Behavior Coding Report of 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Person Interviews

The purpose of this behavior coding study is to determine how interviewers ask questions as well
as how well respondents answer them during the 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Person
Interview. These results can provide insights on how to improve survey questions, administrative
procedures, and training of interviewers for future operations in preparation for the 2020 Census.
The 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Person Interview is part of an independent survey
operation that measures the accuracy of the within household coverage of the census. For the
2010 Census, temporary interviewers conducted face-to-face interviews via Computer Assisted
Personal Interviewing instrument. The 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Person Interview
protocol also included an Information Sheet that interviewers handed to respondents for use
during the interview (see Appendix 1). Respondents could keep this sheet.
Behavior coding is a survey research method for systematically analyzing interactions between
interviewers and respondents. Thismethod involves the application of a set of uniform codes to
interviewer and respondent verbal behavior. Examples of codes applied to interviewer behaviors
include reading the question as worded, making a major change tothe question, and skipping the
question entirely. Respondent behaviors include providing an answer that matches one of the
response options, asking for clarification, and giving an answer thatis not easily mapped on to
the response options, among others. High rates ofnon-ideal behaviors (such as interviewers
changing question wording or respondents providing answers that do not match response
options) can indicate problems with specific questions. For example, if a particular question is
associated with high rates of major changes, especially if interviewers administer other survey
questions as written, it suggests that there may be issues with that question. Behavior coding can
also identify problems with interviewer performance. For example, if the majority of questions
are not read as worded, it can suggest a needfor additional training or supervision if a
standardized interview is to be achieved.