The Army Communications Objectives Measurement System (ACOMS): Survey Analysis Plan

Gregory H. Gaertner · Timothy W. Elig

Jan 1988 · U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

About this ebook

This is the second of two design reports that document the plans for the Army Communications Objectives Measurement System (ACOMS). This report discusses the general plan to analyze youth and parent survey data and specific plans by topic: tracking responses of the youth audience over time; segmentations of the youth market; differentiation among Army, Army component, and civilian career alternatives; parental influence; and modeling the effects of Army advertising. The first design report, the Army Communications Objectives Measurement System (ACOMS): Survey Design (ARI Technical Report 785), discusses the major design elements of the ACOMS survey: sampling and weighting, questionnaires, and data collection and processing. It also presents the results of the formal pretest conducted before the start of actual data collection. The ACOMS survey is a multiyear telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 16- to 24-year-old American youth and their parents. The survey tracks changes in perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors relevant to Army advertising. Data are being collected continuously through the year, using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology. Random digit dialing (RDD), involving a modified Waksberg method, is being used to identify eligible respondents. The 30-minute interview asks youth about responses to Army advertising, media habits, career plans, and various demographic characteristics. Keywords: Army national guard, Recruiting, Reserve officer training corps. (sdw).