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FedCASIC 2018

Creating a redesigned questionnaire for the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey using Colectica 

Parvati Krishnamurty

17 April 2018
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Gemini redesign of the CE surveys

 As part of the redesign, we plan to update and streamline the 

CAPI instrument based on cognitive and online testing done by 

Westat and BLS. 

 CE instrument redesign gives us the opportunity to move 

towards more efficient and comprehensive documentation of 

survey metadata. 
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Current Questionnaire Development Process

 The Interview Survey is long and instrument contains complex skip 

patterns designed to reduce respondent burden.

 Changes to questionnaire items such as wording, order, skip patterns, or 

new questions are often needed. 

 CE provides detailed requirements, which Census then enters into their 

own specification system (SPIDER), and then programs the Blaise 

instrument. Changes are usually made every 2 years.

 No major redesign of CAPI instrument in over 10 years.
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BLS-Census CAPI development and data delivery

x n

x n
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Interview Survey Questionnaire Development

Challenges

 No question bank that allows us to retrieve questions or compare 

questions across years 

 No integrated mapping of questionnaire metadata

Multiple documents in different locations 

 The changes document for each revision is in word/pdf

Difficult to navigate: current full specifications ~ 4,000 pages

Iteratively making design changes is difficult

 No direct link between questions and variables in the data set
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Metadata and DDI

 Metadata is data that provides information about other data. Metadata 

can be descriptive, structural, or administrative. 

 The Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) is an international standard for 

describing the data produced by surveys. 

 Enables us to document and manage different stages in the research 

data lifecycle from survey design to survey products. 

 Produces machine readable output (xml files) which can be read by CAI 

systems. 
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Why use DDI?

 Drive data collection 

 Design reusable instruments

 Create interactive codebooks

 Maintain question banks 

 Facilitate harmonization and concordance of variables across 

time 

 Manage longitudinal or panel data
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Using Colectica

 CE has been exploring the use of the Colectica suite of software for 

better documentation of metadata.

 Colectica Questionnaires, is part of the Colectica suite of software based 

on DDI. Collaboration with Blaise at Statistics Netherlands.

 Testing the use of Colectica Questionnaires to create requirements for 

the streamlined CAPI instrument.

 Create proper documentation of metadata prospectively rather than 

having to do it retroactively. 
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Colectica Questionnaires
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Adding a new item
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Adding a multiple choice question
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Colectica Questionnaires: Advantages

 Creates DDI based survey specifications.

 Multiple output formats:

Blaise 5

Machine readable xml files 

PDF specifications and a paper form

 Rapid design iterations: Easy to make changes in the software and then 

generate new specifications.

 Uses a repository of questions so we can retrieve questions and blocks.

 Integrates with the rest of the Colectica software suite including 

Repository, Portal, and Designer which manage metadata through the 

survey lifecycle.
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Some advantages: Output formats
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Specifications

OPSSEC

Now I will ask you about expenditures for household maintenance, repairs and service contracts. Please

remember to include any payments you made online or had automatically deducted. Also, please 

include any shipping and handling charges with the cost of any item that was shipped.

OPSCSC

Question

During [Month1], [Month 2], or [Month 3], did (you/you and any members of your household) have any

expenses for--

Instructions *Read each item on list

Selection Type

SelectAllThatApply

1 Gardening or lawn care services?

2 Housekeeping services?
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DDI xml output

<ddi:Fragment>

-<ddi:Fragment xmlns:r="ddi:reusable:3_2">

-<Sequence xmlns="ddi:datacollection:3_2" versionDate="2018-01-31T15:45:12.5258909Z" 

isUniversallyUnique="true">

<r:URN>urn:ddi:int.example:fa922901-9f13-4f7a-a4ae-f0007bbf15d9:1</r:URN>

<r:Agency>int.example</r:Agency>

<r:ID>fa922901-9f13-4f7a-a4ae-f0007bbf15d9</r:ID>

<r:Version>1</r:Version>

-<r:Label>

<r:Content xml:lang="en-US">Household operations</r:Content>

</r:Label>

+<r:OutParameter isUniversallyUnique="true">
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Another advantage: Repositories
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Colectica Questionnaire: Limitations

 Trial version cannot handle some of the more complex questionnaire 

design elements, such as: 

 grid questions

 reusable lists of response options

 adding custom fields for specifications

 setting don’t know and refusals globally

 ability to store and cumulate display logic

 rosters and loops 

 adding comments to questions

 dynamic text

 We got around the limitations by programming what we could in the software 

and providing a cover sheet for each section with additional information that 

could not be entered in the software.

 Ideally, we want to enter all the information into the software so that it is fully 

captured in the specifications and xml file.
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Cluster screener (grid question) in the CE
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Grid question in Colectica Questionnaires

Section:
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Next steps

 Current and future versions of Colectica Questionnaires will 

address limitations of the software.

 grid questions--next version 

 reusable lists of response options-- next version

 adding fields for specifications—next version

 setting don’t know and refusals globally--current release

 ability to store and cumulate display logic--TBD

 rosters and loops—next version 

 adding comments to questions—TBD

 dynamic text—next version
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Ideal world: CAPI development and data delivery
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Consumer Expenditure Surveys

Contact :

krishnamurty.parvati@bls.gov
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Extra slides
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Survey data lifecycle

Survey design Survey 

implementation Data received Data processed

Survey products/

Data 

dissemination
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Ideal world: CAPI development and Data Delivery

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Cover page

Household Operations: Cover Page

A. Section Instructions:

This section is a laundry list section that follows the laundry list standards. 

Design will be a table/grid format

Repeat OPSCSC through OPSOTH until OPSCSC = 99. 

After OPSOTH, the FR is expected to continue reading the list of expenditures from the cluster screener (OPSCSC)

B. Section Format:

Table with a maximum of 14 rows

C. Don’t knows and refusals:

1. Do not allow Don’t Know or Refusal on:

OPSCSC, OPSIDE, OPSECE, OPSCOM, OPSSEC

2. Do not display Don’t Know or Refusal options on screen

3. Where Don’t Know and Refusal are allowed, use keyboard shortcuts:

Don’t know = CTRL + D

Refusal = CTRL + R

Bookmark=CTRL + B
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Cover page (continued)

D. Fills: 1.OPSCOM, OPSOUN and OPSOTH: 

OPSCSC

=

Category Name OPSIEX 

Less than

OPSIEX 

Greater 

than 

1 Gardening or lawn care services? 15 600

2 Housekeeping services? 20 1260

3 Termite or pest control services? 16 742

E. Fills: For OPSCOM, OPSOUN and OPSOTH: fill in...

F. Outlets eligibility: Outlets questions will be assigned based on a rotation matrix with POPS 

categories by PSU by quarter. The following categories are outlets eligible:

G. Item description: For OPSIDE: The text field should be a blank, non-required field to allow entry of the item 

description by the FR. After the FR enters a list number the instrument should place the cursor in the blank item 

description field. FRs can choose to hit enter to skip this. In case the item description is needed for a subsequent fill, the 

item code title will be used.