strategies in detail wherever possible (primarily for newspaper or on-line searches, where respondents can walk interviewers through their search approaches). An additional component of the housing search questions is to explore how information was used to contact housing providers or identify housing opportunities, and respondents’ subjective assessments of how effective different search strategies were for them. Main research domains: Information gathering, evaluating options. |
Module 1 Constraints & Tradeoffs 6,7,8,9,10 |
Another key question for this research is the extent to which households of different races/ethnicities may face or perceive different sets of constraints on their moves, and whether these constraints impact how households approach the search process and experience outcomes. Perceptions of constraints may explain why households of different race/ethnicities pursue different search strategies or experience different housing outcomes. To that end, interviewers will ask respondents to describe any units or neighborhoods that they were unable to move to or disregarded during their search, and to describe any circumstances that they felt impacted their housing/neighborhood options. Respondents will be asked to elaborate on how these factors impacted their search parameters and decisions. Main research domains: Information gathering, evaluating options. |
Module 1 Future |
The last issue we will address in the in-depth interviews are plans for a future move, and the ways in which respondents may incorporate the experience of the recent move into any future housing search. Responses will shed light on variations in how different race/ethnic groups may view the final outcome. Main research domains: Final outcome. |
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Module 2: Non-Movers Respondents who conducted a housing search but did not move to a new location (stopped the search and remained in place) |
Module 2 Intro/opening Q 13 |
The opening question asks respondents who initiated a housing search but ultimately remained in their original location to describe why they made the decision to stop searching. An important aspect of our study is to understand variations in search outcomes; the decision to stop searching for housing and remain in place is a key outcome that may vary by race/ethnicity. To that end, interviewers will probe for personal, financial or other circumstances that may have led respondents to stop searching, satisfaction with the outcome, and information about whether the search experience itself led respondents to stop searching and remain in place. Respondents will also be asked whether they anticipate resuming the search, and why. Main research domains: Search context, individual characteristics, decision making. |
Module 2 Recent Search Decisions Qs 14, 15 |
The recent search decisions questions ask respondents who stopped their search without moving to explain why they initially decided or thought they needed to move, provide the details of their initial response to the decision to move, and to describe where they thought they wanted to move when they were still searching. In particular, these questions encourage respondents to describe why they searched in particular neighborhoods, and the role of neighborhood preferences. The answers to these questions will shed light on whether move decisions—motivations to start or end a search—may vary by race/ethnicity, and whether there are variations in neighborhood preferences or perceptions of neighborhood characteristics. Main research domains: Search context, individual characteristics, decision making, evaluating options. |
Module 1 Search Strategies 16a-f |
A key component of this study is to identify specific housing search strategies, and how those strategies may vary by race in ways that impact final housing outcomes. Respondents who stopped searching without moving may have used more limited searches, or used information from searches differently than “successful” searchers. To that end, respondents will be provided the same opportunities provided to searchers who moved to new housing to first identify any search strategies they used during their recent search, and then describe and demonstrate these strategies in detail wherever possible (primarily for newspaper or on-line searches, where respondents can walk interviewers through their search approaches). As with movers, questions will explore how information was used to contact housing providers or identify housing opportunities, and respondents’ subjective assessments of how effective different search strategies were for them. Main research domains: Information gathering, evaluating options. |
Module 1 Constraints & Tradeoffs 17,18,19,20 |
Another key question for this research is the extent to which households of different races/ethnicities may face or perceive different sets of constraints on their moves, and whether these constraints impact how households approach the search process and experience outcomes. For respondents who stopped searching without moving, perceptions of constraints may be particularly revealing. To that end, interviewers will ask respondents to describe any units or neighborhoods that they were unable to move to or disregarded during their search, and to describe any circumstances that they felt impacted their housing/neighborhood options or their decision to stop searching. Respondents will also be asked to discuss any resources that may have helped their search or changed their search outcome. Main research domains: Information gathering, decision making evaluating options, |
Module 1 Future Qs 21, 22 |
The last issue we will address in the in-depth interviews are plans for a future move, and the ways in which respondents may incorporate the experience of the recent search into any future housing searches. Responses will shed light on how respondents viewed the decision to stop searching, and to identify the types of resources that might help respondents in a future search. Main research domains: Final outcome, decision making. |
The study will have a webpage that potential respondents can go to at any time to learn about the study –who is conducting it and why— the token of appreciation you can expect to receive, the time it takes to participate, human subjects protections, as well as contact information for Decision Information Resources (DIR). Our recruitment efforts (see Part B) will also include an online presence with postings on partner organizations’ webpages that link to the study’s home page.
Once potential respondents call in, DIR interviewers will conduct the cognitive tests using computer-assisted telephone interviewing technology (CATI). The CATI questionnaire has built-in logic that automatically customizes the interview based on the respondent's answers to previous questions, streamlining the interviewing process. Using CATI technology will help ensure that the cognitive tests flow quickly and make answering questions easier for the respondent.
The research team believes that this mode of data collection is the easiest way for the respondents to answer the questions. A web-based study would not be appropriate because it would not allow the interviewers to appropriately test the questions for this exploratory study.
During the research design process, the research team spent considerable time scanning existing data sources and literature related to housing search to make sure to appropriately ground our proposed methodologies. We found—as HUD did during the process of developing the RFP for this contract—that very little data have been gathered to date on housing search behaviors and related differences among racial/ethnic minorities.
However, there are some secondary data sources—notably the American Housing Survey, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, and the Chicago Area Study—that touch on housing search tangentially. For this reason, we have chosen to leverage the strength of these study’s survey designs to contextualize the work on this project. We also have borrowed language from some of the related questions to test them in conjunction with much more detailed original questions on housing search developed for this study.
Our original data collection instruments are designed to cover many of the same domains, but complement each other in terms of the particular questions and analyses that they use. In order to carefully weed out duplication in the large-scale cognitive testing data collection, the research team aligned the questions by domain administered to recent movers and current searchers to make sure that the questions employed for each group are appropriately tailored to leverage the advantages of cognitive tests with respondents in different stages of their housing search. The result of this process is the side-by-side item-by-item justification displayed in the earlier section.
Not applicable. No small businesses or other small entities will serve as respondents for this study.
Not collecting the original data for this project will have several important consequences. First, HUD will be unable to address standing critiques to its paired-testing methodology for future studies of racial/ethnic discrimination in the rental housing market. Existing data on housing search is just not nuanced or detailed enough to inform these design issues. Second, HUD will not be able to clearly identify the types and timing of potential interventions that it’s Housing Counseling and Housing Choice Voucher programs might pilot and test to assist racial/ethnic minorities in overcoming obstacles during their housing search process that might negatively affect their housing outcomes. Third, HUD will not have the insights from this exploratory analysis— including the methods used and the types of questions asked—to leverage for adding to or improving standing data collection methods that have the potential to provide larger—and statistically valid—estimates of housing search inequalities. Fourth, HUD will not be able to identify subsequent research needs to better understand the dynamics of housing search as well as racial/ethnic differences in this process.
The proposed data collection activities are consistent with the guidelines set forth in 5 CFR 1320.6 (Controlling Paperwork Burden on the Public—General Information Collection Guidelines). There are no special circumstances that require deviation from these guidelines.
The data gathered through the Housing Search Study’s cognitive tests are quantitative in nature in order to facilitate description and simple analyses of a relatively large number of tests. However, these methods are not designed to produce valid and reliable results than can be generalized to the universe of the study for multiple reasons. First of all, this work is exploratory and meant to lay the groundwork for future HUD data collection and study, by providing insights into potential racial/ethnic differences in housing search as well as into the methods HUD should consider for detecting these differences in the general population. Second, there are no existing sampling frames that would allow the research team to identify the universe of renters who have either moved in the last 2 months or are currently moving over a limited 4-month field. Third, using random digit dialing to find these individuals among the general population would be prohibitively expensive given the resources allotted to this project.
Given these limitations, our approach of using large-scale cognitive tests with targeted recruitment and careful sample stratification is both appropriate for answering HUD’s research questions and cost-effective.
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-5758-N-06]
60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection:
Housing Search Process for Racial/ Ethnic Minorities
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, HUD.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.
DATES: Comments Due Date: July 4, 2014
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number and should be sent to: Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone 202-402-3400 (this is not a toll-free number) or email at Colette.Pollard@hud.gov for a copy of the proposed forms or other available information. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410; e-mail Colette Pollard at Colette.Pollard@hud.gov or telephone 202-402-3400. This is not a toll-free number. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Pollard.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in Section A.
A. Overview of Information Collection
Title of Information Collection: Housing Search Process for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Type of Request: New
OMB Approval Number:
Form Number:
Description of the need for the information and proposed use: It is suspected that differences between the rental housing search process employed by racial and ethnic minorities and other populations may have significant consequences for the housing opportunities available to minority households and the strategies needed to combat racial and ethnic discrimination. This is an exploratory inquiry into a topic that is not well understood and has not been a well-developed research topic. The findings of this study will help guide research toward a more comprehensive understanding of the rental housing search processes of individual households and will inform development of more effective enforcement strategies to combat discriminatory practices and will indicate ways to expand housing opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities.
Respondents: Recent movers and current housing searchers in large scale cognitive testing and a limited number of in-depth interviews of some members of the testing group.
Information Collection |
Number of Respondents |
Frequency of Response |
Responses Per Annum |
Burden Hour Per Response |
Annual Burden Hours |
Hourly Cost Per Response |
Annual Cost
|
Recent Movers |
525 |
1 |
1 |
.5 |
262.5 |
0 |
0 |
Ineligibles – screened out |
175 |
1 |
1 |
.0333 |
5.83 |
0 |
0 |
Current Movers – first wave |
175 |
1 |
1 |
.5 |
87.5 |
0 |
0 |
Current movers – second wave |
140 |
1 |
1 |
.33 |
46.2 |
0 |
0 |
Current movers –third wave |
98 |
1 |
1 |
.33 |
32.34 |
0 |
0 |
In-depth Interviews |
48 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
48 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
986 (700-Unique) |
|
|
|
482.37 |
0 |
0 |
There are no capital/start-up or ongoing operation/maintenance cost to respondent or record keepers associated with this data collection.
B. Solicitation of Public Comment
This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected parties concerning the collection of information described in Section A on the following:
(1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
(4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to these questions.
C. Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1701z-1 Research and demonstrations
Date: _May 5, 2014_________
_______________________________________
Jean Lin Pao
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Policy Development and Research
[FR-5758-N-06]
Given the anticipated difficulty of both identifying and recruiting respondents for the cognitive tests, all respondents will receive a $30 incentive per interview. Recent movers will receive a total of $30 and current searchers will receive up to $90, depending on the length of their housing search and the number of possible (up to three) interviews for current searchers to complete. Research shows that monetary incentives can help motivate response among indifferent respondents as well as ensure low rates of attrition for data collection over multiple time points like the cognitive tests administered to current searchers.
Two days after their initial interview and in addition to their first $30 incentive, current searchers will also receive a pen with the study logo/name on it and a housing search log (see Appendix C) that can be used to keep track of search locations. The log is intended to facilitate the recollection process involved in generating detailed information about the locations a respondent inquires about and visits, and to also create rapport and increase motivation for continued participation in subsequent interviews. The log is entirely for the respondent’s personal and voluntary use and not considered a data collection instrument under any circumstances.
Each of the respondents participating in in-depth interviews will receive an additional incentive of $50 in acknowledgement of the one hour of their time they contribute to the study. The amount is greater than that of the cognitive interviews to reflect the higher time burden incurred by respondents.
The information requested under this collection is protected in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974) and OMB Circular No. A-130. This data collection is also protected under the System of Records Notice (SORN), which HUD published in the Federal Register on April 2, 2015 (FR-5843-N-04). Detailed procedures used to obtain informed consent are discussed below. (Note: HUD’s authority to conduct research is the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970, Section 502 (Pub. L. 91-609; 84 Stat. 1784; 12 U.S.C. 1701z-1 et seq.) )
As previously indicated, the cognitive testing will be conducted by Decision Information Resources (DIR). UI maintains an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that research practices and procedures implemented by both DIR and UI effectively protect the rights and welfare of human subjects, consistent with the requirements set forth in Title 45, Part 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46). UI policy is that all research involving human subjects must adhere to the following principles, among others:
Risks to human subjects from research must be reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits, and must be minimized to the extent possible;
Human subjects must be fully and accurately informed of the nature of the research in which they will be involved, whether their participation is mandatory or voluntary, any consequences of non-participation, any risks associated with their participation, and how the research will be used;
Adequate provision must be made to protect the privacy of human subjects and to maintain the privacy of data that are collected, where promised and as appropriate.
In accordance with these policies, we will maintain the following consent procedures for the Housing Search Study cognitive interviews. The DIR interviewer will orally provide over the phone a clear overview of the study and its goals, the data security plan, the staff privacy agreement, and our methods for safeguarding anonymity in our reports and publications to all respondents. In addition, the DIR interviewer will stress the voluntary nature of their participation and make clear to all parties that there are no negative consequences for their person or household should they choose not to participate or discontinue their participation during the interview. After hearing all of this information, potential respondents will be asked to provide active consent. Those who decline will be thanked for their time and those who consent will continue to the body of the interview. These up-front consent procedures will be repeated at each time point for current searchers so as to ensure on-going active consent for all participants.
Current searchers will also be asked at the end of the first and-- if applicable-- the second cognitive test if it is all right for DIR to follow-up with them in another 10-14 days to check in on their housing search. These questions will only be asked if the current searcher has not indicated that he/she has ended his/her search at the time of the cognitive interview.
At the end of each interview, DIR will gather the address information needed to send the respondents’ incentive payments out, as well as the multi-mode contact information of current searchers if they have given consent to be contacted for a subsequent cognitive test.
In addition, upon completion of their last cognitive test (i.e. the only interview for recent movers or the last interview after an ended search for current searchers), the interviewer will also ask each respondent whether is it all right to contact him/her to participate in an in-depth interview. If the respondent gives consent, the interviewer will gather the respondent’s multi-mode contact information and provide general parameters for when he/she may be contacted for other data collection. Not all of those who have consented for the in-depth interview will be contacted; only a subset will be contacted after we analyze preliminary data from the HSS to identify types of respondents that are appropriate to contact for the in-depth interviews.
For the in-depth interviews, UI staff will first contact interested respondents by phone and provide an oral overview of all of the above points and also indicate that their interviews will be audio recorded and transcribed—a key difference with the cognitive testing data collection efforts. If potential respondents provide oral consent, UI staff will schedule an in-person in-depth interview at the location of the respondent’s choosing. If he/she declines over the phone, UI staff will thank the person for his/her time and not contact him/her again. At the time of the scheduled in-person interview, UI staff will again provide an oral overview of consent procedures and then solicit written consent from the respondent. All in-depth interview respondents must sign a form that explains all elements of informed consent. Respondents will keep a copy for themselves and UI staff will store the signed copy in a locked cabinet during the life of the project and will destroy the documents at the end of the task order. Respondents who provide written informed consent will proceed to the in-depth interview; those who do not will be orally thanked for their time and UI staff will leave and not contact these respondents again.
