ACS SOGI Cognitive Testing
PARTICIPANT
ID #:
_________________________
DATE: ____
/ ____
/ _____
INTERVIEWER’S
NAME:
_________________________________________________
START
TIME: ______:
______ AM / PM
[READ OR PARAPHRASE]
Hello, I’m [NAME] with [CONTRACTOR], a survey research company, and I am talking to you on behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau. Thanks for agreeing to help us today. Let me tell you a little about what we will be doing:
We are conducting a study on the questions in the American Community Survey, a survey that is conducted by the Census Bureau. The American Community Survey helps local officials, community leaders, and businesses understand the changes taking place in their communities. This survey asks questions about your household, including yourself and other people in the household. It’s important that the questions make sense, are easy to answer, and that everyone understands the questions in the same way.
In this study, I will ask you questions from the American Community Survey. After that, I will ask you some additional questions, such as what those questions meant to you and how you reached your answer.
Sometimes I will ask you a follow up question that may sound a little strange. For example, I might ask you what a certain word means to you. The reason for this is to learn about the process you go through in your mind when you answer the questions. There are no right or wrong answers. Our purpose is not to compile information about you. Instead, your interview, along with those of others, will show us how to improve these questions for the survey.
Your participation in this interview is very important because it will help the Census Bureau improve the American Community Survey. You will receive $40.
[IF ENGLISH INTERVIEW: Before we start, I want to talk about the consent form I shared with you via email. Did you have a chance to review and sign this form? [IF NO: Can you please open the link to this form in your email?]]. [IF SPANISH INTERVIEW: Before we start, I want to talk about the consent you reviewed with the person who you spoke with to schedule this interview.] I just want to review some of the important information that was included in that consent document:
With your permission, I would like to audio-record our conversation. This will allow me to concentrate on what you are saying instead of taking a lot of notes while you are talking. It will also help me write a summary of the interview.
All your responses and everything you say will be kept strictly confidential, and only researchers working on this project will see your answers or hear the recording. Your name will not be used in any of our reports.
Your participation is voluntary, and you may stop at any time. You may choose not to answer any questions you don’t want to answer.
The interview should take about 1 hour.
The form also has the contact name and telephone number of the project director, should you have any additional questions about the study. It also contains information about how to get in touch with the Institutional Review Board representative if you have any questions about your rights as a research participant in this study.
[IF OBSERVER IS PRESENT: I also wanted to let you know that this interview is being observed by [IF CENSUS OBSERVER: someone who works on the American Community Survey] [IF OTHER OBSERVER: someone else who works on this study]. They are observing the interview because they are also interested in learning how the questions work, and whether we need to change something that does not work.]
Do you have any questions about this information? [IF YES: ADDRESS PARTICIPANT QUESTIONS].
Do you agree to participate in this interview? [IF YES: CONTINUE WITH INTERVIEW. IF NO: ADDRESS ANY PARTICIPANT CONCERNS. IF STILL UNWILLING TO PARTICIPATE, TERMINATE INTERVIEW].
Is it okay if I record this interview today? [IF YES: START RECORDING AND COLLECT VERBAL CONSENT ON RECORDING: “For our purposes, we need to capture your consent orally on the recording. Please state, ‘I give consent to participate in this research and to be recorded.’”] [IF NO: CONTINUE WITH INTERVIEW WITHOUT RECORDING.]
[IF PARTICIPANT HAS NOT ALREADY SIGNED FORM]: Please go ahead and sign and date both sections of the form and click “Submit.”
INTERVIEWER:
1. DID THE PARTICIPANT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?
Yes
No (SKIP TO QUESTION 3)
2. PLEASE SPECIFY:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. HAS THE PARTICIPANT READ AND SIGNED THE INFORMED CONSENT?
Yes
No (END INTERVIEW)
First, I’d like you to answer the questions in the survey the same way you would if [you were at home alone/I were an interviewer who knocked on your door/I were an interviewer who called you].
[SHARE SCREEN OR ASK RESPONDENT TO SHARE SCREEN, IF APPLICABLE FOR MODE BEING TESTED]
Note any spontaneous respondent reactions to relationship, sex, GI, and SO questions while they are completing the survey, including any questions about why this is being collected on the ACS, gendered terminology in “son-in-law or daughter-in-law,” or the placement of the questions.
Note if GI verification question was triggered and how respondent interacted with the verification. Note any spontaneous remarks.
Thinking overall about the questions you just answered:
Did any of the questions stand out for any reason? Which ones? Can you tell me why [QUESTION] stood out to you?
