This is a series of 20 cognitive interviews conducted with members of the UK general public in June and July 2011 as part of the PSE-UK Main Survey questionnaire design process. Cognitive interviewing is designed to identify cognition, recall, judgement and response problems associated with survey questions as well as to identify any sensitivity issues arising for respondents. The aim of this work is to reduce misinterpretation and confusion created by unclear questions and thereby to help reduce measurement error in the estimates derived from the sample survey data. Based upon expert review by the PSE-UK team, a range of items for potential inclusion in the PSE-UK survey were selected for cognitive testing relating to necessities, housing, local services, household finances and subjective poverty, education and parenting, economic participation, health and disability, life satisfaction, and crime and social harm.The ESRC has funded a major research project into Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK. This project is a collaboration between the University of Bristol, University of Glasgow, Heriot Watt University, Open University, Queen’s University (Belfast), University of York, National Centre for Social Research and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The project commences in April 2010 and will run for three-and-a-half years. The primary purpose is to advance the 'state of the art' of the theory and practice of poverty and social exclusion measurement. In order to improve current measurement methodologies, the research will develop and repeat the 1999 Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey. This research will produce information of immediate and direct interest to policy makers, academics and the general public. It will provide a rigorous and detailed independent assessment on progress towards the UK Government's target of eradicating child poverty. Objectives This research has three main objectives; To improve the measurement of poverty, deprivation, social exclusion and standard of living. To assess changes in poverty and social exclusion in the UK To conduct policy-relevant analyses of poverty and social exclusion Further information Contact: Prof David Gordon Email: dave.gordon@bristol.ac.uk Telephone: 0117 9546761 Website: <a href="https://webmail.rcuk.ac.uk/OWA/redir.aspx?C=e8c3455a3040429c9d3e88f76ccaa9f8&; www.poverty.ac.uk

An interview protocol was developed which included all the items selected for testing. The expected duration of cognitive interviews was 60-70 mins in total and interviews were conducted with a total of 20 respondents. Within the constraints of the achieved sample size and duration of the interviews it was not possible to undertake cognitive testing of all survey items for potential inclusion in the PSE-UK survey. Items for inclusion in the cognitive pilot were selected on the basis of expert review by the PSE-UK team. Our focus was upon existing 1999 PSE items which have been subject to significant changes of question wording, additional items which have not been extensively tested in other existing large-scale surveys, and any items which may be subject to significant item response problems in the context of a survey of this nature. In order to ensure that all selected survey items were adequately tested, the testing was split across four different questionnaire schedules, each testing a different set of questions. Although different questionnaires were used, some questions were included in more than one phase in order to cover sufficient respondents where significant item response problems were evident. Items were tested using a combination of think aloud techniques and follow-up cognitive probing methods. Scripted probes were used to explore specific aspects of the survey response process as appropriate to the specific items in question relating to:  how respondents understood key concepts and terms (cognition)  how they retrieved from memory the information needed to answer the question (recall)  how they deliberated on their response to the questions (judgment)  how they tailored their answers to the response categories offered (response)  whether any sensitivities existed within the questions Interviews were semi-structured, allowing interviewers to probe on additional issues as and when they arose. However, since the full questionnaire is not subject to cognitive testing, response issues relating to item ordering, their placement in relation to other related items, and respondent fatigue effects are unlikely to be detected here (though these problems will be evident in the full field pilot).