CPS Voting and Registration Supp - 1998 Interviewers Page
CPS FIELD REPRESENTATIVE MEMORANDUM NO. 98-13
CPS CATI INTERVIEWER MEMORANDUM NO. 98-12
Section I - November 1998
MEMORANDUM FOR All CPS Field Representatives and CATI Interviewers
From: Richard L. Bitzer
Acting Chief, Field Division
Subject: Instructions for November 1998 Basic CPS and Voting and Registration Supplement
Action: Review Sections I and II of this memorandum and complete the exercises to prepare for CPS interviewing in November 1998. Complete the home study exercises for both Sections I and II, prior to interview week.
I. General
This section of the memorandum contains the basic CPS monthly overview and exercises. Section II of this memo contains information concerning the Voting and Registration Supplement. NOTE: There is no CBT for the November Voting and Registration Supplement.
II. Important Dates
III. Instrument date
The date on the >START< screen at the upper right hand corner will be November 1, 1998. If the date is NOT November 1, you are interviewing on the wrong instrument.
If this occurs, please call your supervisor immediately and STOP INTERVIEWING with that instrument.
IV. Holidays
There is a national holiday during reference week -- Wednesday, November 11 is Veterans' Day. Remind respondents of any local holidays that occurred during reference
week.
V. Time Allowed for Self Study
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR CAPI FIELD REPRESENTATIVES:
A. You are authorized up to 1 1/2 hours for reading Sections I and II of this memorandum, completing the exercises in both sections, and completing the supplement practice interview. Charge this time to Project 0906, Task Code 528.
B. Mail your answer sheet or transmit your answers for the basic CPS exercises and the listing exercises from this section to your regional office by the date written at the beginning of this memorandum.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR CATI INTERVIEWERS:
A. You are authorized up to 1 1/2 hours for reading Sections I and II of this memorandum, completing the exercises in both sections, and completing the supplement practice interview. Charge this time to Project 0906, Task Code 896.
B. Give only your answer sheet for the basic CPS exercises, from this section, to your supervisor by the date written at the beginning of this memorandum.
VI. November Topics
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR BOTH CAPI AND CATI INTERVIEWERS:
A. November Supplement
The November CPS instrument contains the Voting and Registration Supplement. Every household member age 18 and over, and a U.S. citizen, is eligible for the voting and registration supplement. See Section II of this memorandum for further details on the supplement and for a practice interview.
B. Special Handling of Month-in-Sample 4 and 8 Hispanic Cases
Every year we have to increase the Hispanic sample for the March Supplement. For March 1999 interviewing, we will select Hispanic cases from outgoing rotations in November 1998 through February 1999. To alert these respondents that they may be interviewed again in March 1999, we will be using a different "Thank you" screen for Hispanic households that are month-in-sample 4 and 8 in November 1998. If you interview a household that is MIS 4 or 8 and there is at least one Hispanic member 15+, you will see a different "Thank you" screen than the usual one.
From November 1998 through February 1999, if you are in a Hispanic, month-in-sample 4 case, the >Thank you< screen will read as follows:
1) English:
This is the fourth regularly scheduled interview for this household for the Current Population Survey. Your next regular interview will take place in 8 months. But because this household has one or more Hispanic household members, we may have to interview you again in March. Households like yours that were interviewed in November are added to the March sample to ensure adequate representation of Hispanics in the CPS March Income Supplement.
2) Spanish:
Esta es la cuarta entrevista que tenemos programada para este hogar en relación con la Encuesta de Población Actual. Su próxima entrevista regular será en 8 meses. Pero como este hogar tiene uno o más miembros de origen hispano, es posible que le entrevistemos otra vez en marzo. Hogares como el suyo, que fueron entrevistados en noviembre, los añadimos a la muestra que usamos en marzo para asegurar que la población hispana sea debidamente representada en el Suplemento sobre Ingresos que realizamos en marzo junto con la Encuesta de Población Actual.
From November 1998 through February 1999, if you are in a Hispanic, month-in-sample 8 case, the >Thank you< screen will read as follows:
1) English:
This is the last regularly scheduled interview for this household for the Current Population Survey. But because this household has one or more Hispanic household members, we may have to interview you again in March. Households like yours that were interviewed in November are added to the March sample to ensure adequate representation of Hispanics in the CPS March Income Supplement.
2) Spanish:
Esta es la última entrevista que tenemos programada para este hogar en relación con la Encuesta de Población Actual. Pero como este hogar tiene uno o más miembros de origen hispano, es posible que le entrevistemos otra vez en marzo. Hogares como el suyo, que fueron entrevistados en noviembre, los añadimos a la muestra que usamos en marzo para asegurar que la población hispana sea debidamente representada en el Suplemento sobre Ingresos que realizamos en marzo junto con la Encuesta de Población Actual.
C. Collecting Social Security Numbers for Hispanic Cases
We will be collecting Social Security numbers from all household members 15+ in Hispanic households during November 1998. You do not have to remember these criteria, since the instrument is programmed to display the Social Security item whenever these criteria are met. You should be aware that you may have to ask the Social Security item, in case you need to explain why we do so to a reluctant respondent. According to experienced CPS interviewers, the best way to collect Social Security numbers from reluctant respondents is by asking the question matter-of-factly, without changing the pace or tone of voice in which you ask the other questions.