Another important element of ensuring the privacy of human subjects is safeguarding the information gathered from participants in this research effort. This includes not only their responses to individual questions for the cognitive tests or the in-depth interviews, but also any contact information they share with the interviewers. Individual data at DIR and UI will only be stored in-house on confidential drives with secure, encrypted data systems. In addition, testing responses and contact information will never be stored within the same data file.
With regards to sensitive, personal information collected in the interviews, DIR has rigorous data security standards in place (see Appendix D for a full description of DIR’s data security plan). These security standards include: limiting access to files to staff authorized to work on the project, training staff members on handling sensitive data, including a security training session before they are authorized to work on the project, and secured office areas for data storage. DIR maintains secured processes to assure sensitive data is not lost or mishandled, including requirements to protect sensitive information during transmission or transit. Data must be encrypted during transmission over the Internet, transfer by digital media, and while stored on portable devices. Additionally, DIR uses Unified Threat Management (UTM) devices at its network perimeter. The UTMs provide application control, gateway anti-malware, intrusion prevention and Web content filtering. Finally, backup media and archive media for all systems are stored in locked areas with access limited to DIR’s Information Systems Security Officer.
Similarly, DIR and UI will only share respondent-level information via secure, encrypted FTP. The interview data files that UI receives from DIR for completed recent-mover and current-searcher interviews will be stripped of identifiers and only provided numeric, user-created IDs; there will be no names or contact information such as phone numbers. The contact information for potential in-depth interview respondents that DIR will share with Urban will be kept in a separate file from all other collected data. With respect to the in-depth interviews that UI completes, these data files (interview transcripts and recording files) will be stored using user-generated IDs only; no names will be used in the file naming structure. The data gathered from the cognitive tests will be analyzed and reported exclusively in aggregate; the final report to be publically released will never single out a particular respondent. Similarly, everything in-depth interview participants share during our interviews will be treated as anonymous – that is, no comments will be attributed to individuals or presented using a combination of respondent characteristics that uniquely identify any respondent. In addition, the data files submitted to HUD at the end of the project—including in-depth interview transcripts—will be stripped of all personal identifiers.
The data security plan submitted with our Privacy Impact Assessment, which was approved by the Privacy Office on February 3, 2015, along with the SORN for this information collection, details technical and administrative procedures for safeguarding the privacy of personally identifiable information. Upon completion of the study and the end of the contract, all contact information and potentially identifying information will be destroyed in according with applicable regulations.
The cognitive tests and the in-depth interviews will all collect information about the race and ethnicity of the respondents because this is at the core of the task order itself which charges the research team with documenting racial/ethnic differences in the housing search process. Not gathering this information would render the contractor unable to answer HUD’s primary research questions. Each of the original data collection instruments solicits information about race and ethnicity compliant with OMB Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/ombdir15.html).
When we address barriers to the housing search in the baseline current searcher and recent mover module, we ask if the respondent or someone in the household has experience with the criminal justice system, as legal issues may often compromise one’s housing choices—such as the ability to use a Housing Choice Voucher, or the need to avoid apartment complexes that may do background checks. This question could be construed as sensitive, but we have asked about it in the broadest way possible and do not ask respondents to elaborate, simply allowing them to answer yes to “experience with the criminal justice system”. No other questions asked are of a sensitive nature.
A total of 525 recent movers will participate in the Housing Search Study. The average response time for each of these cognitive tests is 30 minutes. This will result in an estimated response burden of 262.5 hours (see Exhibit 1). Once approved by OMB, the instruments will be pre-tested by DIR with research team staff to test the flow and length of the interviews.
In addition, there will be approximately 175 current searchers participating in the Housing Search Study. The average response time in Wave 1 will be 30 minutes (0.5 hours); but wave 2 and wave 3 tests will last only 20 minutes (.33 hours). With attrition, we expect a response rate of 80% at Wave 2 and of 70% at Wave 3. Also, we estimate that 175 people will take the screening questions and be screened out of the survey; the screening questions are estimated at 2 minutes. In total, this will result in an estimated response burden of 450.03 hours (see Exhibit 3).
Respondents for the in-depth interviews will total 48 participants. The average response time we anticipate is 60 minutes. We estimate the total reporting burden for this stage of data collection to be 48 hours.
Exhibit 3. Cognitive Testing and In Depth Interview Respondent Burden Estimates |
|||
Description |
No. of Respondents |
Estimated Hours per Response |
Total Burden Hours |
Screened Out- Ineligible |
175 |
.033 |
5.83 |
Large Scale Cognitive Testing |
|||
Recent Movers |
525 |
.5 |
262.5 |
Current Searchers Wave 1 |
175 |
.5 |
87.5 |
Current Searchers Wave 2 |
140 |
.33 |
46.2 |
Current Searchers Wave 3 |
98 |
.33 |
32.34 |
In-Depth Interviews |
|||
Respondents |
48 |
1 |
48 |
Total |
|||
All Methods |
986 (700 unique) |
-- |
482.37 |
Total annual cost burden to respondents
We have stratified our targets for our convenience sampling for all original data collection methods equally across low, middle, and high income respondents. Consequently, we use 3 different wages to calculate total annual cost burden to respondents: the median hourly wages of workers in Washington, DC $29.79 an hour as the middle income wage, 80% of this wage or $23.83 an hour for the low-income wage, and 120% of the median or $35.75 an hour as the high income wage.2 Assuming these wages and an equal distribution of respondents by income in all data collection methods, we estimate total respondent cost to be $10,492.
There are no capital/start-up or ongoing operation/maintenance costs associated with this data collection.
The total contract cost to the government for this study, including but not limited to the data collection activities described in this submission, is $977,224 over a 22-month period. The annualized cost is $533,031. Included are costs associated with background research, evaluation design, development of data collection instruments, data collection activities, remuneration to study participants, analysis, and reporting. The estimated total cost to the government for the large scale cognitive testing comes to $515,218 and in-depth interview data collection is $82,683. These costs include background research, evaluation design, development of data collection instruments, data collection activities, remuneration to study participants, administration of the tests, analyses, and reporting.
This information collection also assumes a total of 800 hours of federal employee time for a GS-14, step 10 Senior Analyst at $65.53 per hour, for a total of $52,424 on an annual basis. Federal employee pay rates are based on the General Schedule of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for 2012. The total annualized cost (contract + HUD cost) is $730,188.
This submission is a new request for approval; there is no change in the burden.
DIR-- the research partner conducting the large-scale cognitive tests-- will provide regular bi-weekly feedback about the instruments themselves, including participants’ understanding of the questions, the ordering of the questions, and other issues that emerge throughout the testing process for respondents of different races and ethnicities as well as other key respondent characteristics.
The actual data collected from the Housing Search Study (HSS) and the in-depth interviews are also meant to describe the potential variation in the housing search process by race/ethnicity and understand how well different types of methodologies and questions capture information about this process for different racial/ethnic groups. While we do not intend to make estimates of the prevalence of particular search process patterns for particular racial/ethnic groups in a population, we do expect to run simple descriptive statistics by race/ethnicity for participants in the cognitive tests with different profiles to help guide the conversations about the trends we see within our convenience sample. Planned analyses of cognitive tests with recent movers and current searchers are described below.
The first step in our analyses of these data will be to examine the behavior of recent movers, describing racial/ethnic differences within all of the constructs-- context, decision-making, information-gathering, evaluating options and final outcomes-- using simple cross-tabulations. Subsequently, we will examine differences by race/ethnicity within income categories as well as among respondents that share particular characteristics of interest, including household composition, age, and housing subsidy. The next step will be to examine the relationships between information-gathering methods and housing outcomes, following a similar process, starting with simple racial/ethnic descriptive statistics and then exploring differences by race/ethnicity within income strata and within groups of respondents who share characteristics of interest. Finally, we will explore the relationship between housing outcomes and respondents’ search parameters and expectations-- for example, the respondent’s expected timeline and how long s/he actually searched or the racial composition of the neighborhoods where the respondent started looking and the racial composition of the neighborhood where the respondent actually found housing. As with the other analyses, we will start by comparing all respondents by race/ethnicity, then describe these differences within income strata, and within groups with other important characteristics.
For respondents who are current searchers, there will be certain aspects of the analyses that will be akin to the analyses performed for recent movers. At time 1, we will use the same techniques to describe baseline racial/ethnic differences. The next steps will take full advantage of the multiple time points at which current searchers are interviewed. We will use straightforward descriptive statistics to compare the same measures within our key constructs at different points in time for each racial/ethnic group, and then stratified by income and other salient characteristics of interest.
Of course, the very nature of the in-depth interview methodology is such that we will be given a context-rich window into how a search unfolds—and how each of these things (sources of information, social networks, and evolving preferences) shape and reshape each other. Our analysis will proceed in such a way as to maximize our ability to draw these connections across content areas.
All interviews will be audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using nVivo (qualitative data analysis software). At the document level, the interviews will be coded with the characteristics of the individual, including their race, income, and household composition that will be used to analyze the themes we identify within interviews. Within the text of each interview, we will code common themes with regard to the primary dimensions of interest.
In particular, our analyses will allow us to map the evolution of search priorities and expectations and identify critical junctures where these may have changed or adapted. This will make it possible to detect what experiences fueled those changes, with the expectation that both the junctures where they shifted, and the experiences that shifted them, will be different for white searchers and minority searchers.
First, the research team will analyze, integrate, and summarize data from the Housing Search Study and the In-depth Interviews with analyses of secondary data in a Data Collection & Analysis Report, to be shared only with HUD and an expert panel that will review preliminary findings. After extensive review by both of these parties, the research team will revise this document and submit the Final Report to HUD. In parallel, the research team will compile and prepare all data files resulting from our original data collection efforts. No other publications are planned at this time.
Assuming a 6-month process, including 3 months within HUD and 3 months actually under OMB consideration, we expect our data collection activities to commence in late August 2015. Exhibit 5 illustrates the timing of the sub-tasks required for recruiting participants, gathering data, and producing the key deliverables for HUD.
Exhibit 5. Project Timeline by Month
|
2015 |
2016 |
||||||||||
Tasks & Subtasks |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Housing Search Study cognitive tests |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Programming and prep work |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recruitment and data collection |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Data cleaning and analyses |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
In-Depth Interviews |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recruitment and data collection |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transcription and coding |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
Analyses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
Data Collection and Analysis Report |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
Expert Panel Meeting |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
Final Report and data files |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Initial submission |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
Final version for publication |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
The data collection window for the cognitive tests with recent movers and current searchers will last approximately 4 months, starting in September and extending until the end of December. Because the respondents for the in-depth interviews will be chosen using incoming data from the cognitive tests, the in-depth interview data collection will be begin approximately a month later, starting in October and running 4 months through the end of January.
This allows about 3.5 months between data collection and the first deliverable to HUD, the Data Collection and Analysis Report, due May 13, 2016. This deliverable will be shared not only with HUD staff for their expert comment, but also with an expert panel who will extensively review the document. These insights will inform the Final Report, due to HUD on June 21, 2016; the research team will also submit a draft version of the data files resulting from our original data collection at this time. Subsequent to these submissions, the GTR will provide feedback on these deliverables in order for the research team to make any needed revisions in advance of the final version, due to HUD on July 24, 2016.
Not Applicable. DIR and Urban Institute will display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collected on all instruments and correspondence with prospective respondents.
There are no exceptions to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of the OMB 83-I “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act.”
Appendix A: Housing Search Study Protocol (including Screening Protocol, Recent Movers Cognitive Test Protocol, Current Searcher Cognitive Test Protocol, Current Searchers Module (Baseline Module, Still Searching Module, Done Searching Module), Demographic Questions, and Exit Script
Appendix B: Qualitative Interview Protocols (Consent form and Interview Guide)
Appendix C: Housing Search Log
Appendix D: DIR Data Security Plan
APPENDIX A. HOUSING SEARCH STUDY MODULES
Hello, thank you for calling about the Housing Search Study. My name is ____ and I work at Decision Information Resource, Inc.; we are a survey firm working with the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington DC. Urban Institute is conducting a study of renters who have recently moved or who are planning to move to a new home within the Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland metropolitan area. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is funding this study to find out more about what the housing search process is like for people who are looking for a place to rent—that is, what you look for in a place to live, and how you make decisions about where and how to search. I’d like to ask you a few screening questions to make sure that you are eligible to participate; these screening questions will take about two minutes. If you are eligible, we’ll begin the study. The study is completely voluntary and you can refuse to answer any question you don’t feel comfortable answering. You can also stop the study at any time. The researchers involved in the study respect your privacy and your name will not be linked to any of the answers you give us. Is it OK to continue?
Remember that these first few questions are just screening questions to find out if you are eligible to take part in the study.
Text in Italics = Text for Interviewer
Screening Questions
Interviewer enter current date (mm/dd/yyyy) time
In case we get disconnected, please provide me a phone number so I can call you to complete our interview: ___-__-____
RENTER STATUS
S1 Do you currently rent or own the place in which you are living?
S1_A. Rent-> go to S_2
S1_B. Own -> Are you undergoing a housing search for a house or apartment that you wish to RENT?
S1_B_1 Yes: Funnel into CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE, ask S3
S1_B_2 No: Not eligible for the study. This study is for people who are renters or planning to become renters, so I am sorry but you are not eligible.
S2. Have you moved in the last two months, that is, since (DATE from current date) OR are you currently searching for housing?
S2_A Moved within last two months Ask S2_A1
S2_A1 When did you move into the place where you are living now?
Check date –if correct, funnel into RECENT MOVERS MODULE and ask S3
If outside of scope: not in study
S2_B Currently searching for housing Ask S2_B1
S2_B1 Are you planning to buy or rent?
S2_B1r) Rent Funnel into CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE and ask S3
S2_B1b) Buy not eligible
S2_B1b) Open to both renting or buying not eligible
S2_C Yes, both searching and recently moved Funnel into CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE and ask S3
S2_D Neither of the above –> not eligible for study
S3. Are you [RECENT MOVERS MODULE: Currently living in public housing] [CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE: planning to move into a unit in a public housing complex]?
Yes Not eligible
No Continue
S4. Did you recently move to the DC area for a short-term internship or educational program lasting less than four months?
Yes Not eligible
No Continue
LOCATION QUESTIONS
S5. What is your current street address?
