CBAMS PRETESTING SPRING 2023
PROTOCOL – INTERVIEWER ADMINISTERED
COGNITIVE INTERVIEW PROTOCOL GUIDE
PARTICIPANT ID #:_________________________ DATE: ______/_______/20____
COGNITIVE INTERVIEWER NAME____________________________________________
START TIME: _____:______ AM / PM END TIME ______:______ AM / PM
SECTION I: INTRODUCTION AND INTERVIEW CONSENT
(COGNITIVE INTERVIEWER: READ/PARAPHRASE)
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for your time today. My name is ___________ and I work for the U.S. Census Bureau. Let me begin by telling you a little more about what we’ll be doing today. The United States Census Bureau counts the population in the U.S. and also conducts various kinds of surveys.
Today, with your help, we will test some of the questions that are currently in use on one of our surveys. I’m going to play the part of a Census interviewer who knocks on your door to ask you these survey questions. Then, I’m going to ask you some follow up questions to find out how well the survey is working. We are going to use your comments and experiences as well as the comments and experiences of other people to help improve the survey. I did not create the survey, so please don’t feel like you have to hold back on your thoughts to be polite to me. We appreciate your help so we can make the survey work well for everyone.
CONSENT
COGNITIVE INTERVIEWER: PRESENT PARTICIPANT WITH THE VIRTUAL CONSENT FORM, THEN READ:
Before we start, I see that you have already signed the consent form online. Just to reiterate a few parts:
This document explains a little bit about this interview and provides information about your rights as a participant. It says that your participation is voluntary, which means that you can refuse to answer any question that you don’t want to answer and you can end the survey at any time. It also says that your answers are confidential. That means that your name and identifying information will not be associated with any answers that you give today. Finally, this document asks for your permission to have this session audio recorded and your screen will be recorded. This helps me out so I don’t have to take so many notes while we are talking. The recordings from this study will only be used for research purposes, and only myself and my colleagues who are working on this project will be able to listen to and watch the recordings.
[IF
RESPONDENT HAS NOT YET FILLED OUT THE CONSENT FORM]
I will now
send you a link to the consent form. Please take a minute to read it
over, and let me know if you have any questions.
[LET THEM READ
THE FORM].
Okay, do you have any questions for me?
[ONCE
ALL QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED]
Okay, please print/enter your name,
sign your name, and put the date.
PARTICIPANT READS AND SIGNS FORM. IF PARTICIPANT PROVIDES CONSENT TO HAVE THE SESSION AUDIO AND VIDEO TAPED:
I will now turn on the recording.
IF THE PARTICIPANT DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSENT TO HAVE THE SESSION AUDIO AND VIDEO TAPED, DO YOUR BEST TO TAKE NOTES.
Could you please state one more time that you give your consent to be recorded and my screen to be recorded?
THINK ALOUD
Thank you. I’d like you to answer the questions as you normally would, with one big difference. What I would like you to do is tell me what you are thinking and feeling as you come up with your answers.
Let’s do a practice question before we start: Please think aloud as you answer the question, how many windows are in your home?
[GIVE FEEDBACK ON THE THINK ALOUD THEY DID. EITHER YOU HAD A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEY CAME UP WITH THE WINDOWS OR PROBE SO YOU CAN GET A SENSE OF HOW THEY CAME UP WITH THE NUMBER THEY JUST TOLD YOU.]
I might remind you to think aloud if you start getting quiet.
Screen Sharing
So just like we practiced in the tech check – I am going to need you to go ahead and share your screen with us. Make sure you have closed any windows you do not want us to record as the recording is turned on.
Now - do you see the share icon? It might look like a square with an arrow pointing up. Go ahead and click on that.
[IF able to
see screen]
Okay great I can see your screen. Now we can
get started with the task.
[In unable to see screen will need to troubleshoot it]
We’re going to start the survey now. I’m going to paste a link in the chat, could you please click that link to start the survey?
[PARTICIPANT COMPLETES SURVEY]
SURVEY
Thank you for filling out the survey. Now we would like you to answer a few questions about the survey you just completed.