Did any of the questions confuse you? Which ones? Can you tell me why [QUESTION] confused you?
Now I am going to ask you to look at some of the questions you just answered and sort them into two groups. [SHARE QUALTRICS SCREEN OR ASK RESPONDENT TO SHARE SCREEN AFTER SENDING QUALTRICS LINK]
Please drag the questions you found easy to answer when you were answering for yourself into the first group and drag questions you found difficult to answer when you were answering for yourself into the second group. [HAVE RESPONDENT COMPLETE QUALTRICS CARD SORT TASK]
Which of the questions you said were difficult to answer for yourself were the most difficult to answer? Tell me more about that. If needed: How could we have made this question easier for you to answer?
Let’s do this same exercise again. [ADVANCE TO NEXT PART OF QUALTRICS]
This time please drag the questions you found easy to answer when you were answering for other household members into the first group and drag questions you found difficult to answer when you were answering for other household members into the second group. [HAVE RESPONDENT COMPLETE QUALTRICS CARD SORT TASK]
Which of the questions you said were difficult to answer for other household members were the most difficult to answer? Tell me more about that.
For the next part of this interview, I am going to ask you some follow up questions about a few of the questions you answered. I am really interested in how these questions work for you, so there are no right or wrong answers. [INTERVIEWER SHARES SCREEN TO SHOW QUESTIONS DURING PROBING]
First, let’s take a look at this question [INDICATE TO RELATIONSHIP QUESTION].
How is this person related to Person 1? Mark (x) ONE box.
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Can you tell me about the people who live or stay with you in your home?
If they are related to you, how are they related?
If they are not related to you, how do you know them?
How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for [FILL HH MEMBER]? (Select 1-2 household members. Prioritize: 1) household members who are not a spouse/partner or child first then 2) household members who are not cisgender.)
Were any of the options listed confusing? Were there any options you thought about choosing, but decided not to? If needed: Do you think any of these might be confusing to other people?
In your own words, what does “parent-in-law” mean to you in this question?
One option we considered including is “child-in-law.” What do you think “child-in-law” means in your own words?
Looking at the list here, are there any options you think are missing?
Administer some or all as time allows. Skip any vignettes related to categories they have already correctly selected for their own household. Note whether respondent answers correctly.
For my next few questions, I’d like you to pretend that you are Sara.
(Spouse:) How should Sara answer this question for her husband?
(Sibling:) How should Sara answer this question for her sister?
(Parent-in-law:) How should Sara answer this question for her husband’s father?
Now let’s pretend you are Maria.
(Unmarried partner:) Maria lives with Carlos. Maria and Carlos have been dating for 2 years. How should Maria answer this question for Carlos?
Now, let’s take a look at this question [INDICATE TO SEX QUESTION].
Treatments 1 and 2 |
What sex was <Person 1> assigned at birth? Mark (X) one box.
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How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for yourself?
In your own words, what is this question asking?
Are there any additional answer choices that you think should be included?
Now thinking about the other people in your household, how easy or difficult was it to answer for [FILL HH MEMBER]?
How certain are you about your responses for other people in the household?
If someone else in the household were answering this question about you, how certain are you that they could answer the way you did? Would they be able to accurately answer this type of question about everyone in the household?
Now, let’s take a look at this question [INDICATE TO GI QUESTION].
Note if R correctly follows skip pattern for people less than 15 years old in paper mode.
What is <Person 1’s> current gender? Skip this question if this person is less than 15 years old. Mark (X) ONE box.
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If respondent wrote in an answer: How did you come up with your answer to this question?
How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for yourself?
In your own words, what is this question asking?
What does “current” mean to you in this question?
What does “transgender” mean to you in this question?
What does “nonbinary” mean to you in this question?
Are there any additional answer choices that you think should be included?
Now thinking about the other people in your household, how easy or difficult was it to answer for [FILL HH MEMBER]?
How certain are you about your responses for other people in the household?
If someone else in the household were answering this question about you, how certain are you that they could answer the way you did? Would they be able to accurately answer this type of question about everyone in the household?
Now I’d like to show you a different question. Please tell me how you would answer this question for yourself. [SHOW TREATMENT 2 GI QUESTION]
How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for yourself?
If respondent selected more than one or a different answer: Can you tell me more about how you came up with your answer to this question?
If needed: Did you notice that you could mark more than one response option? If no: Would your answer have changed? How?