[Interviewer: Record Apt # if applicable), Street, City, State, Zip ]
[RECENT MOVERS MODULE: Check to make sure within location of study boundaries;
If yes continue
If no not eligible
For CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE Movers: Are you planning to move to a place in either: the District of Columbia; Montgomery County MD, Prince George's County, MD; Fairfax County, VA (including the independent cities of Fairfax and Falls Church); Arlington County, VA; City of Alexandria (independent city adjacent to Arlington and Fairfax Counties)? [DIR WILL HAVE LIST OF ALL ELIGIBLE ZIP CODES or OTHER CITY NAMES WITHIN THESE COUNTIES IF RESPONDENT IS NOT SURE]
If yes continue
If no not eligible
INVOLVEMENT IN SEARCH
S6. RECENT MOVERS
MODULE VERSION: Asking about the search you did for your current
home, how much were you personally involved in the search? Would you
say you were very involved, somewhat
involved, involved a
little, or not involved at all? (Chicago Area Study- CAS) [if
not involved at all, not eligible for study]
CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE VERSION: How much do you expect to be involved in the search for your new home? Would you say very involved, somewhat involved, a little involved, or not involved at all? (Chicago Area Study- CAS)
Very involved
Somewhat involved
Involved a little
Not involved at all [If answer =not involved at all, not eligible for study]
RACE/ETHNICITY (Adapted from Census 2010)
S7 Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin?
Yes
No
S8 What is your race? [Ask yes or no for each category]
White
Black or African American
Asian
American Indian or Alaska Native
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Some Other Race (Record verbatim)
[If respondent = white, non-Hispanic and cap has been reached, not eligible for study]
INCOME/AGE
S9 What is your age?
Under 21 Not eligible
21-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
[if cap for age group has been reached, not eligible for study]
S10 Do you live with anyone else?
Yes [Go to S11]
No [if cap for singles has been reached, not eligible for study]
S10_A How many other adults age 18 and over do you live with in your [housing unit] full time?
S10_B. How many children under the age of 18 live in this home full time? _____
S10_C. How many children under age 18 live in this home part time ? ______
[Total amount and confirm] That’s _( #a + #b)__ people that live with you in your house, so that’s [#a+b+1] including yourself that live there full time? And _(#c)_ people part time?
[If S10_C- part of CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE, also ask:]
S10_D. When you move, who do you plan to live with? Is it the same people, more people, or fewer people?
The same people (if self, only myself)
New people (add # and code as adult or child)
Fewer people (subtract # and code as adult or child)
[Total amount and confirm] So when you move you plan to live with [# adults/#kids]?
S_11 We are looking for a range of people to participate in this study. Is your yearly household income…
Less than $25,000
Between $25,000 and $65,000
More than $65,000
Do not include the income of housemates where each of you is paying rent separately, like in a group house; and do not include the income of people living with you temporarily, or housemates that you live with where each of you pays rent separately.
S_12 How did you hear about this study?
Flyer
Through a friend
Through Craigslist
[Insert any other recruitment methods]
Other
[If cap for recruitment methods has been reached- e.g. Craigslist, not eligible]
---END SCREENING QUESTIONS----
If Not Eligible: This completes the screening questions. Thank you for your participation. Unfortunately, based on what you told me, you are not eligible to participate in the study at this time. We are still looking for more people who have recently moved or who are currently looking for housing and we are hoping that the people we’ve talked to already can help spread the word. We would appreciate if you could share our phone number and the information about this study to anyone you know—this might be neighbors, friends, acquaintances—who might also be searching for housing or have recently moved.
If Eligible: move to RECENT MOVERS MODULE or CURRENT SEARCHERS MODULE Baseline 1 Module and read script
Wave 2 and Wave 3 Screener for Current Searcher Cognitive Test
[Instructions to DIR screener: Prior to the interview record the following information:
Respondent name:
Date of Wave 1 interview:
Date of Wave 2 interview:
Date of Wave 3 interview:
Script: Hello. This is XXX from DIR International calling to speak to _____. Is h/she available?
Hello, we interviewed you via phone on [date of baseline interview] about your housing search process. At that time we said we’d contact you 10 days later to follow up on your housing search. Are you still willing to participate? This set of questions will take about 20 minutes.
Do you have your housing search log handy?
Great. Are you still searching for housing?
Yes, still searching Thank you. I am going to ask you a series of questions about your ongoing housing search [Go to Current Searchers: Still Searching Module]
No, I am no longer searching ] Thank you. I am going to ask you a series of questions about your housing search and your current housing situation
Are you done searching because you found a new place to live or because you decided to stop searching and stay in your old place?
New place [Go to Current Searchers Module: Done Searching Question 1]
Old place [Go to Current Searchers Module: Done Searching ; ask Question 1 then continue to Question 27]
Recent Mover Cognitive Test Protocol
Introductory Text
Based on the answers you gave me, you are eligible for participating in the Housing Search Study. This study is for people who have moved to a new home in the DC area within the last two months. We would like to ask you some questions about your recent housing search experience, how you searched for housing, and how it was that you ended up renting the home that you currently live in. We also need to ask everyone who is part of the study some basic questions about their education, background, and other experiences. Again, this study will only take about 30 minutes and you will receive a gift of $30 to thank you for your time. We respect your privacy and your name will not be linked to any of your answers. The study is completely voluntary, and you can refuse to answer any question or stop the study at any time. May I continue?
All text in italics= note to interviewer
HOUSING BASICS
The first set of questions is about your current housing situation.
Do you currently live in a house, apartment, condo, trailer, rent a room, or other?
Live in a house that I rent
Live in an apartment building
Live in a condo building
Live in a mobile home or trailer
Rent a room in a house
Other (record verbatim)
Do you currently have a year-long lease, month-to-month lease, an informal agreement to pay rent, are you not paying rent, or do you have some other arrangement?
Year-long lease
Month-to-month lease
Informal agreement to pay someone rent (including family and friends)
Not paying rent
Have some other arrangement (record verbatim)
3. What is your current rent ? (record verbatim; record “00” if not paying rent currently and skip to Q5);
4. Is that per week, every other week, per month, or other? (Housing Allowance Demand Experiment)
Weekly
Every other week
Every Month
Other (record time frame)
LOCATION PRIOR TO MOVE
Now I’d like to ask you some questions about where you lived before you moved on [Insert date of move from screener]
Before you lived at [Current address], what was the address of the place you lived immediately before?
[Try hard to capture street address, city, zip code; if not, crossroads or as close to specific address as possible]
When you lived at [prior address] , did you have a year-long lease, month-to-month lease, an informal agreement to pay rent, were you not paying rent, did you own the place, or did you have some other arrangement?
Year-long lease
Month-to-month lease
Informal agreement to pay someone rent (including family and friends)
Not paying rent
Owned the place
Had some other arrangement (record verbatim)
NEIGHBORHOOD –SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
Now I would like to ask you questions about the neighborhood you recently moved to.
Overall, how would you rate your [new (insert “new” if a new neighborhood)] neighborhood on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst? (AHS)
SKIP IF R LIVING IN SAME NEIGHBORHOOD AS PRIOR UNIT: Is this new neighborhood better, worse, or about the same as your previous neighborhood? (AHS)
Better
Worse
About the Same
Same Neighborhood
Don’t Know
When people search for housing, they often have a number of things they are looking for. Some people are able to find a neighborhood and home that has everything they were hoping for, and some people are not.
First, we would like to ask you about several features of your neighborhood and whether each feature was better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or whether the feature was something that didn’t matter to you.
[For questions 9-15 below, if three or more response are “Not as good as you hoped for”, computer should randomly select three of them and follow up with “Why couldn’t you accomplish it? (open ended].
First, how about your current neighborhood’s convenience to your workplace or school. Would you say its convenience to your workplace or school is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the neighborhood’s convenience to workplace or school not matter to you?
How about its convenience to friends or family? Would you say it is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the neighborhood’s convenience to friends or family not matter to you?
How about the amenities like restaurants, grocery stores, theaters, shopping, and doctor’s offices in the neighborhood? Would you say its quality of amenities is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the quality of its amenities not matter to you?
Its convenience to public transportation? (Would you say its convenience to public transportation is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did it not matter to you?)
Its quality of public services like libraries, playgrounds, and community centers? (Would you say its convenience to public services is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the neighborhood’s quality of public services not matter to you?)
The quality of the schools? Would you say the quality of the schools is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the neighborhood’s schools not matter to you?
The safety of the neighborhood? Would you say the safety of the neighborhood is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the neighborhood’s safety not matter to you?
[IF Q9-15, ONE OR MORE RESPONSES = “NOT AS GOOD AS YOU HOPED FOR”, randomly select up to three and also ask the respondent Q16. ASK Q16 BEFORE ASKING THE OPEN ENDED FOLLOW UPS ]
The mix of racial and ethnic groups in the neighborhood? (Would you say it is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did it not matter to you?)
16A. [If R replies “Better than hoped for” or “Not as good” ask:] In what way? (open ended)
16B. IF “NOT AS GOOD” What do you think is the main reason you were not able to get what you were hoping for in terms of the racial/ethnic mix of the neighborhood? (open ended)
What do you think is the main reason you were not able to get what you were hoping for in terms of [FILL WITH ANY THAT R SAID “NOT AS GOOD AS HOPED FOR” e.g., the convenience of the neighborhood to your workplace]? (open ended)
UNIT-SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS
Now I am going to ask you some questions about the building and home that you currently live in.
How many bedrooms does your unit have?
0-99
[If Q1 = Apartment Building or Condo, ask 19; otherwise skip to Q20]
About how many units are there in your building?
4 or fewer
5 to 50
more than 50
Did you or your family or friends know your landlord or the management company prior to moving into your unit?
Yes, I did
Yes, my friends or family did
No
Is this housing unit better, worse, or about the same as your previous home?
Better
Worse
About the Same
Don’t Know
Now we would like to ask about a number of features of your new home and whether they are better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or whether this feature was something that didn’t matter to you.
Would you say the rent you pay for it is more than you thought you would pay, about what you thought you would pay, less than you thought you would pay, or did the rent not matter to you?
How about the home’s appearance and layout? (Would you say the home’s appearance and layout is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the home’s interior appearance, layout or design not matter to you?)
The size of the home or number of rooms? Would you say the size of the home or number of rooms is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the size of the home not matter to you?
The size of the building or number of units? Would you say the size of the home or number of rooms is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the size of the home not matter to you?
The quality of the landlord or management company? Would you say the landlord/management company is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the quality of the landlord or management company not matter to you?
The security of the building? Would you say the security of the building is better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the security of the building not matter to you?
How about the amenities in the building, like laundry facilities, parking, and other on-site facilities? Would you say the building amenities are better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the building amenities not matter to you?
How about the kind of lease arrangement you were able to get (a year lease, such as a month to month, long-term, or no lease)? Would you say the kind of lease arrangement was better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the building amenities not matter to you?
How about your ability to know the landlord or management company before you moved in? Would you say your ability to know the landlord or management company was better than you hoped for, about what you hoped for, not as good as you hoped for, or did the building amenities not matter to you?
FOR EACH RESPONSE in Q22-30 THAT IS “NOT AS GOOD AS YOU HOPED FOR”, randomly select up to three and ask the respondent:
What do you think is the main reason you were not able to get what you were hoping for in terms of [FILL WITH ANY THAT R SAID “NOT AS GOOD AS HOPED FOR” e.g., the convenience of the neighborhood to your workplace]?
In your search, which was more important to you, the unit itself, or the neighborhood where it is located, or were both equally important?
The unit itself
The neighborhood where it is located
Both were equally important
REASON FOR THE MOVE (VOLUNTARY OR INVOLUNTARY)
People move for a number of different reasons. I’m going to read several possibilities and I would like you to tell me which, if any, were an important reason why you decided to move. I’m going to ask you about three at a time.
First, did you move because: [DIR randomize order of question pairings]
Your old home or building was destroyed or condemned
Your old home or building was unsafe
Your landlord said you had to move—either because the building was sold, they would not renew your lease, or you were evicted.
Now I’m going to list another three. Please tell me if any of these were an important reason why you decided to move.
A new job or job transfer
To form your own household
To be closer to family, including for health reasons, economic reasons, or any other reason
The next three reasons are:
Because of a change in household or family size, including marriage, divorce, separation, or child birth or adoption
To reduce commuting time
To upgrade to a larger home or a better quality home
The last three reasons are:
To find a less expensive place to live
To live in a better neighborhood
Some other reason (NO OTHER-SPECIFY)
If Respondent replies “yes” to more than one, ask:
Which reason is the most important?(Record reason)
MOVE TIMELINE
Once you started looking for a new place to live, how long did it take you to find your new place? Would you say it took…
Less than a week
More than a week but less than a month
1-2 months
More than 2 months
Don’t know
When you were searching, how worried were you that you had to find a new unit quickly because otherwise you wouldn’t have a place to live? Were you…
Extremely worried
Very worried
Somewhat worried
A little worried
Not at all worried
FINANCIAL HEALTH
We would like to know if there are any things that made it difficult for you to search for housing. Please tell me if any of the following made it more difficult for you.? [Respondent answer yes/no to each of the following below]
Not having access to the internet
[Skip if S_10B & S10C=0]: Not having childcare
Not having transportation to get to units
History of prior eviction
Criminal justice involvement for you or anyone in your household
Poor credit history
Not enough money for security deposit
Not enough money for application fees
Do you currently have a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, or other form of subsidized housing?
Yes
No
No but am on waiting list [ VOLUNTEERED]
DISCRIMINATION EXPECTATIONS
[If Race = white, skip this question]
In general, do you think that [pre-populate for race/ethnicity of respondent] have as good a chance as whites in this community to get any housing they can afford, or don't you think they have as good a chance?
Have as good a chance
Don’t have as good a chance
Don’t Know [Volunteered]
SEARCH BACKGROUND
These next few questions are about the kind of home and neighborhood you thought you wanted to live in when you first began searching for a new place.
When you first started searching for a place to live, did you consider any other neighborhoods besides the one you moved into?
Yes
No [Skip to 39]
Which neighborhood(s) or areas did you consider?
List neighborhood(s)
When you were searching, how important was it that you or someone you knew had experience with the landlord or management company of the place you wanted to move into?
Extremely important
Very important
Somewhat important
A little important
Not at all important
Gathering information
Now I am going to ask you some questions about how you gathered information about homes during your housing search.
We would like to know how you first heard about the unit that you moved into. Would you say you heard about it from someone you knew, saw or heard an advertisement for it, saw a sign in the window, learned about it from a professional service, learned about it through social media, through a community or religious organization, or some other way?
Someone you knew
Advertisement
Sign on the window
Professional service
Social media
Community or religious organization
Other (specify)
[if someone you knew ask 41-42]
What best describes your relationship to the person who told you about this unit, was it:
A family member
A friend
A co-worker
A roommate
A neighbor
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person/people who told you about this unit?
Hispanic, Latino
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
[if advertisement ask q43]
43. Where was this ad? Was it in a newspaper, on a website, billboard, radio?
Newspaper
Which newspaper
Website
Which website
Billboard
Radio
Which station
[if professional service ask q44]
45.Did the professional service include an actual person who told you about the unit you moved into?