PROBES
Earlier in the survey you saw the question below:
NOPART1. Which of the following are the TOP THREE reasons why your household did not complete the 2020 Census? Select up to three answers.
/*
RANDOM ROTATE OPTIONS */
Did
not want to speak with a U.S Census Bureau enumerator
Did not have time or forgot to respond
Did not want to give out personal information
Do not trust the government
I was worried my responses could cause trouble with my living situation (e.g., increasing rent, evictions, inspections, limiting the number of people living in my place, etc.)
Did not get a census form
I rented the place where I lived and did not think I had to respond to the 2020 Census
Concerned about citizenship status
I am not a citizen and did not think I had to respond to the 2020 Census
Did not think my response would matter
Was concerned about COVID-19 (e.g., wanted to avoid interacting with people outside my household)
Did not know the 2020 Census was happening
I thought someone else at my household was going to respond
A census interviewer did not visit my household to encourage me to respond
Other [specify]
Probe1: In your own words, can you tell me what this question is asking?
Probe2: What if I asked you about the last census? Would your answer be the same or different? Can you tell me more about that?
Probe3: Please take a look at the response that says “I was worried my responses could cause trouble with my living situation”
-What does this response option mean to you?
-Can you think of a reason that someone might select this option? Can you tell me more about that situation?
Probe4: I’d like you to take a look at the response option that says “Concerned about citizenship status”
In your own words, can you tell me what this response option means to you?
Can you please also look at the response option that says “I am not a citizen and did not think I had to respond to the 2020 Census”. Do you think “concerned about citizenship status” and “I am not a citizen and did not think I had to respond to the 2020 Census” mean the same thing or different things? Can you tell me more about that?
[A/B TESTING, THIS IS PROTOCOL B]
Please take a look at the following question and provide your response:
TrustAccScale.
How much trust do you have in the accuracy of the 2020 Census
results? Select only one answer.
1. A great deal
2. Quite
a lot
3. Some
4. Very little
5. None at all
Probe1: In your own words, can you tell me what this question is asking?
Probe2: What thoughts came to mind when providing your answer?
Probe3: What if I asked you about the last census instead of the 2020 Census? Would your answer be the same or different? Can you tell me more about that?
I’d like you to take a look at the following questions.
[TrustAccBinary]Do you tend to trust the accuracy of the 2020 Census results?
Yes
No
[TrustAcc2Binary] Do you tend not to trust the accuracy of the 2020 Census results
Yes
No
Probe1: Looking at these questions side by side, please tell me if you think they are asking the same or different things. Can you tell me more about that?
Probe2: On [TrustAccBinary] you answered {x} and on [TrustAccScale] you answered {y}. Can you tell me more about why you answered the way you did?
Please take a look at the question below:
Benefits_harms2. Do you believe that answering and submitting your census form could benefit your community? Select only one answer
Yes
No
Probe1: On the survey, you selected {x}, can you tell me more about why you chose that as your answer?
Probe2: In the context of this question, what does “your community” mean to you? Can you tell me more about that?
Census Knowledge Question section
[A/B TESTING. THIS IS PROTOCOL B. DISPLAY AS GRID]
Below is a series of questions that you saw on the survey. How easy or difficult was it for you to answer these questions? Can you tell me more about that?
I’d like you to compare that series of questions with the following series of questions. They are the same questions presented in a different way (compare grid against individual questions). Can you tell me your impressions about each of these?
GENEALOGY
QUESTION
Ancestry1. How important is it to you to know
your family history or ancestry?
Extremely important
Very important
Somewhat important
Not too important
Not at all important
Ancestry2. Have you used census data to research your family history or ancestry?
Yes, I have used census data
Yes, I have used census data from an ancestry website
No, I haven’t used census data for this purpose
Other [Specify]
Probe1: In the context of these questions, how do you understand the term “ancestry”?
Probe2 [IF ANCESTRY2 ANSWERED 1, 2, 4]: Can you tell me more about how you have used or would use census data for this research?
Probe3 [IF ANCESTRY2 ANSWERED 3]: How do you think someone might go about using census data for this research?
Please take a look at the question below.
