Pretest of the Annual Survey of Refugees

ATTACHMENT C

Annual Survey of Refugees Redesign

In-Depth Interview Protocol

Thank you for participating earlier and taking the revised survey. This interview will take about an hour. Before we start I need to let you know that you don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to answer. You can stop the interview at any time. The answers you give will be private and will not have your name on them. Your information is protected by federal law. You will continue to receive social services and benefits regardless of your decision to participate in the study.

Your answers will help the Office of Refugee Resettlement understand what refugees like you are going through and improve future surveys. We will not identify you in using your answers. Only the researchers at the Urban Institute and SSRS will see your information.

Also, a federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number for this information collection is 0970-0355 and the expiration date is 03/31/2018.

Do you have any questions about the study or the interview?

Do you agree to be interviewed?

Next, we would like to ask your permission to record this interview. This is also voluntary. It will help us to get all the information and feedback you provide so that a better survey can be developed. We will destroy the recording after this study is completed.

Do we have your permission to record the interview?

___ YES  Thank you (BEGIN AUDIO RECORDING)

___ NO  Ok, we will not record this interview. (DO NOT RECORD)

Now let’s begin.

In the survey, I asked you a range of questions about your and your family’s experience before coming to the U.S. and what it is like for you living here now.

I would like to speak with you now about your story of coming to the U.S. and your experience since then.

1. Would you tell me the story of your (and your family’s) arrival in the U.S.?

   1. When did you leave your home country and who came with you?

   2. Probe: Where did you stay after you left your home country?

   3. Probe: How long did you wait to be resettled?

   4. Probe: What was life like for you (your spouse, your children) while you were waiting to hear if you would be resettled?

2. Can you remember back to your first weeks in the US? What is the most memorable to you?

   1. Probe: What was the most surprising to you about life in the U.S.?

   2. Probe: Is there a story that sticks in your mind that you would like to share?

3. Can you share one or two things about your life since coming to the United States that you are most happy about?

4. Can you share one or two things that you wish were different about your experience in the United States?

[See additional sections A, B, C below for potential questions to follow up on questions 3 and 4]

5. What are your plans for yourself and for your family over the next five years? Ten years?

6. What is important for becoming part of American society? How do you define integration?

   1. Probe: What has been the most important to you about settling into life in the United States?

   2. What has been the hardest thing about settling into life in the United States?

   3. Probe: What topics are missing from the survey questionnaire?

7. What did you think when you first heard about the survey?

   1. Did you talk to anyone about it? Who?

   2. Were you concerned in any way about the government reaching out to you to participate in this survey?

8. Would you be willing to participate in this survey again in the future?

   1. What would be the best way to contact you? (email, phone, mailing address, social media)

   2. Would you be willing to take the survey through your cell phone or using other technology?

   3. Would you be interested in participating over several years so that we can learn about changes in your life over time?

Additional probes to support the conversation further if needed in between questions 4 and 5:

1. When you think back on your life here in the US, what kinds of things have bothered you the most or were difficult for you?

1. Can you describe some examples of challenges you have had or are currently handling, and how you have dealt with them? (e.g., work, education, language, housing, social connection, health, children)

2. Who were the people that were helpful to you in overcoming this challenge?

1. Role of your children?

2. Role of your family and friends who you knew from your home country?

3. Role of people in your group and outside your group?

4. What were the organizations that were helpful to you?

3. Is there a story that you remember that you would like to share?

4. Can you give an example of a decision you have had to make and explain who you talked to about it and why you decided to talk to them?

2. Tell me about the neighborhood you live in.

   1. How do you feel about where you are currently living?

      1. What about living in this neighborhood has been surprising to you?

      2. Can you give an example of something that has changed about the way you interact with members of the community since you lived there?

   2. Have you moved during your time in the U.S.? Why did you move? How were those communities or neighborhoods different or the same as your current residence?

3. If working: Tell me about your current job and where you work.

   1. Do you like your job?

      1. Do you want to stay in this job? Why or why not?

   2. Who are your colleagues and your boss? Are they also refugees?

      1. Are you treated differently because you are a refugee?

   3. Do you need to speak English on the job? If so, how has that been?

   4. How did you find this job? Did someone help you get this job? Who?

If not working:

1. Did you have a job at one time? What was it? Did someone help you get this job? Who?

2. What happened that resulted in you not working?

3. How are you supporting yourself?

4. Are you hoping to find a job? What kind of job?

5. What has made it difficult for you to find a job?

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Before we end, do you have any questions or comments?

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