General Information:
*Note: The item was tested in German. This is an English translation of the original German wording.*
Question Text:
Please provide the first names of 25 people you know and with whom you have had any form of contact over the past two months, either in person, by telephone, video, mail, or social media.
When listing these people, please think of different areas of your daily life.
[Bitte nennen Sie uns die Vornamen von 25 Personen, die Sie kennen und mit denen Sie in den letzten zwei Monaten in irgendeiner Weise Kontakt hatten, entweder persönlich, per Telefon, Video, Post oder soziale Medien.
Bitte denken Sie bei der Nennung der Personen an verschiedene Bereiche in Ihrem Alltag (Partnerschaft, Familie, Freundeskreis, Arbeit, Nachbarschaft, Verein/Hobbies).]
Instruction:
INT (read out if necessary):
1. Instead of a first name, you may also use a nickname, an abbreviation, or something similar. The only important thing is that you are able to identify the person later in the course of the survey (and in next year’s survey). The purpose of the naming is simply that it is clear to you who is being referred to.
2. Free recall. If no further names come to mind:
- First time: Think about all the different places you have visited over the past two weeks. For example, this could be your workplace, friends’ homes, or cafés or bars. There may also be other areas of your life that are not covered here. Is there anyone you regularly see in those places
- Second time: Mentally go through your typical daily routine—from morning to evening. Are there any people you encounter along the way who you have not yet mentioned?
In case of duplicate names:
- Please provide a nickname for the person.
- If no nickname is available: In what context do you know this person (e.g., work)?
[INT (bei Bedarf vorlesen):
1. Statt eines Vornamens können Sie auch einen Spitznamen, eine Abkürzung oder etwas Ähnliches nennen. Wichtig ist dabei nur, dass Sie die Person im weiteren Verlauf der Befragung (und in der Befragung im nächsten Jahr) wieder zuordnen können. Bei der Namensgebung geht es also nur darum, dass für Sie eindeutig ist, wen Sie gemeint haben.
2. Frei aufzählen lassen. Fällt keiner mehr ein:
- 1. Mal: Denken Sie einmal an all die verschiedenen Orte, die Sie in den letzten zwei Wochen besucht haben. Beispielweise könnte das der Arbeitsplatz sein, das Zuhause von Freunden oder Cafés oder Bars. Vielleicht gibt es noch weitere Lebensbereiche in Ihrem Leben, die hier nicht abgebildet sind. Gibt es dort jemanden, den Sie regelmäßig sehen?
- 2. Mal: Gehen Sie einmal Ihren typischen Tagesablauf im Kopf durch – von morgens bis abends. Gibt es Personen, denen Sie dabei begegnen, die Sie aber noch nicht hier aufgezählt haben?
Bei Dopplung von Namen:
- Bitte geben Sie den Spitznamen der Person an.
- Falls nicht vorhanden: Aus welchem Kontext kennen Sie die Person (z. B. Arbeit)?]
Answer Categories:
Open-ended answer [Offene Antwort]
Recommendations:
All test participants were able to name 25 first names and either recalled their contacts from memory or (additionally) referred to the showcard when answering the question. The results of the pretest indicate that there are no issues with the question, so it can be left in its current form.
Process Probing, Difficulty Probing
Findings for Question:
Testing objectives:
The purpose of the follow-up questions was to determine whether the participants had difficulty naming a total of 25 people from their social circle. In addition, the study aimed to investigate what the participants used as a guide when answering the question. Finally, the study sought to determine how the participants reacted when first names were repeated.
Findings:
Can the respondents name 25 first names from their social circle?
All participants were able to name 25 first names from their social circle. Only two of the ten participants stated that they found answering the question “rather difficult” because they had to think about it a little longer.
How did the respondents go about answering the question?
When answering the question, the participants stated that they began by thinking of people they are close to or with whom they have had frequent contact recently:
- “First, I thought about the people closest to me—my closest friends and family. Then my coworkers and other acquaintances. I also just took a look at WhatsApp to see who I’d been in contact with there.” (TP03)
- “The first people who came to mind were very good friends I’m in touch with every day. And right after that, coworkers I work very closely with at the office, because that’s such a big part of my life.” (TP07)
- “[I’ve been] thinking about the last few days—who I sat with, who I worked with. On a personal level, who I spent time with.” (TP10)
Three participants stated that, when answering the question, they had also used the onscreen showcard—which displayed various social contexts—as a guide:
- “So, if I couldn’t think of a name, I’d look it up again [on the show card].” (TP02)
- “I went through it from top to bottom, just as it’s listed [on the showcard]. I didn’t provide a name for the ‘Club/Hobbies/Religion’ category because that doesn’t apply to me.” (TP08)
- “I took a quick look at each category one by one and then intuitively named the people who came to mind. This was influenced by how recently I’d seen them, how often I see them, and how close my relationship with them is.” (TP09)
How do respondents handle it when first names appear more than once?
Six participants named first names that were duplicated. When the interviewers pointed out that these individuals needed to be distinguished from one another during the interview and therefore had to be uniquely identifiable, the participants provided either an abbreviation of the last name, the age of the person(s), or a term related to the context of the relationship (e.g., sports).
Question Topic:
Society & social affairs/ Relationships
Construct:
Network generator
