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Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

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ASKING STANDARD DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS 263<br />

Household composition questions are difficult to ask efficiently<br />

and may cause rapport problems if they come at the beginning of<br />

the interview.<br />

How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment,<br />

or mobile home last night (DATE)?<br />

Include in this number: foster children, roommates or housemates,<br />

and people staying here last night who have no other<br />

permanent place to stay. This also includes people living here<br />

most of the time while working, even if they have another<br />

place to live.<br />

Do not include in this number:<br />

College students living away while attending college<br />

People in a correctional facility, nursing home, or mental hospital<br />

last night<br />

Armed Forces personnel living somewhere else<br />

People who live or stay at another place most of the time<br />

In this question by the U.S. Census Bureau, it is evident from<br />

the list of inclusions and exclusions that household listing is by no<br />

means an easy task. A significant number of people have no permanent<br />

address, but float from place to place and are likely to be<br />

overlooked in a household listing. Others (such as children at college<br />

and family members on long-term assignment away from<br />

home) are still likely to be included. <strong>The</strong> question deals with the<br />

total number of people because this is a less sensitive question than<br />

immediately asking for names (which, if required for future reference,<br />

is usually done next). Respondents tend to deliberately conceal<br />

the presence of some people, such as welfare recipients, illegal<br />

aliens, and unmarried partners, because they fear legal consequences<br />

or loss of benefits.<br />

Please give me the first names (or initials) of all the people<br />

who were living or staying here last night (DATE). Start with the

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