Yes
What best describes the race and ethnicity of this person?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
No
[if social media ask q44]
45. Which social media site did you use to find the unit?
Myspace
Email listservs (e.g., community listservs, interest group listservs)
Other social media
[if community or religious organization ask q46]
46: What is the name of the community or religious organization? Record verbatim
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person at this organization who told you about this unit?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
Which of the following best describes the type of visit you had when you saw this unit?
Went to an open house with other people
Private viewing with a rental agent
Private viewing with landlord
Other
Now we would like to ask you about sources of information you used in general to find out about all the units you considered during your search.
First, did you hear about units from someone you knew? (Yes/No)
Did you see or hear an advertisement for them? (Yes/No)
Did you see signs in the windows of units or buildings? (Yes/No)
Did you learn about them from a professional service? (yes/no)
Did you learn about them on social media? (yes/no)
Did you learn about them though community or religious organizations? (yes/no)
Did you use some other sources? (IF YES: SPECIFY)
[if someone you knew ask 49-50]
What best describes your relationship to the person who told you about units, were they:
A family member
A friend
A co-worker
A roommate
A neighbor
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person/people who told you about units?
Hispanic, Latino
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
[if advertisement ask q51]
51. Where were these ads? Were they in a newspaper, on a website, billboard, radio?
Newspaper
Which newspaper
Website
Which website
Billboard
Radio
[if professional service ask q52]
52. Did the professional service include an actual person who told you about units?
Yes
What best describes the race and ethnicity of this person?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
No
[if social media ask q53]
When you were searching, did you use any of the following ONLINE social media networks to let people know you were looking for a place to live?
Did you use Facebook? [yes/no]
Did you use Twitter? [yes/no]
Did you use Myspace? [yes/no]
Did you use email listservs (community listservs, interest group listservs)?
Did you use other social media? [yes/no]
[if community or religious organization ask q54]
What is the name of the community or religious organization? Record verbatim
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person at this organization who told you about this unit?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
How did you use the people you know to assist with the housing search? (select all that apply)
To find out about rental vacancies (y/n)
To find rentals that did not require a background check or other application requirements (y/n)
To learn more about specific neighborhoods (y/n)
To find landlords that would not discriminate against people of my race/ethnicity y/n)
Sometimes people gather information about the neighborhoods they are thinking about moving to. Did you try to find out anything about the neighborhoods you were thinking of moving into?
Yes
No [Skip to Q58]
What neighborhood features did you try to learn more about? [answer yes/no for each question]
School quality
Public transportation
Parks and other amenities such as restaurants, bars, and shopping
Crime
How open the neighborhood would be to people of my racial or ethnic background
Other (specify)
Inquiring about rental units
During a housing search, people sometimes contact the landlord or property management company to gather additional information about the unit to decide if they want to continue considering it.
How many units did you inquire about—that is how many units did you contact the landlord, management company, or current tenant(s) to find out more information?
0-99. [If they don’t know, provide ranges:]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
15-25
More than 25
[If Q58=0 skip to Q61]
Did you primarily inquire about units through email, phone calls, in-person visits, or some other way?
Phone
In-person visits
Other
Overall, how difficult was it to get the information you needed through these inquiries. Would you say:
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
A little difficult
Not at all difficult
How difficult was it for you to find a rental unit in your price range that you liked? Would you say it was…
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
A little difficult
Not at all difficult
At any point in your search, did you:
Expand your search to look at other neighborhoods? [yes/no]
Change your mind about how important some unit features were? [yes/no]
Increase your price range? [yes/no]
Visiting Apartments
Now, I am going to ask you a few questions about your experiences visiting rental units and applying for rental units.
How many units did you actually visit in person during your search?
0-99. [if respondent does not know exact amount provide ranges]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
How many units did you attempt to visit in person, but were unable to because you were told they weren’t available?
0-99. [if respondent does not know exact amount provide ranges]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
[If Q63=0 and Q64=0 then skip to Q71]
Sometimes people do things to increase the chance that a potential landlord will treat them well. Did you ever done any of the following when you called or met with a potential landlord?
Dress differently than you usually do [yes/no]
Speak differently than you usually do [yes/no]
Bring a partner/friend/children [yes/no]
Mention your career or professional background [yes/no]
Leave a partner/friend/children at home [yes/no]
Sent someone else to check out a place for you [yes/no]
How difficult was it for you to get to the houses or apartments you wanted to visit? Would you say it was extremely difficult, very difficult, somewhat difficult, only a little difficult, or not at all difficult?
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
Only a little difficult
Not at all difficult
Did you visit units in more than one neighborhood? (Modified from AHS)
Yes
No [If = No skip to Q69]
What areas or neighborhoods did you visit?
[List neighborhoods]
Were there any neighborhoods that you stopped considering after visiting?
Yes
No
[If Q69=No skip to Q71]
Why did you stop considering those neighborhoods after visiting them? Was it because you [ask yes/no for each option]
Did not feel safe
The neighborhood did not have amenities like restaurants, bars, shopping, and parks
Too far from school/work
Too far from public transportation
Not enough on-street parking
Racial/ethnic mix of the neighborhood
Other (specify)
Were there any units that you stopped considering after visiting?
Yes
No
[If Q71=No skip to Q73]
Now I will read several reasons you might have stopped considering a unit. Please tell me if any of these apply to you. First, did you stop considering any units because you …
Did not like the unit? [yes/no]
Did not like the building? [yes/no]
Did not like the landlord or management company? [yes/no]
Did not like the neighbors? [yes/no]
[For group houses] Did not like people living in the house? [yes/no]
How many units did you submit applications for?
0-99 [if they don’t know provide a range]
0 [if 0, skip to Q75]
1
2-3
4-5
6-10
More than 10
How many times was your application denied?
0-99 [if they don’t know provide a range]
0 [if 0 skip to Q76
1
2-3
4-5
6-10
More than 10
Why were your applications denied? [open-ended question with field-coding] [Check all that apply]
Someone else applied first
Problem with references
Problem with credit/rental/criminal history
Income too low
Was not told why/Never heard back from landlord or management company
Other (specify)
SEARCH OUTCOME
Now I am going to ask you a few questions about your housing search overall.
Overall, would you say this housing search was extremely difficult, very difficult, somewhat difficult, only a little difficult, or not at all difficult? (CAS)
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
Only a little difficult
Not at all difficult
[If Q75=Not at all difficult skip to Q77]
Which of the following things would you say made it difficult? Would you say….
Finding units in your price range [yes/no]
Feeling rushed to move [yes/no]
Gathering information about units [yes/no]
Gathering information about neighborhoods [yes/no]
Finding transportation to get to units [yes/no]
[Skip if S_10B & S10C=0]:Finding someone to take care of your children so you could visit units [yes/no]
Being treated unfairly because of your race or ethnicity [yes/no]
Finding landlords that would rent to you [yes/no]
Were there any other reasons why it was difficult? [yes/no] please specify…
78. During your search, did you ever feel that you were denied housing because the rental agent or landlord didn't want to rent to you because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
79. During your search, did you ever feel that a rental agent or landlord was showing you only units in certain neighborhoods because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
80. During your search, did you ever feel that the other residents in the building or neighborhoods that you visited treated you unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
81. During your search did you ever feel that when you were applying to rent a unit that you were treated unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
-ASK DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS-
Current Searcher Cognitive Test Protocol
Introductory Text
Based on the answers you gave me, you are eligible for participating in our study as a current searcher. This study is for people looking to move to a new home in the DC area. We would like to ask you some questions about your recent housing search experience, and how you are searching for housing. We also need to ask everyone who participates in the study some basic questions about their education, background, and other experiences. Again, this study will only take about 30 minutes and you will receive a gift of $30 to thank you for your time. We respect your privacy and your name will not be linked to any of your answers. The study is completely voluntary, and you can refuse to answer any question or stop the study at any time. May I continue?
---Begin Contextual Questions---
BASELINE QUESTIONS
HOUSING BASICS
The first set of questions is about your current housing situation.
Do you currently live in a house, apartment, condo, trailer, rent a room, or other?
Live in a house that I rent
Live in an apartment building
Live in a condo building
Live in a mobile home or trailer
Rent a room in someone else’s home
Other (record verbatim)
Do you currently have a year-long lease, month-to-month lease, an informal agreement to pay rent, are you not paying rent, or do you have some other arrangement?
Year-long lease
Month-to-month lease
Informal agreement to pay someone rent (including family and friends)
Not paying rent
Have some other arrangement (record verbatim)
What is your current rent? (record verbatim; record “00” if not paying rent currently and skip to Q5)
Is that per week, every other week, per month, or other? (Housing Allowance Demand Experiment)
Weekly
Every other week
Every month
Other (record time frame)
LOCATION PRIOR TO MOVE
How many years have you lived in the D.C. metropolitan area?
[Record number of years—if less than one year, record 0—and add a volunteered option that says “all my life”]
REASON FOR THE MOVE (VOLUNTARY OR INVOLUNTARY)
People move for a number of different reasons. I’m going to read several possibilities and I would like you to tell me which, if any, are an important reason you have decided to move. I’m going to ask you about three at a time. First, did you move because: [DIR randomize order of question pairings]
Your old home or building was destroyed or condemned
Your old home or building was unsafe
Your landlord said you had to move—either because the building was sold, they would not renew your lease, or you were evicted.
Now I’m going to list another three. Please tell me if any of these are an important reason you have decided to move.
A new job or job transfer
To form your own household
To be closer to family, including for health reasons, economic reasons, or any other reason
The next three reasons are:
Because of a change in household or family size, including marriage, divorce, separation, or child birth or adoption
To reduce commuting time
To upgrade to a larger home or a better quality home
The last three reasons are:.
To find a less expensive place to live
To live in a better neighborhood
Some other reason (NO OTHER-SPECIFY)
If Respondent replies “yes” to more than one, ask:
Which reason is the most important? (Record reason)
MOVE TIMELINE
How long have you been searching at this point? Would you say…
Less than a week
More than a week but less than a month
1-2 months
More than 2 months
Don’t know
Is there a set date when you need to finish your search, such as the end of a lease, the birth of a new child, or another date?
Yes [If yes, ask:] And what day is that? (Record mm/dd/yyyy/)
No
FINANCIAL HEALTH
We would like to know if there are any things that are making it difficult for you to search for housing. Please tell me if any of the following is making it more difficult for you. [Respondent answer yes/no to each of the following below]
Not having access to the internet
(Skip if S_10B=0 and S10_C=0):Not having childcare
Not having transportation to visit units
History of prior eviction
Criminal justice involvement for you or anyone in your household
Poor credit history
Not enough money for security deposit
Not enough money for application fees
Do you currently have a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, or other form of subsidized housing?
Yes
No
No but am on waiting list [ VOLUNTEERED]
DISCRIMINATION EXPECTATIONS
[If Race = white, skip Q11]
In general, do you think that [pre-populate for race/ethnicity of respondent] have as good a chance as whites in this community to get any housing they can afford, or don't you think they have as good a chance?
Have as good a chance
Don’t have as good a chance
Don’t know (volunteered)
12. In your previous housing searches, did you ever feel that you were denied housing because the rental agent or landlord didn't want to rent to you because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
In your previous housing searches, did you ever feel that a rental agent or landlord was showing you only apartments in certain neighborhoods because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
In your previous housing searches, did you ever feel that other residents in the building or neighborhoods that you visited treated you unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
In your previous housing searches, did you ever feel that when you were applying to rent an apartment that you were treated unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
---End Contextual Questions---
Baseline Parameters
These next few questions are about the kind of home and neighborhood you think you want to live in.
What neighborhoods or areas are you looking at in your search?
List neighborhood(s)
How important are the following neighborhood factors to you in deciding where to live? For each factor, tell me if you consider it very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important. (Modified from 2013 AHS)
Convenience to workplace and/or school
Convenience to friends or family
Amenities like restaurants, grocery stores, theaters, shopping, and doctor’s offices in the neighborhood
Convenience to public transportation
Quality of public services like libraries, playgrounds, and community centers
Quality of the schools
Safety of the neighborhood
The mix of racial and ethnic groups in the neighborhood
[If more than three are rated as very important] Of each of the factors I just listed, which were the three most important to you in deciding where to live?
What is the maximum amount you are willing to pay per month in rent? [Ask for # and if they can’t give it provide range]
$0-$9,999
0-$799
$800-$1,599
$1,600-$2,399
$2,400-$3,199
$3,200 or more
What size unit are you looking for? [Check all that apply]
Studio
1 bedroom
2 bedrooms
3 bedrooms
4 bedrooms
5 or more bedrooms
How important are the following unit features to you in deciding where to live? (For each factor, tell me if you consider it very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important)
The rent you pay for it
Home’s appearance and layout
The size of the home or number of rooms
The size of the building or number of units
Quality of the landlord or management company
Security of the building
Amenities in the building like laundry facilities, parking, and other on-site facilities
Knowing the landlord or management company before you move in
The kind of lease arrangement—such as a month to month, long-term, or no lease
Other (specify)
Gathering information: Now I am going to ask you some questions about how you are gathering information about apartments/homes during your housing search.
How do you use the people you know to assist with the housing search? (select all that apply)
To find out about rental vacancies (y/n)
To find rentals that do not require a background check or other application requirements (y/n)
To learn more about specific neighborhoods (y/n)
To find landlords that will not discriminate against people of my race/ethnicity y/n)
Which is more important to you at this point in your search: the unit itself, or the neighborhood where it is located, or are both equally important?
The unit itself
The neighborhood where it is located
Both are equally important
During a housing search, people sometimes contact the landlord or property management company to gather additional information about the unit to decide if they want to continue considering it.
31. How many units have you inquired about—that is, for how many units have you contacted the landlord, management company, or current tenant(s) to find out more information?
0-99. [If they don’t know, provide ranges:]
0 [if 0 skip to Q33]
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
15-25
More than 25
Have you primarily inquired about units through email, phone calls, in-person visits, or some other way?
Phone
In-person visits
Other
[Visiting Apartments] Now I am going to ask you a few questions about your experiences visiting apartments/homes and applying for apartments.
How many units have you actually visited in person during your search so far?
0-99. [if respondent does not know exact amount provide ranges]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
How many units have you attempted to visit in person, but were unable to because you were told they weren’t available?
0-99. [if respondent does not know exact amount provide ranges]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
[if 33=0 and 34=0 then skip to 41]
Have you visited apartments in any neighborhood other than where you currently live? (Modified from American Housing Survey)
Yes
No
[If Q35 = No skip to Q37]
What areas or neighborhoods did you visit?
[list neighborhoods]
Thinking of the most recent unit you visited, how did you hear about it? Would you say you heard about it from someone you knew, saw or heard an advertisement for it, saw a sign in the window, learned about it from a professional service, learned about it through social media, through a community or religious organization, or some other way?
