WWC snapshot of http://stats.bls.gov/csexpend.htm taken on Sat Jun 10 19:48:39 1995
Consumer Expenditure Survey
This program consists of two surveysùthe quarterly Interview survey and the Diary surveyùthat provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics.
Current news release
Data available
- Annual income and expenditures integrated from the Interview and Diary surveys in varying detail, classified by income, age, consumer unit size, and other demographic characteristics of consumer units, since 1984.
- Annual income and expenditures from the Interview and Diary surveys by selected consumer unit characteristics, since 1980.
- Quarterly Interview survey data by selected consumer unit characteristics, since 1984.
Coverage
- Noninstitutional total population (urban and rural) of the United States in 1980 and 1984 and thereafter.
- Noninstitutional urban population of the United States in 1981-83.
- Diary survey: Based on record-keeping over two consecutive 1-week periods by about 5,000 consumer units each year. The Diary survey obtains data on small, frequently purchased items, such as detailed food expenditures or purchases of housekeeping supplies, which are normally difficult for respondents to recall.
Reference period
- Calendar yearùintegrated Interview and Diary survey data.
- QuarterlyùInterview survey data.
Forms of publication
- Bulletins, news releases, and reports.
- Articles in the Monthly Labor Review.
- Microdata files on tape.
- Bulletin level of detail on diskettes.
Uses
- Basic source of data for revising the items and weights in the market basket of consumer purchases to be priced for the Consumer Price Index.
- Construction of statistical measures of consumption.
- Analysis of expenditure patterns by characteristics.
- Market research studies.
- Economic research.
- Consumer guidance materials.
Major research in progress
- Testing of alternative diary instruments for differences in response rates and quality of information.
- Examining the use of global-type questions and respondent aids to improve the recall of expenditures.
- Analysis of seasonality in the expenditure data.
- Ongoing analysis of trends in expenditures, including expenditures by different age groups, a comparison of expenditures by homeowners and renters, expenditures by rental-assisted renters, and expenditures on new products and services.
- Testing methods for improving the quality of the income data reported in the survey.
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