Concern4. How concerned are you, if at all, about the accuracy of 2020 Census results? Select only one answer.
Extremely concerned
Very concerned
Somewhat concerned
Not too concerned
Not at all concerned
Probe1: How do you understand the phrase “accuracy of the 2020 Census results? What does that mean to you?
Probe2: What do you think we are asking you to answer here? [IF NEEDED: What does this question mean to you?]
Please take a look at the question below.
Eleg. When does a CHILD become eligible to be included in the census? MARK ALL THAT APPLY
When they are born
When they start school
When they get a job
When they can vote
When they become a citizen
It is up to the parents/guardians to decide
Other, please specify
Probe: In the survey, you selected {x}. Can you tell me more about why you selected that answer?
Please take a look at the question below.
Media1. How often do you get news from…
Television via cable, streaming (e.g., Netflix, Hulu), satellite, or antenna
Radio
Print Publications
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, NextDoor
Online websites, publications, articles
Podcasts
Family and friends
Members from my community/neighborhood
Chat groups in applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Probe1: Are there any other news sources you can think of that you feel should be included as an option here?
Probe2: What about people who get news from YouTube. Which option do you think they should select?
Probe3: What about people who read articles that are posted to social media? What option do you think they should select?
Mis4. When it comes to getting information about current events and important issues in the United States and around the world, do you think the spread of misinformation is a major problem, a minor problem or not a problem at all? Select only one answer.
Major problem
Minor problem
Not a problem at all
Probe: This question talks about “the spread of misinformation”. Can you tell me what comes to mind when you hear this phrase?
Mis6. Where do you most often encounter misinformation?
Friends or family
Newspapers
Television
Radio
Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, NextDoor
Online websites
Other [Please specify]
[IF RESPONDENT CHOSE 6. ONLINE WEBSITES]
Probe: Earlier, you selected “Online websites”. Can you say more about what specific websites you had in mind when you answered this question?
Mis7. How often, if at all, do you verify the accuracy of information that you think might be false?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Probe: This question talks about information that you think might be false. How do you personally verify the accuracy of information that you think is false?
Mis8. Suppose you wanted to find out if some information that you encountered is true. Would you look to any of the following sources for information, or not?
Friends or family
Medical professionals, such as your local doctor or nurse
Newspapers, television or radio
The internet/social media
Information provided by a federal agency, such as a website
A famous person you like
Local religious leaders
Other [Please specify]
Probe1: Earlier you answered {x} to this question. Can you tell me more about that source and why you would use it to verify that information is true?
Probe2: Can you think of other ways, besides what is listed here, that you might use to find out whether information is true?
[IF PARTICIPANT SELECTED 4. THE INTERNET/SOCIAL MEDIA]
Probe3: Earlier you selected “The internet/social media”. Can you say more about what specific websites or social media platforms you had in mind when you answered this question?
NAC QUESTIONS
To what extent are you in favor of or against combining these data sources?
Strongly in favor of it
Somewhat in favor of it
Neither in favor nor against it
Somewhat against it
Strongly against it
Probe: In your own words, can you tell me what this question is asking?
Individuals provide information to federal, state, and local agencies when applying for government programs, filing taxes, or completing surveys. The Census Bureau is planning to link this information together to produce statistics.
To what extent are you in favor of or against linking information about individuals?
Strongly in favor of it
Somewhat in favor of it
Neither in favor nor against it
Somewhat against it
Strongly against it
Probe: In your own words, can you tell me what this question is asking?
To what extent are you in favor of or against the Census Bureau obtaining your information from private companies?
Strongly in favor of it
Somewhat in favor of it
Neither in favor nor against it
Somewhat against it
Strongly against it
Probe: In your own words, can you tell me what this question is asking?
That’s all the questions I have for you today. Is there anything else you’d like to say about anything that we’ve talked about today, or anything else you think would be helpful for us to know?
Thank you for taking part in this interview today. I’m now going to paste another link in the chat. This will take you to a voucher form that will allow me to send you your $40 incentive. If you could please fill that out now.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Marcus P Berger (CENSUS/CBSM FED) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-08-12 |