Someone you knew
Advertisement
Sign on the window
Professional service
Social media
Community or religious organization
Other (specify)
[if someone you knew ask 38-39]
What best describes your relationship to the person who told you about this unit, was it:
A family member
A friend
A co-worker
A roommate
A neighbor
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person/people who told you about this unit?
Hispanic, Latino
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
[if advertisement ask q40]
Where was this ad? Was it in a newspaper, on a website, billboard, radio?
Newspaper
Which newspaper
Website
Which website
Billboard
Radio
Which station
[if professional service ask q41]
Did the professional service include an actual person who told you about the unit you moved into?
Yes
What best describes the race and ethnicity of this person?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
No
[if social media ask q42]
42. Which social media site did you use to find the unit?
Myspace
Email listservs (e.g., community listservs, interest group listservs)
Other social media
[if community or religious organization ask q43]
43. What is the name of the community or religious organization? Record verbatim
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person at this organization who told you about this unit?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
Which of the following best describes the type of visit you had?
Went to an open house with other people
Private viewing with a rental agent
Private viewing with landlord
Other
Sometimes people do things to increase the chance that a potential landlord will treat them well. Did you do any of the following things when you made this visit?
Dressed differently [yes/no]
Spoke differently [yes/no]
Brought a partner/friend/children [yes/no]
Mentioned your career or professional background [yes/no]
Left partner/friend/children at home [yes/no]
Had someone else check the unit out (yes/no)
How many apartments or rental houses have you submitted applications for?
0-99 [if respondent doesn’t know provide a range]
0 [if 0, skip to demographic questions]
1
2-3
4-5
6-10
More than 10
How many times has your application been denied?
0-99 [if respondent doesn’t know provide a range]
0 [if 0 skip to demographic questions]
1
2-3
4-5
6-10
More than 10
Why were your applications denied? [open-ended question with field-coding] [Check all that apply]
Someone else applied first
Problem with references
Problem with credit/rental/criminal history
Income too low
Was not told why/Never heard back from landlord or management company
Other (specify)
--ASK DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS---
Search Background
These first few questions are about whether there have been any changes to your housing search since your last interview.
[If Current Searcher Baseline answer to Q8 = No specific search end date] When we last talked you said that you had no set date by which you had to finish your housing search, is that still the case?
Yes [If Yes, skip to Q4]
No [Skip to Q3]
[If Current Searcher Baseline answer to Q8 = Yes, specific end date] The last time we talked to you, you said you wanted to finish the search by X date [insert date from CSS Wave 1] Is this still the goal?
Yes [Skip to Q4]
No [Skip to #3]
By what date do you have to move out of your current housing? (Record mm/dd/yyyy)
When we last spoke, you said that the maximum amount you were willing to pay per month in rent is [Insert Amount or range from wave 1, Q19]. is that still the case?
Yes [Skip to Q6]
No [Skip to Q5]
What is the new maximum amount you are willing to pay? [Ask for # and if they can’t give it provide range]
0-$799
$800-$1,599
$1,600-$2,399
$2,400-$3,199
$3,200 or more
5A. IF MAXIMUM WENT UP OR DOWN, ASK: In comparing your response to last time, it looks like you [increased/decreased] the amount of rent you were willing to pay. Can you tell me why you [increased/decreased] it?
Search Goals
Now I am going to ask you a few questions about the kind of neighborhood and home you would like to live in.
I am going to read to you the neighborhood[s] or area[s] that you said you were interested in at your last interview; please tell me if you are still searching in these neighborhoods or areas.
[read list from prior wave and ask yes/no for each neighborhood]
[For three neighborhoods, randomly selected among Nos] Why are you no longer searching in this neighborhood? [open-ended, field-code response]
Available units were not in my price range
School quality
Crime/safety
Neighbors
Did not think it would be welcoming to people of my race/ethnicity
Too far from family or friends
Too far from work or school
Lacked amenities (e.g., parks, restaurants, shopping)
Are there any additional neighborhoods or areas that you have started considering since our last interview?
Yes
No [Skip to Q10]
If yes, what neighborhood or neighborhoods are you now considering?
[List]
How important are each of the following neighborhood factors to you in deciding where to live? (For each factor, tell me if you consider it very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important)
Convenience to workplace and/or school
Convenience to friends or family
Amenities like restaurants, grocery stores, theaters, shopping, and doctor’s offices in the neighborhood
Convenience to public transportation
Quality of public services like libraries, playgrounds, and community centers
Quality of the schools
Safety of the neighborhood
The mix of racial and ethnic groups in the neighborhood
10A. [Randomly select 3 items where there is a change in direction of one degree or more from BASELINE; ALWAYS ask about R/E Composition, if 1 degree or more change] Sometimes people change their minds about what they are looking for in their housing. In comparing your responses to your last interview, it looks like [insert neighborhood factor] has become [more/less] important to you. Can you tell me why you changed your mind about how important it is?
[open ended]
How important are each of the following unit features to you in deciding where to live? (For each factor, tell me if you consider it very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important) (Modified from EHAP demand survey)
The rent you pay for it
Home’s appearance and layout
The size of the home or number of rooms
The size of the building or number of units
Quality of the landlord or management company
Security of the building
Amenities in the building like laundry facilities, parking, and other on-site facilities
Knowing the landlord or management company before you move in
The kind of lease arrangement—such as a month to month, long-term, or no lease
Other (specify)
11A. [Randomly select 3 items where there is a change in direction of one degree or more from BASELINE] Sometimes people change their minds about what they are looking for in their housing. In comparing your responses to your last interview, it looks like [insert unit feature] has become [more/less] important to you. Can you tell me why you changed your mind about how important it is?
Which is more important to you at this point in your search, the unit itself, or the neighborhood where it is located, or are both equally important?
The unit itself
The neighborhood where it is located
Both are equally important
[Compare to answer in Baseline] Sometimes people change their minds about what they are looking for in their housing. In comparing your responses to your last interview, it looks like [insert change in preference for unit or neighborhood]. Can you tell me why you changed your mind about how important it is?
Inquiring about units: During a housing search, people sometimes contact the landlord or property management company to gather additional information about the unit to decide if they want to continue considering it.
Since we last talked to you, how many housing units have you inquired about, that is, for how many units have you contacted the landlord, management company, or current tenant(s) to find out more information?
0-99. [If they don’t know, provide ranges:]
0 [if 0, skip to
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
We would like to know what sources of information you use to find out about possible units.
First, do you hear about units from someone you know? ((yes/no)
Do you see or hear an advertisement for them? (yes/no)
Do you see signs in the windows of units or buildings? (yes/no)
Do you learn about them from a professional service? (yes/no)
Do you learn about them on social media? (yes/no)
Do you learn about them from community or religious organizations? (yes/no)
Do you use some other sources? (IF YES: SPECIFY)
[if someone you know ask 15-16]
What best describes your relationship to the person who you talked to about units? Were they:
A family member
A friend
A co-worker
A roommate
A neighbor
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person/people who you talked to about units?
Hispanic, Latino
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
[if advertisement ask q17]
17. Where are these ads? Are they in newspapers, on a website, billboard, radio?
Newspaper
Which newspaper
Website
Which website
Billboard
Radio
Which station
[if professional service ask q18]
18.Did the professional service include an actual person who talked to you about units?
Yes
What best describes the race and ethnicity of this person?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
No
[if social media ask q19]
19. Which social media sites have you used?
Myspace
Email listservs (e.g., community listservs, interest group listservs)
Other social media
[if community or religious organization ask q20]
20. What is the name of the community or religious organization? Record verbatim
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person at this organization who talked to you about units?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
As you are searching, do you use any of the following ONLINE social media networks to let people know you were looking for a place to live?
Do you use Facebook? [yes/no]
Do you use Twitter? [yes/no]
Do you use Myspace? [yes/no]
Do you use email listservs (community listservs, interest group listservs)?
Do you use other social media? [yes/no]
How have you used the people you know to assist with the housing search? (select all that apply)
To find out about rental vacancies (y/n)
To find rentals that did not require a background check or other application requirements (y/n)
To learn more about specific neighborhoods (y/n)
To find landlords that would not discriminate against people of my race/ethnicity y/n)
In general, since our last interview, have you inquired about units through email, phone calls, in-person visits, or some other way?
Phone
In-person visit
Other (specify)
In general, how difficult has it been to get the information you needed through your inquiries? Was it very difficult, somewhat difficult, not very difficult, or not at all difficult?
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
Not very difficult
Not at all difficult
Visiting Apartments
Now I am going to ask you some questions about your attempts to visit apartments or homes you were interested in renting.
Since our last interview, how many units have you visited in-person?
0-99. [if respondent does not know exact amount provide ranges]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
Were there any other units that you would have liked to visit in the last 10 days but were unable to see?
Yes
No [Skip to 38]
Which of the following factors prevented you from visiting these units? Was it because you didn’t have transportation, your schedule prevented you from seeing it, the unit was occupied, or was there some other reason?
Didn’t have transportation to get to the building
My schedule prevented me from seeing it
Unit was occupied
Other reason (specify)
[If q25 >3]: Now I am going to ask you about the 3 units you most recently visited (if q25 = less than 4, read:) Now I am going to ask you about each of the units you visited starting with the most recent one.
[if q25=0 [If Wave 2 Interview proceed to exit script]
[If Wave 3 interview proceed to summary questions ]
What was the address of this unit?
Street, City, State, Zip
[if don’t know] Do you remember the cross streets or general area?
What neighborhood or community was it in?
[record]
Did you continue to consider this neighborhood after your visit?
Yes
No
[if no] Why did you stop considering this neighborhood after your visit? [yes/no]
Did not feel safe
Lack of amenities
Too far from school/work
Too far from public transportation
Racial composition of neighborhood
Felt discriminated against/unwelcome in neighborhood
Which of the following best describes the type of visit you had?
Went to an open house with other people
Private viewing with a rental agent
Private viewing with landlord
Other
How satisfied were you with the way you were treated during this visit?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Not at all satisfied
Did you feel you were treated unfairly during your visit because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
Not sure
Sometimes people do things to increase the chance that a potential landlord will treat them well. Did you do any of the following things when you made this visit?
Dressed differently [yes/no]
Spoke differently [yes/no]
Brought a partner/friend/children [yes/no]
Mentioned your career or professional background [yes/no]
Left partner/friend/children at home [yes/no]
Had someone else check the unit out [yes/no]
Did you decide to submit an application for this unit?
Yes
No
IF NO: Why did you decide not to submit an application for this unit? (open ended)
[If applied] Was your application accepted?
Yes
No
Don’t know yet
[if no] Why was your application denied?
Someone else applied first
Problem with references
Problem with credit/rental/criminal history
Income too low
Was not told why/Never heard back from landlord or management company
Other (specify)
[if q35 = Yes] Are you hoping on moving into this unit?
Yes
No
[if no] Why not? (open-ended)
[repeat
questions 26-38 for all visits made by respondent or, if respondent
visited more than 3 units, the 3 most recent visits]
{IF WAVE 2
Interview—proceed to Exit Script Module]
[If Wave 3 interview proceed to summary questions ]
Summary Questions
This is our last interview, so even though your search is still going on, I am going to ask you a few questions about how the search has gone so far and how you think it will end.
What statement best describes why you think you are still searching for a unit?
Haven’t found the perfect unit yet
Haven’t found a unit that meets my basic needs
Don’t need to move yet/enjoy searching
Would you say this housing search has been extremely difficult, very difficult, somewhat difficult, only a little difficult, or not at all difficult? (CAS)
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
Only a little difficult
Not at all difficult
[If Q40 =Not at all difficult skip to Q42]
What has made the process difficult? (open ended question coded by interviewer)
Finding units in my price range
Feeling rushed to move
Gathering information about units
Gathering information about neighborhoods
Finding transportation or child care so I could visit units
Feeling discriminated against because of my race or ethnicity
Finding landlords that would rent to me
Application requirements
Application fees
Other (specify)
[if search has no definite end date skip to end]
How confident are you that you will be able to find a new home or apartment before you have to move out of your current residence?
Extremely confident
Very confident
Somewhat confident
Not at all confident
During your search, did you ever feel that you were denied housing because the rental agent or landlord didn’t want to rent to you because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
During your search, did you ever feel that a rental agent or landlord was showing you only units in certain neighborhoods because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
45 . During your search, did you ever feel that the other residents in the building or neighborhoods that you visited treated you unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
46. Did you ever feel that when you were applying to rent a unit you were treated unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
[Go to exit script module]
Introductory Text
We would like to ask you some questions about how your housing search ended and your housing search activities since your last interview. This will only take about 20 minutes and you will receive a gift of $30 to thank you for your time. We respect your privacy and your name will not be linked to any of your answers. The study is completely voluntary, and you can refuse to answer any question or stop the study at any time. May I continue?
Housing Basics
When did you stop your housing search?
Record MM/DD/YYYY
Have you actually moved into your new home yet or are you in the process of moving?
Actually moved
Still in the process
[Note to DIR: this is just to determine the phrasing of the questions about the respondent’s new home, the rest of the questions assume that the respondent has actually moved]
What is your current street address?
[Try to get actual street address if possible]
Do you currently live in a house, apartment, condo, trailer, rent a room, or other?
Live in a house that I rent
Live in an apartment building
Live in a condo building
Live in a mobile home or trailer
Rent a room in a house
Other (record verbatim)
Do you currently have a year-long lease, month-to-month lease, an informal agreement to pay rent, are you not paying rent, or do you have some other arrangement?
Year-long lease
Month-to-month lease
Informal agreement to pay someone rent (including family and friends)
Not paying rent
Have some other arrangement (record verbatim)
What is your current rent? (record verbatim; record “00” if not paying rent currently)
Is that per week, every other week, per month, or other?
Weekly
Every other week
Every month
Other (record time frame)
NEIGHBORHOOD –SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
Now I would like to ask you questions about the neighborhood you recently moved to.
Overall, how would you rate your new neighborhood on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst? (AHS)
Is this new neighborhood better, worse, or about the same as your previous neighborhood? (AHS)
Better
Worse
About the Same
Same Neighborhood
Don’t Know
How important were each of the following neighborhood factors to you in deciding where to live? For each factor, tell me if you considered it very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important…
Convenience to workplace or school
Convenience to friends or family
Amenities like restaurants, grocery stores, theaters, shopping, and doctor’s offices in the neighborhood
Convenience to public transportation
Quality of public services like libraries, playgrounds, and community centers
Quality of the schools
Safety of the neighborhood
The mix of racial and ethnic groups in the neighborhood
[randomly select 3 items where there was a change in importance from prior wave; ALWAYS ask about R/E Composition, if 1 degree or more change] In comparing your responses to your last interview, it looks like [insert neighborhood factor] became [more/less] important to you. Can you tell me why you changed your mind about how important it was?
