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Project Title:European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) (English Version)
  2. General Information: *Note: The item was tested both in English and German.*

    Cognitive Interviews
  3. Question Text: English version: What do you mainly do in your job?

    German version: Was machen Sie hauptsächlich bei Ihrer Arbeit?
  5. Answer Categories Open question
    1. Recommendations: Question: No changes recommended. However, if the routing of Q5 is changed, this would also affect the routing of Q6.
      Answer categories: Does not apply.
  2. Cognitive Techniques:Information image/link to cognitive pretesting Emergent Probing, Specific Probing.
  3. Findings for Question: The aim of Q6 is to understand which tasks respondents mainly carry out in their main paid job. Many respondents had already begun describing the tasks of their main paid job in Q5. The aim of probing in Q6 was to verify whether they are truly relating to their main paid job as in Q5. This is of particular relevance for respondents in multi-activity.

    Respondents correctly refer to their main paid job only, also the two respondents who had expressed difficulties in deciding on their main paid job (DE05, DE16). DE16 even emphasises that she is referring to the job she stated as her main paid job, although her identification is stronger with the other one. Two Polish respondents show inconsistencies in their responses. One respondent named “teacher” as her main paid job in Q5 but speaks about her duties as a “school headmaster” in Q6 (PL04). Another respondent, who had already mentioned difficulties naming his job title in Q5, explains that the focus of his job has changed since he started working there (PL16). His job title is that of “assistant” with responsibilities for invoicing and other clerical duties, but his responsibilities include contact with foreign clients. He gives inconsistent answers as to whether he does this “additionally” to his regular duties, this takes up “half of his time” or he “mainly” carries out this task.

    No differences in answers of people with different employment status were found. All the respondents mentioned the activities they performed within their current employment status.
  2. Question Topic: Job and career/ Job situation & professional activity
  3. Construct: Content of main paid job