Recruitment Process for Focus Groups
The Media Network designed recruiting screeners to make sure that participants in the focus groups fit the profile of respondents FHWA/NHTSA was seeking. We had two different group types in each city: Hispanic pedestrians and Hispanic bicyclists. Our goal was to have approximately eight to nine participants in each group. The Media Network worked with partners from its own proprietary database, community centers, and other local organizations (including local biking associations) to obtain names of people who fit the criteria to participate in these focus groups (Spanish-speaking Hispanic males and females, over the age of 18, who were regular walkers or bicycle riders). Our goal was to create diverse groups of respondents in each city. Potential participants were contacted by telephone and were screened to verify their eligibility. See the Appendix for the screeners used in this project.
Eligible participants were invited to participate in the groups, and were assured of the personal confidentiality and research-oriented purpose of the groups. These participants were not informed of the sponsor of this project. Confirmation letters with the time and location of the group were sent to all participants, as well as directions to the facilities where the groups were being held. Participants were called the night before the sessions to remind and encourage them to attend.
Profile of Respondents
Sixty-two (62) adults participated in these focus group sessions: twenty-eight (28) men and thirty-four (34) women. Out of these participants, thirty-five (35) participated in the pedestrian safety focus groups, and twenty-seven (27) participated in the bicycle safety focus groups. All of the participants were of Hispanic origin. Information on each of these participants is summarized in the tables below. There is one table for each of the eight focus groups.
| Hispanic Pedestrians in Washington, DC: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| Leonardo | Colombia | 40-49 | M | Graduate or Professional Degree | More than $60,000 |
| Maria | Brazil | 70-79 | F | Some College | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Angela | Colombia | 30-39 | F | Graduate or Professional Degree | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Gabriela | Venezuela | 30-39 | F | Some College | More than $60,000 |
| Ana | Puerto Rico | 40-49 | F | Graduate or Professional Degree | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Milton | Guatemala | 18-29 | M | Less than High School | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Alberto | Nicaragua | 30-39 | M | College Degree | More than $60,000 |
| Liliana | Colombia | 30-39 | F | Graduate or Professional Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Naomi | Puerto Rico | 70-79 | F | Some College | Less than $15,000 |
| Hispanic Pedestrians in Los Angeles, CA: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| Elisa | Mexico | 18-29 | F | High School Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Ana | Ecuador | 18-29 | F | College Degree | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Sussie | Mexico | 50-59 | F | Some College | Between $40,000 - $60,000 |
| Jose | El Salvador | 40-49 | M | High School Degree | $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Miriam | El Salvador | 40-49 | F | High School Degree | Less than $15,000 |
| Lauro | Mexico | 60-69 | M | Less than High School | Less than $15,000 |
| Iris | Guatemala | 18-29 | F | Less than High School | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Martin | Mexico | 30-39 | M | High School Degree | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Hispanic Pedestrians in Miami, FL: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| Magali | Cuba | 50-59 | F | High School Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Santiago | Colombia | 60-69 | M | Less than High School | Less than $15,000 |
| Mariana | Cuba | 18-29 | F | College Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Daisy | Nicaragua | 50-59 | F | High School Degree | Less than $15,000 |
| Berta | Cuba | 60-69 | F | High School Degree | Less than $15,000 |
| Raul | Argentina | 50-59 | M | High School Degree/GED | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Patricia | Panama | 40-49 | F | Some College | Less than $15,000 |
| Jaime | Nicaragua | 50-59 | M | College Degree | Less than $15,000 |
| Hispanic Pedestrians in New York City, NY: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| Juan | Dominican Republic | 50-59 | M | Graduate or Professional Degree | More than $60,000 |
| Humberto | Peru | 60-69 | M | High School Degree | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Kimberly | Puerto Rico | 18-29 | F | Some College | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Evelyn | USA | 40-49 | F | High School Degree/GED | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Eddie | Guatemala | 18-29 | M | High School Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Milagros | Puerto Rico | 60-69 | F | Less than High School | Between $15,000 - $25,000 |