[For each factor respondent selected as very or somewhat important] How satisfied are you with the [insert neighborhood factor] in your neighborhood? Are you…
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Only a little Satisfied
Not at all satisfied
Not sure
UNIT-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
Now I am going to ask you some questions about the building and home that you currently live in.
How many bedrooms does your unit have?
0-99
[If Q1 = Apartment Building or Condo, ask 13; otherwise skip to Q14]
How many units are there in your building?
4 or fewer
5 to 50
more than 50
Did you or your family or friends know your landlord or management company prior to moving into your unit?
Yes, I did
Yes, my friends or family did
No
Is this housing unit better, worse, or about the same as your previous home?
Better
Worse
About the Same
Don’t Know
How important were each of the following unit features to you in deciding where to live? For each factor, tell me if you considered it very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important…
The rent you pay for it
Home’s appearance and layout
The size of the home or number of rooms
The size of the building or number of units
Quality of the landlord or management company
Security of the building
Amenities in the building like laundry facilities, parking, and other on-site facilities
Knowing the landlord or management company before you move in
The kind of lease arrangement—such as a month to month, long-term, or no lease
Other (specify)
[Randomly select 3 items where there is a change in direction of one degree or more from PRIOR WAVE] Sometimes people change their minds about what they are looking for in their housing. In comparing your responses to your last interview, it looks like [insert unit feature] has become [more/less] important to you. Can you tell me why you changed your mind about how important it is?
[For each feature respondent considers very or somewhat important in Q16] How satisfied are you with the [unit feature] in your new home? Are you
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Only a little satisfied
Not at all satisfied
Not sure
Gathering information: Now I am going to ask you some questions about how you found your new home and how you gathered information in general about homes during your housing search.
We would like to know how you first heard about the unit that you moved into. Would you say you heard about it from someone you knew, saw or heard an advertisement for it, saw a sign in the window, learned about it from a professional service, learned about it through social media, or some other way?
Someone you knew
Advertisement
Sign on the window
Professional service
Social media
Other
[if someone you knew ask 21-22]
What best describes your relationship to the person who told you about this unit, was it:
A family member
A friend
A co-worker
A roommate
A neighbor
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person/people who told you about this unit?
Hispanic, Latino
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other Race (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
[if advertisement ask q23]
23. Where was this ad? Was it in a newspaper, on a website, billboard, radio?
Newspaper
Which newspaper
Website
Which website
Billboard
Radio
Which radio station?
[if professional service ask q24]
24. Did the professional service include an actual person who told you about the unit you moved into?
Yes
What best describes the race and ethnicity of this person?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other Race (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
No
[if social media ask q25]
25. Which social media site did you use to find the unit?
Myspace
Email listservs (e.g., community listservs, interest group listservs)
Other social media
[if other ask q26]
26. What was the other way that you found out about this unit? [open-ended]
[Failed searchers start here; ask failed searchers Q1 as well]
Between the last time we talked to you and when you ended your search, how many housing units did you inquire about? That is, for how many units did you contact the landlord, management company, or current tenant(s) to find out more information?
0-99. [If they don’t know, provide ranges:]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
Now we would like to ask you about sources of information you used in general to find out about all the units you considered during your search.
First, did you hear about units from someone you know? ((yes/no)
Did you see or hear an advertisement for them? (yes/no)
Did you see signs in the windows of units or buildings? (yes/no)
Did you learn about them from a professional service? (yes/no)
Did you learn about them on social media? (yes/no)
Did you learn about them from community or religious organizations? (yes/no)
Did you use some other sources? (IF YES: SPECIFY)
[if someone you know ask 29-30]
What best describes your relationship to the person who you talked to about units? Were they:
A family member
A friend
A co-worker
A roommate
A neighbor
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person/people who you talked to about units?
Hispanic, Latino
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
[if advertisement ask q31]
31. Where are these ads? Are they in newspapers, on a website, billboard, radio?
Newspaper
Which newspaper
Website
Which website
Billboard
Radio
Which station
[if professional service ask q32]
32.Did the professional service include an actual person who talked to you about units?
Yes
What best describes the race and ethnicity of this person?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
No
[if social media ask q33]
33. Which social media sites have you used?
Myspace
Email listservs (e.g., community listservs, interest group listservs)
Other social media
[if community or religious organization ask q34]
34. What is the name of the community or religious organization? Record verbatim
What best describes the race and ethnicity of the person at this organization who talked to you about units?
Hispanic
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other (Record verbatim)
Don’t know
35.When you were searching, did you use any of the following ONLINE social media networks to let people know you were looking for a place to live?
Did you use Facebook? [yes/no]
Did you use Twitter? [yes/no]
Did you use Myspace? [yes/no]
Did you use email listservs (community listservs, interest group listservs)?
Did you use other social media? [yes/no]
How did you use the people you know to assist with the housing search? (select all that apply)
To find out about rental vacancies (y/n)
To find rentals that did not require a background check or other application requirements (y/n)
To learn more about specific neighborhoods (y/n)
To find landlords that would not discriminate against people of my race/ethnicity y/n)
In general, since our last interview, did you inquire about units through email, phone calls, in-person visits, or some other way? (check all that apply)
Phone
In-person visits
Other (specify)
Overall, how difficult was it to get the information you needed through your inquiries. Would you say:
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
A little difficult
Not at all difficult
Search Goals
Now I am going to ask you a few questions about the kind of neighborhood and home you told me the last time we spoke that you would like to live in.
I am going to read to you the neighborhood or neighborhoods that you said you were interested in at your last interview; please tell me if you stopped considering any of these neighborhoods during your search.
[read list from prior wave and ask yes/no for each neighborhood]
[For each no] Why did you stop including this neighborhood in your search? [open-ended, field-code response]
Available units were not in my price range
School quality
Crime/safety
Neighbors
Did not think it would be welcoming to people of my race/ethnicity
Too far from family or friends
Too far from work or school
Lacked amenities (e.g., parks, restaurants, shopping)
Since the last time we talked, did you add any more neighborhoods to the list of places where you searched for housing?
Yes
No
If yes, what neighborhood or neighborhoods?
[List]
Visiting Apartments
Now I am going to ask you some questions about your attempts to visit apartments or homes you were interested in renting.
Since our last interview, how many units have you actually visited in person?
0-99. [if respondent does not know exact amount provide ranges]
0
1
2
3-5
6-10
11-15
More than 15
Were there any other units that you would have liked to visit in the last 10 days but were unable to see?
Yes
No [Skip to 37]
Which of the following factors prevented you from visiting these units? Was it because you didn’t have transportation, your schedule prevented you from seeing it, the unit was occupied, or was there some other reason?
Didn’t have transportation to get to the building
My schedule prevented me from seeing it
Unit was occupied
Other reason (specify)
[If q43 >3, say:] Now I am going to ask you about the 3 units you most recently visited.
If q43 less than 4, say]: Now I am going to ask you about each of the units you visited starting with the most recent one; [if Q43=0, skip to 58]
What was the address of this unit?
Street, City, State, Zip
[if don’t know] Do you remember the cross streets or general area?
What neighborhood was it in?
[record]
Did you continue to consider this neighborhood after your visit?
Yes [skip to 50]
No
[if no] Why did you stop considering this neighborhood after your visit? [yes/no]
Did not feel safe
The neighborhood did not have amenities like restaurants, bars, shopping, and parks
Too far from school/work
Too far from public transportation
Not enough on-street parking
Racial/ethnic mix of neighborhood
Other
How satisfied were you with the way you were treated during this visit?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Not at all satisfied
Did you feel you were treated unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
Not sure
Sometimes people do things to increase the chance that a potential landlord will treat them well. Did you do any of these things when you made this visit?
Dressed differently [yes/no]
Spoke differently [yes/no]
Brought a partner/friend/child [yes/no]
Mentioned my career or professional background [yes/no]
Left partner/friend/child at home [yes/no]
Had someone else check the unit out [yes/no]
Did you decide to submit an application for this unit?
Yes
No
[If Yes] Why did you apply for this unit? [open-ended, field-coded]
Liked the building
Liked the unit
Affordable
Liked the neighborhood
Liked the landlord/management company
Tired of searching
Needed to move quickly
Other (specify)
[If no] Why did you decide not to apply for this unit? [yes/no for each]
Price too high
Did not like the unit
Did not like the building
Did not like the landlord or management company
Did not like the neighbors
[for group houses] Did not like people living in the house
[If applied] Was your application accepted?
Yes
No
[if no] Why was your application denied?
Someone else applied first
Problem with references
Problem with credit/rental/criminal history
Income too low
Was not told why/Never heard back from landlord or management company
Other (specify)
[Repeat
questions until you have asked about all units respondent visited or,
if respondent visited more than 3 units, the 3 most recent]
Search Outcome Now I am going to ask you a few questions about your decision to end your search.
Would you say this housing search was extremely difficult, very difficult, somewhat difficult, only a little difficult, or not at all difficult? (Chicago Area Study)
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Somewhat difficult
Only a little difficult
Not at all difficult
[If Q58 =Not at all difficult skip to Q60]
What made the process difficult? (Ask yes/no for each response option)
Finding units in my price range
Feeling rushed to move
Gathering information about units
Gathering information about neighborhoods
Finding transportation to get to units
Finding someone to take care of my children so I could visit units
Being treated unfairly because of my race or ethnicity
Finding landlords that would rent to me
Were there any other reasons why it was difficult? If yes, please specify…
During your search, did you ever feel that you were denied housing because the rental agent or landlord didn’t want to rent to you because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
During your search, did you ever feel that a rental agent or landlord was showing you only units in certain neighborhoods because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
62 . During your search, did you ever feel that the other residents in the building or neighborhoods that you visited treated you unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
63. Did you ever feel that when you were applying to rent a unit you were treated unfairly because of your race or ethnicity?
Yes
No
[If moved skip to exit script]
Why did you decide not to move? [open-ended with field coding]
Was told I could remain in my current home
Moving was too expensive
Life circumstance changed
Did not find any units that met all my criteria
Other (specify)
Do you think you might move in the next couple of years? (PSID)
Yes
No
Don’t Know
[if Q57=Yes] Would you say you definitely will move, probably will move, or are you more uncertain?
Definitely
Probably
Uncertain
[Go to exit script module]
(Asked at conclusion of Recent Mover Module, and Current Searchers Wave 1 Baseline Test)
We are almost done. Now I would like to ask you some basic questions about your background.
Demographics
AGE, GENDER, MARITAL STATUS
D_1 What is your year of birth? (enter YYYY)
[Calculate and confirm age]
D_2 Are you male or female?
Male
Female
D_3. Are you currently—married, widowed, divorced, separated, or have you never been married?
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
Never Married
SOCIAL CLASS (INCOME/EDUCATION/OCCUPATION)
D_4 Was your total household income for the year 2014, from all sources, before taxes, more or less than $60,000?
If less than $60,000 ask: Was it less than $40,000?
Yes
No: skip to D5
$60,000 exactly: skip to D5
If less than $40,000 ask: Was it less than $20,000
Yes
No: skip to D5
Exactly $40,000: skip to D5
If more than $60,000 ask: Was it more than $80,000?
Yes:
No: skip to D5
Exactly $80,000: Skip to D5
If more than $80,000, ask: Was it more than $100,000?
Yes:
No: skip to D5
Exactly $100,000: Skip to D5
If more than $100,000, ask: Was it more than $150,000?
Yes
No:
Exactly $150,000
D_5 What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have earned? (AHS 2011, Modified)
Less than high school diploma
High school graduate - High school DIPLOMA or equivalent (For example: GED)
Some college but no degree
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree [For example: BA, AB, BS]
Master's degree , Professional School Degree, Doctorate Degree, [For example: MA, MS, MEng, MEd, MSW, MBA, MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, JD),PhD, EdD]
D_6 What is your current employment status? [Respondent can select all that apply]
Employed full time (40 hours/week or more)
Employed part time
Unemployed, looking for work
Unemployed, other reason (e.g receives SSI, cannot work due to disability)
Student
Retiree
Stay at home parent
Other (?)
D_7 Were you born in the United States?
Yes
No
D_8 Did anyone in your household that moved with you have a disability that requires special housing accommodations?
Yes
No
D_9 How many automobiles, excluding vans or trucks, are kept at home for use by members of your household? (AHS)
None
1-5, or more [record number]
[Recent Mover Module, and Current Searchers Wave 1 Baseline Test: Conclude with Exit Script]
[Read to all] Thank you very much for participating in this survey.
FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS CONSENT & CONTACT INFO [CURRENT SEARCHERS ONLY, Baseline Wave 1 and Still Searching at Wave 2]
Since you are in the middle of your search, we would like to check back in with you in about 10-14 days to see how things are going with the search, and conduct another short survey—the next one should be about 20 minutes. We will provide you with another $30 in appreciation for your cooperation. Do I have your permission to contact you again in 10-14 days?
[If YES:] Thank you very much. In order to make this as easy as possible, could you please tell me if this is the best phone number to reach you? That is…[insert from Screener] XXX XXX XXXX?
Is that a cell phone, home phone, or other?
Could you provide me with another phone number where you can be reached?
Is that a cell phone, home phone, or other?
Do you have an email address that you would like to be reached at?
Some people find it easier to arrange an interview in advance, and one way we could do this is by text or email. What is the best way to reach you for this purpose? X phone number, X phone number, or email?
[If phone] What time of day is the best to reach you? Morning, Afternoon, Evening, or anytime?
Are any days better than others?
-[Note day(s) of week]
-[If any, record:] ANY
[If NO]: [Interviewer should attempt to identify the reason for the “no” response and if appropriate try to address the concerns and convert any soft refusals. Standard DIR refusal conversion practices for soft refusals will be undertaken. Hard refusals will not be pursued. ]
VERIFICATION OF ADDRESS FOR MAILING [ALL HOUSING SEARCH STUDY RESPONDENTS AT ALL WAVES]
We would like to send you a mailing that will include $30 for today’s interview. Let me just verify the information you gave me earlier. [XXX –insert from screener] is your current street address? Is this where you receive mail, or do you receive mail at a different address?
[Same address] Thanks.
[Different mailing address-e.g. PO box- record street, city, zip] Thanks.
[if CURRENT SEARCHER BASELINE AND CONSENTED TO WAVE 2] We’ll also be sending you a housing log that you can use to help keep track of your search experiences. The log is a place for you to write down notes on the different homes you call about or visit, and it will have some maps of different neighborhoods inside. Using the log is completely optional, and you don’t have to use it, but we hope you find it useful for keeping track of the different places you search. If you do decide to use it, please keep it close by so that when we contact you again for the follow-up call you will have it on hand.
