The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) commissioned D3 to support the modernization of its core media questionnaire. Implemented in 62 languages around the world, the media questionnaire will serve as the cornerstone for USAGM’s annual global audience estimate and deliver valuable insights into America’s international audiences.

D3 and its local partners conducted one hundred cognitive interviews with respondents in Spanish, Arabic, Burmese, Russian, and English to assess the clarity, logic, and potential bias of sample survey questions. The research team implemented interviews in two stages, enabling an iterative question development process. In the first phase, D3 probed respondents on their media consumption habits. Based on information from the pre-test cognitive interviews, and in consultation with USAGM, D3 drafted multiple versions of survey questions. D3 then administered the survey questions to 2,400 individuals in Colombia, Egypt, Nigeria, and Russia to test question structure, terminology, and response options. The survey tests included a second phase of cognitive interviews with twenty survey respondents to further test question comprehension and reliability. D3 conducted regression analysis to determine the accuracy of survey test results.

D3 appreciated the opportunity to use mixed-methods research to support USAGM in the development of their research instruments.