| Yesenia | Puerto Rico | 30-39 | F | High School Degree | Between $40,000 - $60,000 |
| John | Cuba | 40-49 | M | High School Degree | Between $25,000 - $40,000 |
| Roberto | Argentina | 80 or older | M | College Degree | Between $25,000 - $40,000 |
| Nilda | Argentina | 70-79 | F | Some College | Between $15,000 - $25,000 |
| Hispanic Bicyclists in Washington, DC: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| Gabriela | Ecuador | 18-29 | F | College Degree | Between $25,000 - $40,000 |
| Raúl | USA | 18-29 | M | College Degree | Between $25,000 - $40,000 |
| Francisco | Argentina | 30-39 | M | High School Degree | Between $15,000 - $25,000 |
| Jorge | Honduras | 30-39 | M | College Degree | Between $15,000 - $25,000 |
| César | El Salvador | 50-59 | M | Some College | Less than $15,000 |
| Rosa | Peru | 30-39 | F | Graduate or Professional Degree | Between $25,000 - $40,000 |
| Maritza | Colombia | 40-49 | F | College Degree | Between $25,000 - $40,000 |
| Hispanic Bicyclists in Los Angeles, CA: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| Francisco | Ecuador | 30-39 | M | Some College | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Elsa | Puerto Rico | 50-59 | F | Professional Degree | More than $60,000 |
| Eduardo | Mexico | 30-39 | M | College Degree | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Ezequiel | Mexico | 30-39 | M | Less than High School | Less than $15,000 |
| Angela | Guatemala | 50-59 | F | College Degree | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Brenda | Puerto Rico | 40-49 | F | College Degree | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
| Hispanic Bicyclists in Miami, FL: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| Alfredo | Cuba | 60-69 | M | College Degree | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Virginia | Puerto Rico | 50-59 | F | Less than High School | Less than $15,000 |
| Will | Dominican Republic | 30-39 | M | Some College | More than $60,000 |
| Monica | Peru | 18-29 | F | College Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Israel | Honduras | Honduras | M | Less than High School | Less than $15,000 |
| Neftali | Puerto Rico | 30-39 | M | High School Degree | Less than $15,000 |
| Marta | Cuba | 40-49 | F | Less than High School | Between $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Melinda | Panama | 50-59 | F | High School Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Hispanic Bicyclists in New York City, NY: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Name |
Country of Origin |
Age | Gender | Education | Income |
| David | Costa Rica | 40-49 | M | High School Degree/GED | Less than $15,000 |
| Marisol | USA | 18-29 | F | College Degree | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Magaly | Puerto Rico | 30-39 | F | Some College | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Julio | Cuba | 40-49 | M | Graduate or Professional Degree | Less than $15,000 |
| Reyes | Puerto Rico | 40-49 | F | Some College | Between $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Willie | Peru | 40-49 | M | High School Degree | Between $40,000 – $60,000 |
Focus Group Methodology
The focus groups were held in March, April, and May 2004 in Silver Spring, MD (just outside Washington, DC), New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. Each group was led by a professional bilingual focus group moderator. The groups lasted about two hours and were conducted in Spanish. In each city, we conducted one group with bicyclists and one group with pedestrians. Each participant signed an agreement to acknowledge that the session was being recorded (audio only), and informing them that their personal information would be kept confidential. Participants were provided with a light dinner, as well as a cash stipend for their participation.
At the beginning of the discussion, participants were encouraged to share their ideas and were told that there were no wrong answers to the questions being asked. Participants were advised of "ground rules" for the discussion, which included the role of the moderator and what constitutes appropriate participant behavior. They were then reminded that they were being recorded.
To begin the discussion, participants introduced themselves to one another and to the moderator. They were then led through the research questions in the moderator's guide, which focused on issues such as general attitudes about bicycle and pedestrian safety, knowledge of U.S. traffic laws, sources of information about these laws and safety issues, and overall interest in this topic. Detailed findings from these groups follow in the next section of this report.