IDI RECRUITMENT MODULE [RECENT MOVERS AND CURRENT SEARCHERS ‘DONE SEARCHING’ AT WAVE 2 OR 3]
Lastly, we are working with researchers at the Urban Institute on this project, and they will also be conducting a small number of in-person interviews with some of the participants in this project. Participants would receive $50 token of appreciation for this interview. We would like to share your contact information with researchers at the Urban Institute who are working with us on this research. If you meet their criteria, one of the researchers may contact you to explain the study and see if you are interested in participating. I should note that your contact information is always kept separate from your survey responses, and we will not share the contact information with anyone outside of the researchers involved in the project.
Is it ok for us to share your information with the Urban Institute and have their staff reach out to you for this in-person interview?
[If YES and RECENT MOVER or CURRENT SEARCHER WHO REFUSED CALL-BACK]: Thank you very much. In order to make this as easy as possible, could you please tell me if this is the best phone number to reach you? That is…[insert from Screener] XXX XXX XXXX?
Is that a cell phone, home phone, or other?
Could you provide me with another phone number where you can be reached?
Is that a cell phone, home phone, or other?
Do you have an email address that you would like to be reached at?
Some people find it easier to arrange an interview in advance, and one way we could do this is by text or email. What is the best way to reach you for this purpose? X phone number, X phone number, or email?
[If phone] What time of day is the best to reach you? Morning, Afternoon, Evening, or anytime?
Are any days better than others?
-[Note day(s) of week]
-[If any, record:] ANY
[If NO: Continue to text below]
SNOWBALL SAMPLING [ALL HOUSING SEARCH STUDY RESPONDENTS AT ALL WAVES]
We are still looking for more people who have recently moved or who are currently looking for housing and we are hoping that the people we’ve talked to already can help spread the word. In addition to your $30 for this interview, we will mail you fliers about the Housing Search Study. We would appreciate it if you could give these fliers and the information about this study to anyone you know—this might be neighbors, friends, acquaintances—who might also be searching for housing or have recently moved.
Thank you for completing the interview survey! Your answers will help researchers better understand how and why people search for housing. You should expect to get a package from us around XX date.
[if consented to CURRENT SEARCHER Wave 2/Wave 3, add:] And you will hear from us in XX to XX days for your [second/third] interview.
Housing Search Study
CONSENT FORM
Title of Research: Housing Search Study
Contractor: The Urban Institute
Sponsor: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
About the Study: The purpose of this study is to identify how renters in the Washington, D.C. metro area search for housing and make decisions about where to live. We are interested in talking to people who recently searched for rental housing within the D.C. metro area, whether or not they actually moved to a new home. We are interviewing people who have already participated in one or more Housing Research Study phone interviews about their recent housing search.
In this study, we are interested in learning what the housing search process is like for renters—that is, what people look for in a place to live, and how people make decisions about where and how to search. We are also interested in why people move, and the things that people think are important when they are making decisions about where to move.
In this document, we are asking for your agreement to participate in an in-person interview to talk about some of the same topics that you discussed on the phone. If you agree to participate, we will conduct an interview with you, here in your home or wherever you are most comfortable, to ask you about a variety of topics related to your recent housing search, including your neighborhood, how you found the home you are currently living in, why you decided to move, and the information you used during your search. Each interview will take approximately one hour to complete. We anticipate that 48 people will participate in this part of the study.
Token of appreciation: Upon completion of this interview you will receive $50.00.
Risks and Discomforts: Some of the questions may be personal. For example, we will be asking you to talk about your neighborhood, your current home, the things that might have made your search difficult, and the reasons you needed or decided to move. Although we try to minimize the risks to research participants in this type of study, some people may be uncomfortable answering some of the questions, and it is okay for you to skip any questions that you feel particularly uncomfortable about. You will be compensated no matter what.
Benefits: Although the research we are conducting will not directly benefit you, it will provide us with a better understanding of how people search for housing. This may help the Department of Housing and Urban Development and others understand ways to design programs or studies in the future.
Alternatives: Your participation in this research is voluntary, and you may decide to withdraw from the study at any point without any negative consequences.
Privacy: All information we obtain during the research phase of this project will be treated as private to the extent possible by law: That is, only people associated with the research team will even know that you participated in the study, let alone your answers to our questions, without your prior approval. The Urban Institute’s Institutional Review Board and officials from the funding agency retain the right to review the data collected in this study to ensure that it is being conducted in an appropriate manner. All of these people are required to keep your identity private. Otherwise, records that identify you will be available only to people working on the study, unless you give permission for other people to see the records.
Your answers to these questions will be tape recorded and transcribed, and then transferred to a secure computer.
Your name will be changed to an ID number for the purposes of analyzing the data from the study. The only information linking your name to this ID will be stored and locked in secure desk, away from your survey answers, and accessible only to the research team. The digital recording we make today will be erased as soon as the data are entered into the computer.
Questions: If you have any questions, please feel free to call Molly Scott at (202)261-5888. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant you may contact the Urban Institute Institutional Review Board at (202)-xxx-xxxx.
Legal Rights: You are not waiving any of your legal rights by signing this consent form.
Signatures: Your signature indicates that you have read (or been read) the information provided above, that you understand the information in this consent form, and that you decided to participate. You will receive a copy of this form.
_____________________________________________________ ____________
Name of participant Date
_____________________________________________________ ____________
Signature of participant Date
_____________________________________________________ ____________
Signature of person obtaining consent Date
_____________________
ID Number of Participant
Housing Search Study In-Depth Interview Guide
[NOTE: Refer to DIR respondent interview report for phone interview responses. Review responses for context and background on each respondent’s recent move. If a move was completed, use Module 1. If a move was not completed, use Module 2].
[NOTE: Complete informed consent.]
INTRODUCTION [ALL]
Thank you for letting us come and talk with you today about your housing search. As I mentioned earlier, I’d like to talk to you about some similar questions as the ones you answered on your phone interview[s], and to hear more about how your housing search went.
MODULE 1: COMPLETED MOVE [FOR NON-MOVERS SKIP TO MODULE 2, p.6]
SECTION 1: INTRO/OPENING
I’d like to start by talking about how you feel about the move, overall. Moving can be hard. Some people have a great experience and some people find it very stressful. How about you? How did your move go?
How do you feel about how it turned out?
What made it [easy/stressful]?
Do you feel like it turned out the way you wanted it to? Tell me more about that.
How was the process? Hard? Easy?
[NOTE: use this introductory question to encourage open conversation and establish move experience and context for move. Probe for emotional context and perception of move process. Responses may continue through remaining discussion. More specific questions below in CONSTRAINTS/TRADEOFFS]
SECTION 2: RECENT MOVE DECISIONS
A really important part of our study is understanding how people end up living where they do, why they might move from one place to another, and how they search for housing. In this section I am going to ask you to tell me about how you decided to move into the place you live in now, and about your housing search.
[NOTE: Some questions may be repetitive, depending on how information emerges from previous questions. Tailor as needed or use questions as additional probes if some information about move and context for move has already been provided]
[Confirm neighborhood and address, if interview is not in current home]. Tell me the whole story of how you ended up [here/your new home], starting from when you knew you wanted or needed to move.
Why did you decide to move?
[If not covered] What was happening in your life that made you want/need to move?
What was the first thing you did when you knew you were moving? What did you do next?
How did you hear first about this house/apartment?
How did you first contact the owner/manager?
[Probe for specifics of how unit was found: if on the internet, which website? If word of mouth, who was the person who told you about it? Did you know the landlord or owner? Additional questions on process below.]
Tell me more about why you moved.
Why did you want or need to move?
Some people move for positive reasons, and some people move because they feel like they have no choice. How was this move for you?
[If involuntary: would you have stayed there if you could have?]
Am I right that you [changed neighborhoods/remained in the same neighborhood]? Tell me more about this. Why did you [stay/change]? [NOTE: Record prior neighborhood, if different]
How did you end up in this neighborhood?
Did you deliberately try to [stay in the same neighborhood/move to this neighborhood]?
What was more important, the house/apartment or the area it was located in?
Did you consider other neighborhoods? [Record neighborhoods]
Which neighborhoods did you avoid searching in?
What do you like about living here?
What are things that you don’t like so much?
What kinds of people live here?
What mix of folks were you looking for? What tends to make you feel the most comfortable?
What mix of folks tends to make you feel a little less comfortable?
[Note: Probe for neighborhood characteristics and ties to the neighborhood; probe for racial/ethnic composition if not raised. Neighborhoods may come up naturally throughout the interview, but this is main area to probe for neighborhood characteristics and role in decision-making if the respondent does not bring it up indirectly through other responses. If not noted, probe for whether unit considerations were more important than neighborhood.]
Use Map PROP here!
Section 3: Search Strategies
Tell me more about your search, and how you found out about houses/apartments that were available. Some people look in the newspaper to find out about housing, others use the internet or word of mouth. I’d like to hear more about how you did this.
Use Cards PROP here
Give respondent set of index cards with search key words and ask them to sort into two piles: resources used and not used. Walk through pile of resources used for more information and sample search.
Let’s start with … [Go through each card selected]
If on-line/internet sources:
Which websites?
What did you search for? Which search terms/key words did you use used?
[Probe for neighborhoods? Rent range? Unit size? Other unit features?]
How did you contact these listings? [phone vs. email?]
How effective do you think this approach was for you?
For print/newspapers:
Which newspapers?
When did you look? Daily, weekly?
What did you look for in the ads? [rent range? Location? Type of unit?]
How did you contact these listings? [phone vs. email?]
How effective do you think this approach was for you?
For real estate agent/professional service:
How did you find the agent/service? [if from a personal contact, who? relationship?]
How did you or [name] choose which listings to see?
How did you communicate with the landlord/manager? [probe for through the agent, in person?]
How effective do you think this approach was for you?
[Probe for how the respondent searched: specific search terms, ways of responding to listings or pursuing information, searches based on neighborhood location vs. unit characteristics]
[Note: If respondent indicates they searched in a particular way—get the respondent to do so. For example, if they select/say “look at the ads in the newspaper” pull out your newspaper and go to the rental ads, ask them to show you how they peruse the ads and judge which kinds of ads to pursue and which to ignore. Same with internet. Pull up the website and enter search terms and view ads].
For word of mouth:
We are very interested in how people might get information or help for the search from word of mouth, through their friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, or other people in their lives. Tell me more about the people you talked to about your search and your choices
Let’s start with …. [go through cards with groups indicated]
Who were you referring to? [Get names, relationship, race/ethnicity]
Tell me a bit about [contact name]. How do you know them?
What type of information did you get from [contact name]
What did you talk to [each person] about?
About how many units did you find this way? [Calls? Visits?]
What else did they help you with?
[Probe for information about neighborhoods vs about units, or help making the decision vs. information about available housing. Probe for race/ethnicity of relationships/contacts whenever possible.]
What other sources did you use that I haven’t asked about?
Why didn’t you use [refer to cards not selected]?
Have you ever used these in the past?
Section 4: CONSTRAINTS AND TRADEOFFS
I’d like to hear a bit more about how the search went for you. Places you looked at or thought about but didn’t end up moving to, and the things you needed to keep in mind when you were searching for a place to live or deciding where to move.
Tell me about any [apartments/homes] you looked into, but didn’t work out for one reason or another.
What about places you considered but decided against?
What about places you wanted to live in but couldn’t for some reason?
Why didn’t they work out?
Which listings have you seen and then disregarded?
Why did you rule them out?
What about neighborhoods you looked into, but didn’t work out for one reason or another.
What about places you considered but decided against?
What about places you wanted to live in but couldn’t for some reason?
Why didn’t they work out?
Which neighborhoods did you go look at but then disregarded?
Why did you rule them out?
[NOTE: These may be duplicative; bring up neighborhoods specifically if they do not come up during discussion of units that were ruled out during the search. If they have been discussed, disregard question 7 on neighborhoods.]
Some people say that certain aspects of their personal situations really limit the kinds of places they can live—large families, for example, families in which someone has a criminal record, families with bad credit, or don’t have money for a deposit. Families who have been evicted, or families who have to live close to childcare, a sick relative, work, a particular bus line….things like that. How about for you?
What are things that might have made your search complicated?
How did they limit the kinds of places [units /neighborhoods] you looked at or considered living in?
How did you deal with them in your search?
[probe for types of units/specific neighborhoods considered? Information sources?]
[NOTE: May build off of previous responses. Probe for emotional context if not already discussed, and probe for search strategies in response to personal situations: types of units, neighborhoods, information sources.]
Sometimes people start out with one idea in mind for their move and then need to change gears, or change their minds after they start looking for housing. Did this happen to you?
How did your original ideas about where you wanted to search or move change during the search?
Why did you need to make changes?
What were the things that were deal breakers for you?
[Probe for compromises or tradeoffs made about neighborhoods and units]
What are some things that you wish you had known before you started searching, or while you were looking for housing? What would have been helpful to you?
What might have made your search easier?
What information might have helped?
What would you have done differently if you could?
[Probe for information about ways to search, neighborhoods to look in, financial support for the search or help from other people.]
Section 5: FUTURE
As we close, I’d like to hear about any plans for your next move. How long do you think you’ll stay in this [apartment/home]?
When do you think you might move again?
Why that timeline? [Or, milestone for move]
What will you try to do differently the next time?
What did you learn from this search that you will try for the next one?
Where do you think you will be living in five years?
[NOTE: timeline for move may be based on a milestone such as a new job, a child’s age or school grade/stage. Probe for goals for move is not year/date timeline. May be duplicative with previous discussion; probe for information or resources that might have helped move if not raised previously.]
Is there anything else you’d like to tell me before we end? Anything that you think I’ve missed or that I should know? Is there anything I should I have asked that I didn’t?
[Skip to closing, p.11]
MODULE 2: NON-MOVERS
[Refer to DIR Report. Only CSS respondents that stopped their search without moving should be included in this module. Verify that respondent is still at the same address. If changed address, record both addresses and use MOVER module.]
SECTION 6. STOPPED SEARCHING
I’d like to talk to you about the housing search you recently made, even though you didn’t end up moving. We’d like to hear about why you wanted or needed to move in the first place, why you changed your mind about it, and how you were searching while you still thought you might move.
Tell me about why you stopped looking for a new place to live.
Why did you decide to stop looking?
How was your search going up to that point?
How do you feel about where you are living now?
Would you have preferred to move?
When do you think you might start looking again? [probe for timeframe or milestone, such as new job, change in family composition, child’s age/school level]
[Probe for personal reasons, emotional context, financial, changed circumstances, frustrated with search. Probe for whether stopped search is viewed as a positive or negative outcome.]
SECTION 7: RECENT SEARCH DECISIONS
A really important part of our study is understanding how people end up living where they do, why they might move from one place to another, and how they search for housing. In this section I am going to ask you to tell me about your housing search before you stopped looking.
[Confirm neighborhood and address, if necessary]. Tell me the whole story of why you originally tried to move, from the moment when you knew you wanted or needed to move.
What made you decide to move?
What was the first thing you did when you thought you were moving?
What did you do next?
Some people move for positive reasons, and some people move because they feel like they have no choice. How was it for you?