Looking at the two questions I showed you, do you prefer the first one, the second one, or do you have no preference?
Note if R correctly follows skip pattern for people less than 15 years old in paper mode.
What is <Person 1’s> current gender? Skip this question if this person is less than 15 years old. Mark (X) one or more boxes.
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If respondent wrote in an answer: How did you come up with your answer to this question?
How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for yourself?
If needed: Did you notice that you could mark more than one response option? If no: Would your answer have changed? How?
In your own words, what is this question asking?
What does “current” mean to you in this question?
What does “transgender” mean to you in this question?
What does “nonbinary” mean to you in this question?
Are there any additional answer choices that you think should be included?
Now thinking about the other people in your household, how easy or difficult was it to answer for [FILL HH MEMBER]?
How certain are you about your responses for other people in the household?
If someone else in the household were answering this question about you, how certain are you that they could answer the way you did? Would they be able to accurately answer this type of question about everyone in the household?
Now I’d like to show you a different question. Please tell me how you would answer this question for yourself. [SHOW TREATMENT 1 GI QUESTION]
How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for yourself?
If respondent selected more than one in Treatment 2, or answered Treatment 1 differently: Can you tell me more about how you came up with your answer to this question?
Looking at the two questions I showed you, do you prefer the first one, the second one, or do you have no preference?
Thinking generally, at what point in your life would you start answering this question the way you did today? At what point would other people in your household be able to answer accurately for you? Probe to get a sense of whether this question could be asked starting at ages 12/13 instead of 15.
Now, let’s take a look at this question [INDICATE TO SEXUAL ORIENTATION QUESTION].
Which of the following best represents how <Person 1> thinks of themselves? Mark (X) ONE box.
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How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for yourself?
In your own words, what is this question asking?
Were any of the options listed confusing? Were there any options you thought about choosing, but decided not to? If needed: Do you think any of these might be confusing to other people?
Are there any additional answer choices that you think should be included?
Now thinking about the other people in your household, how easy or difficult was it to answer for [FILL HH MEMBER]?
How certain are you about your responses for other people in the household?
If someone else in the household were answering this question about you, how certain are you that they could answer the way you did? Would they be able to accurately answer this type of question about everyone in the household?
We are almost finished with the interview today. I’d like to show you an additional question. This was not in the survey you answered, but we are considering adding it. Please take a moment to answer it for yourself.
Were you born with a variation in your physical sex characteristics? This is sometimes called being intersex or having a difference in sex development, or DSD.
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If yes: Can you tell me more about how you decided to say “yes” to this question?
If no: How easy or difficult was it to answer this question for yourself?
In your own words, what is this question asking?
Now thinking about the other people in your household, how easy or difficult would it be to answer for them?
Were any of the questions you answered today sensitive to answer for yourself or others? Which ones? Tell me more about that.
Was there anything else that stood out to you about your experience that we didn’t talk about today?
Great, thank you very much. Those are all of the questions that I had for you today. Thank you very much for your participation.
[TURN OFF THE RECORDER.]
[DISCUSS PROCEDURES FOR RESPONDENT RECEIVING INCENTIVE.]
The actual question wording will be shown to respondents, not the name of the topics.
Topic |
Question wording |
Sexual orientation |
Which of the following best represents how <Person 1> thinks of themselves? Gay or lesbian; Straight, that is not gay or lesbian; Bisexual; This person uses a different term |
Sex assigned at birth |
What sex was Person 1 assigned at birth? |
Gender |
What is <Person 1’s> current gender? Skip this question if this person is less than 15 years old. Mark (X) ONE box. |
Relationship |
How is this person related to Person 1? Mark (X) ONE box. |
Age/date of birth |
What is Person 1’s age and what is Person 1’s date of birth? For babies less than 1 year old, do not write the age in months. Write 0 as the age. |
Race |
What is Person 1’s race? Mark (X) one or more boxes AND print origins. |
Hispanic origin |
Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin? |
Educational attainment |
What is the highest degree or level of school this person has COMPLETED? Mark (X) ONE box. If currently enrolled, mark the previous grade or highest degree received. |
Health insurance |
Is this person CURRENTLY covered by any of the following types of health insurance or health coverage plans? Mark "Yes" or "No" for EACH type of coverage in items a – h. |
Disability (select) |
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Fertility |
In the PAST 12 MONTHS, has this person given birth to any children? |
Total income |
What was this person’s total income during the PAST 12 MONTHS? |
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Jessica Holzberg (CENSUS/CBSM FED) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-08-12 |