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The ongoing Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) provides a continuous flow of information on the buying habits of American consumers and also furnishes data to support periodic revisions of the Consumer Price Index. The survey consists of two separate components:

1. A quarterly Interview Survey in which each consumer unit in the sample is interviewed every three months over a 15-month period, and
2. A Diary Survey completed by the sample consumer units for two consecutive one-week periods.

The Interview Survey was designed to collect data on major items of expense, household characteristics, and income. The expenditures covered by the survey are those that respondents can recall fairly accurately for three months or longer. In general, these expenditures include relatively large purchases, such as those for property, or expenditures that occur on a fairly regular basis, such as rent, utilities, or insurance premiums. Excluded are nonprescription drugs, household supplies, and personal care items. Including global estimates on spending for food, it is estimated that about 90 to 95 percent of expenditures are covered in the Interview Survey.

The Detailed Expenditure Files that comprise this data collection were created from all the major expenditure sections of the Interview Survey questionnaires. These files contain more detailed expenditure records than those found in the Interview Survey data tapes. In addition, the Detailed Expenditure Files include family characteristics (FMLY) files and income and member characteristics (MEMB) files identical to those found in the Interview Survey.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans, as well as to provide information on their savings and investment habits and perceptions of government. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' assessments of their financial status relative to the previous year, their views of the government in Washington, the need for governmental changes, military spending, government support for Black people, and their satisfaction with their income and their jobs, as well as their opinion of married women working outside the home, women's liberation, and penalties for marijuana use. Information is also provided on respondents' political party identification, time spent with their children, savings accounts, contributions to charitable organizations, and car ownership and plans to buy a new one. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, ethnic group, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' degree of satisfaction with the amount of money in their savings accounts, their assessment of their financial status relative to the previous year, and their opinion of the relative merits of small cars and standard full-size cars and small foreign and American cars. Information is also provided on respondents' political party identification and present car ownership and plans for a new one. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' opinions of their health relative to that of other people in their age group, the relative merits of small and standard full-size cars as well as of small foreign cars and small American cars, the long-term cost and durability of certain household appliances, their satisfaction with the amount of money they had in savings, their satisfaction with life in the United States and with their lives in general, the United States government's help to the South Vietnamese government, and the seriousness of Arab nations' intentions regarding peace with Israel. Additional topics covered include a solution to the energy crisis, penalties for smoking marijuana, freedom to make uncomplimentary public speeches, communism in the United States and free speech, causes of crime and lawlessness, the role of government in improving the quality of life of the people, job satisfaction, monetary drive of lawyers and doctors and the state of the public good, and unionization of workers, as well as their financial status relative to the previous year and relative to that of their parents at a comparable age. Information is also provided on respondents' car ownership and the make and use of it, religious group affiliation, hobbies, political influence, political party identification, and self-identified ideological position. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, religion, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans, as well as to provide information on consumer ideas of social change, the care of physically challenged parents, grandparents, and spouse, and labor unions. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' opinions of their health relative to that of other people of their age group, their financial status relative to the previous year and to that of their parents at a comparable age, their job satisfaction, satisfaction with life in the United States and with treatment from public officials, and the role of government in improving the quality of life of the people. Other topics covered included government support for the rights of Black people, racial desegregation, Black empowerment, causes of crime and lawlessness, and the relative merits of small and standard full-size cars and small foreign and American cars. Data are also provided on respondents' perceptions of violence, policemen, social change, and Black protesters, and their assessment of the relative importance of equality, human dignity, respect for property and the law, freedom, and financial security for self and loved ones. Information is also provided on respondents' political party candidate preference and their self-identified ideological position, membership in unions and professional associations, the effect of the Landrum-Griffin Act on the running of unions, respondents' car ownership and the make and use of it, income tax refunds, and the state of health of respondents' parents, grandparents, and spouse. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, religion, and family income.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations.

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, recession, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional variables probe respondents' buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, and the respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses and other durables. Other variables probe respondents' opinions of the United States government's help to the South Vietnamese government, the seriousness of Arab nations' intentions regarding peace with Israel, women's right to abortion, voting for a woman or a Jew as a presidential candidate, gun permit law, causes of crime and lawlessness, chances of Russian adherence to a nuclear weapons limitation agreement with the United States, and communism in the United States and free speech. Additional topics covered include the proposed government tax returns, a solution to the energy crisis, the relative merits of buying a new or used car and the relative value of small foreign cars and the small American cars, job pay satisfaction, penalties for smoking marijuana, freedom to make uncomplimentary public speeches, monetary drive of lawyers and doctors and the state of the public good, satisfaction with life in the United States, government's expected role in racial integration and relations between white and Black people, vacation plans, and respondents' assessment of their financial status relative to the previous year. Information is also provided on respondents' car ownership and the make and use of it, political party self-identification and party candidate vote preference, self-identified ideological position, the neighborhood and house structure respondents live in, and spending plans for their income tax refunds. Demographic variables provide information on respondents' age, sex, race, marital status, occupation, employment status, religion, and family income.