IRS OLS Mobile Device Attitudes Survey

Mobile Device Attitude Survey

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The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS display an OMB control number on all public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is [###]. This survey will take around 15 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential. If you have any comments regarding the time estimates associated with this study or suggestions on making this process simpler, please write to:

Internal Revenue Service

Tax Products Coordinating Committee

SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP

1111 Constitution Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20224

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1. Are you 18 years of age or older?

   1. Yes

   2. No [Terminate]

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2. Do you own and use a desktop or laptop computer?

   1. Yes

   2. No

3. Do you own and use an internet-accessible smartphone and/or tablet?

   1. Yes, a smartphone

   2. Yes, a tablet

   3. Yes, both

   4. No [Terminate]

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4. Approximately how many hours per day do you use your mobile device (i.e., smartphone, tablet) for web browsing? Do not include time spent using mobile applications (i.e., games, music/video apps, etc.).

   1. Less than 1 hour

   2. More than 1 hour but less than 2 hours

   3. More than 2 hours but less than 4 hours

   4. 4 hours or more

5. Approximately how many hours per day do you spend using applications on your mobile device (i.e., smartphone, tablet)? Do not include time spent browsing the web via your mobile browser.

   1. Less than 1 hour

   2. More than 1 hour but less than 2 hours

   3. More than 2 hours but less than 4 hours

   4. 4 hours or more

6. If you have a choice between a mobile website and a mobile app, which would you prefer to use?

   1. Mobile website

   2. Mobile app

   3. No preference

   4. Don’t know

7. Generally, when engaging in PERSONAL (i.e., non-work related) activities, do you prefer to access the internet on a computer or a mobile device?

   1. Computer

   2. Mobile device

   3. No preference

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8. If you have a choice between a desktop or laptop computer, a smartphone, or a tablet, which would you use for each of the following: Social media, Online gaming, Finding and reading news articles, Online banking, Paying bills, Email, Chat or Instant Messaging programs, Shopping.

[Matrix question]

1. Desktop or laptop computer

2. Smartphone

3. Tablet

4. No preference

5. Don’t know

1. How often do you use your mobile device for the following activities? Social media, Online gaming, Finding and reading news articles, Online banking, Paying bills, Email, Chat or Instant Messaging programs, Shopping.

[Matrix question]

1. Never

2. Less than 30 minutes per day

3. More than 30 minutes but less than an hour per day

4. More than an hour but less than 2 hours per day

5. More than 2 hours but less than 4 hours per day

6. More than 4 hours per day

1. When deciding what kind of device to use for a specific task (i.e., computer, tablet, or phone), what criteria do you consider? (optional)

[Open-ended]

11. When researching financial information, do you prefer to use a mobile device or a desktop/laptop computer?

    1. Mobile device

    2. Desktop/laptop computer

    3. No preference

    4. I don’t access financial information online [Skip to Q18]

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12. Which of the following do you use your smartphone or tablet for? (Select all that apply)

    1. Visiting websites or using apps of financial services companies (i.e., banks, credit card companies, the IRS, etc.)

    2. Checking bank account balances

    3. Making credit card payments

    4. Making non-credit card payments (i.e., mortgage payments, student loan payments, or a non-credit card payment)

    5. Looking up general financial information

    6. None of the above

13. Have you ever accessed official IRS material online before?

    1. Yes, I’ve visited IRS.gov on a mobile device

    2. Yes, I’ve visited IRS.gov on a desktop or laptop computer

    3. Yes, I’ve used the IRS2Go mobile app

    4. No [Skip to Q18]

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14. How often do you visit IRS.gov (on any device)?

    1. Daily

    2. Weekly

    3. Several times a month

    4. Several times a year

    5. Yearly

15. In the past 12 months, what frustrations, if any, have you experienced with IRS.gov? (Select all that apply)

    1. Website is hard to navigate

    2. I can’t get answers to simple questions

    3. Search doesn’t provide the requested information

    4. Search options are not useful

    5. Tax forms and publications are hard to locate

    6. Website is not mobile friendly

    7. Services (e.g., Online Account) are not accessible on mobile devices

    8. Technical problems (e.g. can’t log in)

    9. Tools I need are down or not operational

16. Which of the following best describes your reason(s) for visiting IRS.gov in the past 12 months? (Select all that apply)

    1. Check my refund status

    2. File a return

    3. Make a payment/find out about payments

    4. Get tax forms, publications, or instructions

    5. Get a tax transcript

    6. Use the Withholding Calculator

    7. Find general tax information

    8. Other (please specify)

17. In what capacity do you typically visit IRS.gov?

    1. An individual taxpayer (myself, my household, my child, my parents, etc.)

    2. A business (corporation, partnership, small business, self-employment, etc.)

    3. A charity or non-profit organization (tax exempt entity or government entity)

    4. A tax professional (accountant, attorney, tax preparer, etc.)

    5. Other (please specify)

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To help us better understand the needs of U.S taxpayers, please provide the following information.

18. Are you taking this survey on a mobile device? (optional)

    1. Yes

    2. No

19. Gender (optional)

    1. Male

    2. Female

    3. Prefer not to answer

    4. Other (please specify)

20. Age (optional)

    1. 18-24

    2. 25-34

    3. 35-44

    4. 45-54

    5. 55-64

    6. 65 or older

    7. Prefer not to answer

21. What is your yearly household income? (optional)

    1. Less than $20,000

    2. $20,00 to $34,999

    3. $35,000 to $49,999

    4. $50,000 to $74,999

    5. $75,000 to $99,999

    6. $100,000 to 149,999

    7. $150,000 or more

    8. Prefer not to answer

Survey Promotion Options

Ideal state page recommendations, based on content and analytics data (i.e., pages with high pageviews on mobile phones).

IRS.gov pages

1. https://www.irs.gov/refunds

2. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

3. https://www.irs.gov/payments/view-your-tax-account

4. https://www.irs.gov/help/telephone-assistance

5. https://www.irs.gov/payments