As a rule, we collect Social Security data from CPS households only during the period from December through March. This allows us 4 months to collect these data. Hispanic households in outgoing rotations in November are asked the Social Security question only once -- in March -- when they are added back in as part of the oversample for the March Income supplement. This November we are asking the Social Security item of Hispanic cases only, to allow them more chances to report the data.
The reason for collecting Social Security numbers is to compare the information we collect with that of other agencies in order to evaluate the accuracy, consistency, and comparability of various statistics produced from the CPS. You may want to explain to the respondent that the Census Bureau can obtain personal information from other agencies, but it cannot release personal information to other agencies because, unlike other government agencies, the Bureau is required by law to protect each person's confidentiality.
D. Household Membership
Review pages C3-6 through C3-10 in the CPS Interviewing manual to help you in correctly identifying household members.
The following persons in a sample unit should be considered as household members:
E. Demographics Reminder
This is just a reminder that you are not to back up (F1) while in the demographic section of the basic CPS instrument. The demographic section includes all questions that come before the labor force section of the instrument, as well as the nativity questions asked after the labor force section and before the supplement section of the instrument.
VII. Review Exercises
Please mark your answers on this sheet and on the answer sheet. Return only the answer sheet , or transmit your answers, to your R.O. or your supervisor, as appropriate.
A. Basic CPS Exercises (CAPI and CATI)
1. Lisa Yuencke is an unmarried college student who usually resides in her parents' home. Lisa is living away from home while she works as a college intern for the summer. Is she considered a household member at her parents' home?
a. Yes
b. No
2. Tommie Lawson works as a construction engineer. He owns a home in Hyattsville, MD, but spends most of the year working in Philadelphia, where he rents an apartment. Would he be considered a household member of the Hyattsville house if you find him there during CPS week?
a. Yes
b. No
3. Bill Rider joined the Navy right out of high school. He was living with his parents when he went into the service and is currently stationed in Honolulu, HI. Is he considered a household member at his parents' house?
a. Yes
b. No
4. John Miller invited a homeless man, with no place else to go, to come and stay with him and his family. The man agreed to stay for a couple of weeks while he got his life in order. Would this man be considered a household member at the Miller residence?
a. Yes
b. No
B. Listing/Coverage Exercise (CAPI ONLY)
1. While interviewing a large multi-unit address, you can't locate some of the listed sample units. After using the Locating Units Chart, you were able to provide an explanation in column (5) of the listing sheet for each listed unit that you could not find at the address. You should: (2-38 - 2-45)
a. Interview each unit that has a current sample designation in column (3).
b. Relist the address on a blank Unit/Permit Listing Sheet following the rules for listing Multi-Units and call your RO for instructions.
c. Interview each unit that has a current sample designation in column (3) and report a non-interview for any current sample unit that is classified as a Type B or Type C non-interview in column (5).
2. You are assigned to list in an area segment. While listing, you find a GQ at 510 Allston Avenue. If the GQ in question crosses the area segment boundary, you should: (5-21 - 5-40)
a. Consider the structure's main entrance to be the determining factor. If the main entrance falls within the segment boundaries, then list the GQ on a group quarters listing sheet.
b. Not list the unit.
c. Contact your RO for instructions.
3. You are assigned to list in a permit segment. At 1410 Fust Avenue, the basic address on your listing sheet, you also find a structure using the address
1410 1/2 Fust Avenue, a fractional address. You should: (3-38 - 3-45)
a. List 1410 Fust Avenue, but not the fractional address.
b. Call your RO for further information about the fractional address.
c. Not list either structure, but complete an INTER-COMM explaining the situation.
4. While interviewing in an area segment, you locate two single units that have merged to form one unit where one of the merged units was in the current sample. The merged unit does not keep the current sample unit address, and the address of the resulting merged unit is on the listing sheet but is not in the current sample. You should Type C the current sample unit involved in the merger. (7-23 - 7-26)
a. True
b. False
5. You are assigned to list in an area segment, but you fail to locate any living quarters in the segment in question. You should: (5-21 - 5-40)
a. Contact your RO for instructions.
b. Check to make sure you are within the correct area segment boundaries, complete an INTER-COMM, write "No Housing Units" in Item 9, the footnotes section of the Area Segment Listing Sheet, and return the segment folder to your RO.
c. List the adjacent segment instead.
R.O./Site ____________________________
Name _______________________________
Code _______________________________
Answer Sheet for Basic CPS and Listing Exercises - November 1998
Instructions:
1. Complete exercises 1-4 in section A (CAPI and CATI) and exercises 1-5 in section B (CAPI ONLY), as appropriate, beginning on page 6 of this memorandum by marking the correct answer and writing in your response on this answer sheet.
2. Return only your completed answer sheet or transmit your answers, not the questions themselves, to your regional office or supervisor, as appropriate, by the date specified on the cover page of this memorandum.
3. Retain the questions so that you can refer to them when you receive the corrected answer sheet.
____________________________________________________________________________
A. Answers to Basic CPS Exercises (CAPI and CATI)
1. [ ] a 3. [ ] a
[ ] b [ ] b
2. [ ] a 4. [ ] a
[ ] b [ ] b
B. Answers to Listing Exercise (CAPI ONLY)
1. [ ] a 4. [ ] a
[ ] b [ ] b
[ ] c
2. [ ] a 5. [ ] a
[ ] b [ ] b
[ ] c [ ] c
3. [ ] a
[ ] b
[ ] c
CPS Voting and Registration Supp - 1998 Interviewers Page
CPS Main Page