1. The Initial Interview

The self-administered Initial Interview consists of a series of windows designed to collect basic household and personal information, as well as information that describes "typical" activity types and locations. The Initial Interview is completed prior to the start of the survey recording period. For the Ladera Ranch Project, this initial interview will be completed as part of the pre-move interview and survey. For households that continue with the Ladera Ranch Project, the Initial Interview will be reviewed and updated as necessary for each additional survey phase. In each case, this review and updating must be completed no later than the Sunday evening when the recording of Weekly Activity Diary begins. It is preferable that you complete the Initial Interview before this Sunday so the amount of time you spend on entering data each day can be minimized.

• The following provides an overview of the REACT! windows used to collect information for the Initial Interview. For information on the Weekly Activity Diary, click here.

The following screen captures illustrate REACT!'s self-administered initial interview. These interfaces collect standard demographic variables (household, person, and vehicle characteristics) as well as information describing "typical" activity types and locations. Click on a specific window or simply page down.

1.1 REACT! Household Information:

This page asks for some general information about your household. This information will allow us to identify you and your responses.

1. To enter your address, click your mouse pointer within each Text Box and type.
2. Select answers to the other questions from the Pull Down Lists. To select, first click your mouse pointer on the "down arrow" (to the right of the answer box) to pull down the options for this question. Move your pointer to the option you want and click on this option while it is highlighted.
3. When you finish responding to all questions, click the [ Next > ] button.

[ back to top ]

1.2 REACT! HH Members:

This screen asks for the number of persons in your household and for their names. This may include your spouse, your children, or others residing in your home. Even if you are single, be sure to enter at least your name.

[ back to top ]

1.3 REACT! HH Member Information:

Personal characteristics of household members have perhaps the greatest impact on the type of travel and activities a household performs. This screen asks each household member (or the parent for children under 18 years) to provide information on such attributes as occupation and education level.

This and many subsequent screens should be completed by the household member whose name is indicated on top of the page. A parent should answer these questions for minors (this screen is the only one in the initial interview that you will need to complete for your children -- After this form, you can click [Next >] to skip screens for children. The following provides a brief explanation of some of the requested items:

• Relation to Head of Household
  Are you a head of the household, a child of the head, or even the parent of the head. The Heads of the Household are the individuals who have formed the household and are making most of the financial and management decisions.
• Educational Level:
  What is the highest education level that you have achieved? This should be a level that you have already achieved and NOT, if you are currently a student, the degree that you are currently working to complete).
• Employment Status:
  What is your employment status (e.g., full time, part time, unemployed, etc.)?
• Hours Worked in a Typical Week:
  If you are employed, enter into the text box the number of hours that you work in a typical week (one with no holidays or time off).
• Occupation: What is your occupation?
• Student Level:
  If you are currently enrolled as a students, what type of school are you attending for the degree that you are currently pursuing)?
• School Name and School City:
  Enter into the text boxes the name and city of your current school.

[ back to top ]

1.4 REACT! HH Vehicle Information:

This screen asks for basic information on the motor vehicles which are available for regular use in your household. If your are using TRACER GPS units in any of your household vehicles, you will need to input the EDCU number provided to you for the unit for each car, as well as an EDCU user number and pasword. This will allow you to view the vehicle tracings and use this information in completing your travel diary each evening.

[ back to top ]

1.5 REACT! Frequent Location Information:

This screen is provided to develop a list of activity locations that you visit frequently (at least once a month). These options will be provided to you as you complete your daily activity diary to facilitate that process.

On the left of this screen is a list of potential activity locations in your general area. This includes a brief description of the site and its approximate location (for example, cross streets). For example:

• The Crossroads Shopping Center, on Barranca and Culver (Target, Mervyn's)

[ back to top ]

1.6 REACT! Spatial Location Utility:

You can indicate a location in your local study area using a map provided. To do this, simply click on the map to zoom in. When you find the location, click on the "Indicate" button and click on the approximate location on the map.

[ back to top ]

1.7 REACT! Activity Selection Information:

This screen provides a comprehensive list of activity types. Select those activities that you perform regularly (at least once per month). The description of an activity comprises a general category followed by an activity name (for example, [Household Obligation]: Cleaning/Maintenance (at home)).

[ back to top ]

1.8 REACT! Activity Frequency Information:

This screen asks for the frequency of occurance for those activities that you perform regularly (that is, those activities indicated on the Activity Selection screen). For example, "I clean my apartment 2 times every week" or "I shop for housewares 1 time every month".

[ back to top ]

1.9 REACT! Activity Duration Information:

This screen asks for the typical duration of regularly occurring activities (that is, those activities indicated on the Activity Selection screen). For example, "Whenever I go Grocery shopping, it usually takes me 50 Minutes" or "Each weekday I'm usually at Work for 8 Hours".

[ back to top ]

1.10 REACT! Activity Scheduling Information:

This screen elicits information about the typical time and days on which you do certain activities (again, the same typical activities from the prior screens). For each of these activities, there are two questions:

1. Does this activity occur on fixed days of the week?
   If this activity regularly occurs on specific days of a week, click "Yes" and check which days. For example, a respondent who states that "I work part-time Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings" would select "Yes" and check the boxes for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If this activity does not have fixed days on which it usually occurs, then click "No" but check on which days it might likely occur.
   
2. Does this activity have a fixed start/end time?
   If this activity typically begins and ends at specific times, then click "Yes" and enter the starting and ending times. For example, if you typically work from 9 to 5, then the fixed starting and ending times for this work activity are 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. If this activity is not required to begin and/or end at specific times, then click "No" and enter the earliest time that it could begin and the latest time it could end. For example, if you usually do Major Grocery Shopping (over 10 items) Friday after work, but not at a specific time other than needing to be home by 8 PM, then enter 5:00 PM as your earliest starting time and 8:00 PM as the latest ending time.

[ back to top ]

1.11 REACT! Activity Location Information:

This screen asks about the typical locations where you usually do regular activities. For example, if you usually do Major Grocery Shopping at Orange Tree Square and Culver Plaza, then select these two locations as typical locations for Major Grocery.

[ back to top ]

1.12 REACT! Other Persons Involved:

This screen asks about other persons who are involved in some of your usual activities. There are one or two questions for each activity, depending on the activity:

1. If other persons occasionally do an activity for you (so that you can do something else), please check their names from the list provided. For example, if you usually pick up your son from school, but sometimes your wife does, then indicate that "your wife" can do this activity for you by checking the box beside her name.
   
2. If you usually do this activity with other persons, check their names in the list provided. For example, if you always go to movies with your wife, then check the box beside her name.

[ back to top ]

REACT! -- Updating the Initial Interview for Subsequent Phases

After you move to Ladera ranch and are ready to begin the post-move survey, you will first need to review and update the information provided in the Initial Interview during the pre-move survey. This section will be expanded at that time.

REACT! Updating the Initial Interview	[ back to top ]

---

REACT! -- Contact Us for More Information or Assistance

If you would like more information on REACT! or other aspects of the Ladera Ranch Project, or if you need assistance with installing or executing REACT!, please contact us:

• E-mail: <react@translab.its.uci.edu>
• Technical Assistance: Elizabeth Geho [949-824-6571]
• General Information: Professor MG McNally [949-824-8462]

REACT! Information and Assistance	[ back to top ]

---

Last Updated: 15 September 2003 (Ladera Ranch)