Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, May 2012

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. Since the 1940s, these surveys have been produced quarterly through 1977 and monthly thereafter. The surveys conducted in 2012 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, computers, and other durables. Also explored in this survey, were respondents' types of savings and financial investments, loan use, family income, and retirement planning. Other topics in this series typically include ownership, lease, and use of automobiles, respondents' use of personal computers at home and in the office, and respondents' familiarity with and use of the Internet. Demographic information includes ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, and education.

消费者态度与行为调查系列（Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series，亦称"消费者调查"（Surveys of Consumers)）旨在衡量消费者态度与预期的变化，探究此类变化的成因，并评估其与消费者储蓄、借贷及可自由支配消费决策之间的关联。该数据集常规包含消费者信心指数（Index of Consumer Sentiment）、当前经济状况指数（Index of Current Economic Conditions）以及消费者预期指数（Index of Consumer Expectations）。自20世纪40年代起，该系列调查于1977年前按季度开展，1977年之后转为月度调查。2012年开展的本次调查聚焦以下主题：个人财务、就业、物价变动及国民经济形势的评估与预期。调查收集了受访者对当前购房、购车、购买电脑及其他耐用品的市场状况的评价。本次调查还探究了受访者的储蓄类型与金融投资情况、借贷用途、家庭收入及退休规划。该系列调查的其他常规主题通常包括汽车的拥有、租赁与使用情况，受访者在家中及办公场所使用个人电脑的情况，以及受访者对互联网的熟悉程度与使用行为。人口统计信息涵盖族裔、性别、年龄、婚姻状况及受教育程度。