Tell me more about where you were looking to move when you were still searching. What were you thinking you wanted to do at the time?
What neighborhoods were you looking in?
Did you want to change neighborhoods, or stay in the same neighborhood?
What do you like about living here?
What are things that you don’t like so much?
Did you consider other neighborhoods? [Record neighborhoods]
Which neighborhoods did you avoid searching in?
What kinds of people live here?
What mix of folks were you looking for? What tends to make you feel the most comfortable?
What mix of folks tends to make you feel a little less comfortable?
[Note: Probe for neighborhood characteristics and ties to the neighborhood; probe for racial/ethnic composition if not raised. Neighborhoods may come up naturally throughout the interview, but this is main area to probe for neighborhood characteristics and role in decision-making if the respondent does not bring it up indirectly through other responses.]
SECTION 8: SEARCH STRATEGIES
Tell me more about how you were searching before you stopped. How did you find out about houses/apartments that were available? Some people look in the newspaper to find out about housing, others use the internet or word of mouth. I’d like to hear more about how you did this.
Use Cards PROP here
Give respondent set of index cards with search key words and ask them to sort into two piles: resources used and not used. Walk through pile of resources used for more information and sample search.
Let’s start with … [Go through each card selected]
If on-line/internet sources:
Which websites?
What did you search for? Which search terms/key words did you use?
[Probe for neighborhoods? Rent range? Unit size? Other unit features?]
How did you contact these listings? [phone vs. email?]
How effective do you think this approach was for you?
For print/newspapers:
Which newspapers?
When did you look? Daily, weekly?
What did you look for in the ads? [rent range? Location? Type of unit?]
How did you contact these listings? [phone vs. email?]
How effective do you think this approach was for you?
For real estate agent/professional service:
How did you find the agent/service? [if from a personal contact, who? relationship?]
How did you or [name] choose which listings to see?
How did you communicate with the landlords/managers? [probe for through the agent, personally?]
How effective do you think this approach was for you?
[Probe for how the respondent searched: specific search terms, ways of responding to listings or pursuing information. Probe for how effective different strategies were, if not already stated elsewhere.]
[Note: If respondent indicates they searched in a particular way—get the respondent to do so. For example, if they select/say “look at the ads in the newspaper” pull out your newspaper and go to the rental ads, ask them to show you how they peruse the ads and judge which kinds of ads to pursue and which to ignore. Same with internet. Pull up the website and enter search terms and view ads].
For word of mouth:
We are very interested in how people might get information or help for the search from word of mouth, through their friends, family, neighbors, coworkers or other people in their lives. Tell me more about the people you talked to about your search and your choices.
Let’s start with …. [go through cards with groups indicated]
Who were you referring to? [Get names, relationship; race/ethnicity]
Tell me a bit about [contact name]. How do you know them?
What type of information did you get from [contact name]
What did you talk to [each person] about?
About how many units did you found this way so far [calls? Visits?]
What else did they help you with?
[Probe for information about neighborhoods vs about units, or help making the decision vs. information about available housing. Probe for information on whether or not to keep searching. Probe for race/ethnicity of relationships/contacts whenever possible.]
What other sources have you used that I haven’t asked about?
Why didn’t you use [refer to cards not selected]?
Have you ever used these in the past?
Section 9: CONSTRAINTS AND TRADEOFFS
Tell me more about places [apartments/homes/neighborhoods] you looked into, but didn’t work out for one reason or another.
What about places you considered but decided against?
What about places you wanted to live in but couldn’t for some reason?
Why didn’t they work out?
Which listings did you look at and then disregard?
Why did you rule them out?
Were there places you tried to see but couldn’t?
[Neighborhoods may emerge during discussion of places that were rued out during the search. Probe for neighborhoods if they do not come up on their own]
Some people say that certain aspects of their personal situations really limit the kinds of places they can live—large families, for example, families in which someone has a criminal record, families with bad credit, or don’t have money for a deposit. Families who have been evicted, or families who have to live close to childcare, a sick relative, work, a particular bus line….things like that. How about for you?
What are things that might have made your search complicated?
How did you deal with them when you were still searching?
How did they limit the kinds of places you looked at or considered living?
Was this part of why you stopped searching?
What kinds of help would have made the search easier, or go better?
[NOTE: Refer to first interview question. Probe for information, financial help, other resources that may have helped the search be more successful or change the outcome, if relevant.]
Sometimes people start out with one idea in mind for their move and then need to change gears, or change their minds after they start looking for housing. Did this happen to you?
How did your original ideas about where you wanted to search or move change during the search?
What were the things that were deal breakers for you?
Was this part of why you stopped searching?
[Probe for compromises, tradeoffs about neighborhoods or units]
What are some things that you wish you had known before you started searching, or while you were still looking for housing? What would have been helpful to you?
What might have made your search easier?
What might have changed how things turned out for this move?
What information might have helped?
What would you have done differently if you could?
[Probe for information about ways to search, neighborhoods to look in, financial support for the search or help from other people. If relevant, probe for things that may have changed decision to stop searching, or resulted in a move.]
Section 10: FUTURE
As we close, I’d like to hear about any plans for future moves.
When do you think you might move again?
Why that timeline?
What will you try to do differently next time?
What have you learned from this search?
What would be helpful for the next search?
[If not already discussed, probe for information about ways to search, neighborhoods to look in, financial support for the search or help from other people. If relevant, probe for things that may have changed decision to stop searching, or resulted in a move]
Is there anything else you’d like to tell me before we end? Anything that you think I’ve missed or that I should know? Is there anything I should I have asked that I didn’t?
CLOSING [All]
Thank you for talking so freely about your life and your experiences. I really appreciate your time and everything you have told me. I’ll leave a copy of the consent form for you, as well as my card and phone numbers for you to call in case you have any questions. You can contact us at any time. We may be in contact you over the next few months, and would like to take down some information so we can be in touch with you.
Use Future Contact Sheet PROP here!
If you think of anything you forgot to tell me, just call. Thanks again!
Thank you for participating in the Housing Search Study!
To help you keep track of your housing search—from the homes you call to the homes you visit-- we’ve provided this housing search log. Please have this log on hand for your follow up calls, which you can expect on or around ______ and ______.
Filling out this log is not hard!
Try to be as accurate as possible.
We recognize you won’t remember everything, and that’s OK.*
We also realize you won’t spend time each day searching for housing—when that happens, just fill in a page of the log and check the box at the bottom.
How to fill in this log:
Every day, do your best to fill out the log.
If you started searching before you receive this log, do the best you can to fill out what you’ve done so far
Fill out a separate page for each day to keep track of how many calls you made or emails you sent.
When referring to an earlier unit, use the “Unit ID #”.
For each unit you VISIT in person, fill out a separate “UNIT VISIT” page. If you decide to complete an application or end up renting the unit, make a note of that.
There are also maps included in this log for you to reference as you search.
If you have any questions about this study, the log, or what we’re asking you to do, you can call 1-800-XXX-XXXX.
*Language adapted from Sobell, L.C., and Sobell, M.B. 2000
Today’s Date:__________________
What did you do today to search for housing? Check all that apply.
Browsed on the internet (what websites?)______________________________________
Browsed newspapers, or other paper ads (which ones?)_______________________
Talked to friends/coworkers/others
Called numbers from bulletin boards or signs on buildings (where?)_______________________
Met with a rental agent
Visited Units fill out a “Unit visit” page
Contacted landlords fill out bottom of this page
Other (describe)______________________________________________________________________
I didn’t search for housing today.
Contacting Landlords:
Units called about or emailed today:
Available? How did you hear about this unit?
1 |
Address Price/month # Bedrooms |
|
|
2 |
Address of unit Price # Bedrooms |
|
|
3 |
Address of unit Price # Bedrooms |
|
|
Units I contacted earlier that I heard back from today: (list street name & outcome)
Other notes about my search today:
Visiting Units: Any time you visit a unit, fill out an entry for it.
Date of visit: ___/___/______
Address of Unit (House #, Street, City, Zip): _____________________________________________________
Circle One: House Apartment Trailer Condo Room in House Other _____________
How did you hear about the unit?
# bedrooms |
# bathrooms |
# Square Feet |
Rent Per Month |
Includes Utilities? |
|
|
|
|
|
What was the unit like?
What was the neighborhood like?
What was your experience with the landlord or management company like?
Other notes:
Will you submit an application? Circle one Yes Date submitted________
No If no, why not?
Is there an application fee? Circle One Yes If yes, how much?_______ No
Is there a fee for a credit check? Circle One Yes If yes, how much? ______________ No
Final outcome:
(Example: I decided against this unit because don’t want to pay application fee. I never heard back from landlord. I rented this unit)
DIR
Data Security Plan
Housing
Search for Ethnic and Racial Minorities
May 2014
Submitted to: Submitted by:
Molly Scott Decision Information Resources, Inc.
Metropolitan
Housing and Communities 2600 Southwest Freeway, Suite 900
The
Urban Institute Houston, TX 77098
2100 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037 Jose Gonzalez
Information
Systems Security Officer
(ISSO)
Introduction
The purpose of this security plan is to outline security measures designed to mitigate risks associated with Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR) project data. The security measures in this plan are based on DIR secured data security policies, standards and guidelines.
DIR’s Data Security Policy sets forth requirements for protecting and securing sensitive information in order to ensure the privacy, integrity, and availability of project information. DIR’s security policies include an information security policy that establishes a baseline for data security practices, educates users and vendors regarding their obligations to protect data assets, and provides a foundation to ensure the privacy, integrity and availability of client and corporate data. Federal guidelines and standards (e.g., NIST 800 series special publications) have been used as guidance to develop this security plan.
Facilities and Physical Security
The work for this contract will primarily be done at DIR’s central office located at 2600 Southwest Freeway, on the 9th floor of Corporate Building 1.
DIR implements a corporate-wide policy for safety and security of its physical facilities. DIR’s Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) works with a third party security consultant (Second Factor, Inc.) to insure that the physical and logical system security policies comply with the project’s security requirements.
All DIR staff members are provided with an electronic key card that provides physical access to DIR’s offices. Each electronic card is programmed for a specific user and provides that user with access to areas to which he or she is authorized. DIR’s office is also equipped with an alarm system monitored by a professional security agency. The alarm is activated when the offices are vacant. Authorized users have individual alarm access codes to access the premises with time based restrictions depending on their clearance level. Furthermore, DIR offices are monitored by a closed-circuit video surveillance system 24/7. Building management also provides video surveillance and after-hours security surveillance. During office hours, all visitors have access to DIR’s reception area where they contact the office manager to be escorted to their destination.
DIR’s office has secured areas that are either data rooms or server rooms. These rooms are secured by additional physical access controls, which require a code or electronic key access. These codes and/or keys are only provided to a limited number of authorized DIR personnel. Sensitive material is stored in secured lock and key file cabinets, which are secured in separate data rooms, to which only authorized personnel have access. Physical access to DIR’s offices during non-office hours requires an alarm code and possession of an electronic key card and key.
DIR has a safety policy in effect. In addition, DIR implements an extensive and active safety and occupational health program to ensure staff safety and health and to meet or exceed all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. DIR also maintains a fire safety program which includes annual inspections by local Fire Departments for both facility and hazardous materials. Facilities and maintenance personnel test building alarm systems at least quarterly and service all pull stations, horns and bells annually.
It is the policy of Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR) to safeguard sensitive data within its control. All servers and infrastructure equipment are housed in secured server rooms. Access to the premises is protected with electronic key secured access, and different sections of the premises are limited to authorized personnel whose job responsibilities require that they have access. Workstations used by project personnel have secure login access, password-protected screen savers, endpoint protection, and are secured. All systems operate behind a unified threat management ready firewall.
DIR system accounts are managed by the DIR system administrator. The lead system administrator also holds the trusted role of Information Systems Security Officer. Group policies are used to control permissions assigned to user groups and to computers or computer groups. All permissions, access, and roles are assigned on the basis of the need to know and on whether the user is a DIR permanent staff, a DIR interviewing staff, or non-DIR contractor.
DIR leverages access in conjunction with standard procedures for controlling access to data specific to each project. Permissions to project databases and files are limited to staff members assigned to work on that project. Non-technical project staff can only access the data indirectly through applications and are authenticated by username and password when logging into the systems authorized to access the data. The DIR project director working with the IT director assigns a technical staff member as point of contact (POC) with the client and any other external collaborators.
DIR staff members are required to protect sensitive information during transmission or transit. Data must be encrypted during transmission over the Internet, transfer by digital media, and while stored on portable devices. DIR has implemented a TLS-enabled Secure File Transfer application to send large data files over the Internet securely. DIR also uses other secured systems for transferring data over the Internet.
DIR leverages Unified Threat Management (UTM) devices at its network perimeter. The UTMs provide application control, gateway anti-malware, intrusion prevention and Web content filtering. The application control functionality of the UTM is leveraged to enforce application layer access policies. The UTM implements network access rules and provides stable inspection of all inbound network traffic.
Sensitive data collection staff members are trained on handling sensitive data and are given a security training session before they are authorized to work on the project to which they are assigned. DIR maintains secured processes to assure sensitive data is not lost or mishandled.
DIR data systems are backed up nightly to a secured system drive, and the backup integrity is verified upon completion. The network backups provide nightly incremental backups for all data as required by project. DIR will make the necessary arrangements for backup processes to align with contractual agreements.
Depending on retention requirements (i.e., whether required contractually to keep data for a shorter or longer term or at an offsite facility), data are backed up onto separate external hard drives at DIR’s secured offsite location.
It is DIR’s policy that all incidents, which are defined as the unauthorized acquisition, modification, or deletion of sensitive data, must be reported immediately upon discovery to the ISSO and to the system owner. The ISSO and system owner will work with the incident reporter to determine the scope and potential impact of the incident. All communications regarding the incident shall be handled by the system owner. The steps to mitigate impact and notify affected parties will be handled on a case-by-case basis according to DIR policies and contractual and legal requirements.
Backup media and archive media for all systems are stored in locked areas with access limited to the ISSO. All servers and personal computers (PCs) within DIR are provided standardized names indicating their system version, assigned user, and purpose (to include CATI or Corporate systems).
DIR has a Records Management Consultant that provides consultation to staff on legal and contractual records retention schedules and proper destruction of documents. DIR’s office has shredders for destruction of sensitive paper documents that do not require long-term storage. For documents requiring long-term storage, DIR has secured data rooms for safe keeping. DIR also contracts with local certified firms for long-term storage and bulk shredding. Portable media such as diskettes, CDs, DVDs, and thumb drives containing sensitive data are also destroyed using certified contractors. Workstations and servers are sanitized (cleaned, reformatted) at the end of their production life cycle. Laptops used in field data collection are sanitized after being returned to our IT department at the end of each project or at the end of their use on a project.
1 We describe the sampling plan in detail in Part B: Statistical Methods.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Luna, Jessica |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-25 |