Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, October 2013

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 2013 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, energy, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, and other durables. Also explored in this survey, were respondents' types of savings and financial investments, loan use, mortgage refinancing, family income, and retirement planning. Other topics in this series typically include 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（亦称消费者调查）旨在量化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、借贷及非必要消费品购置决策之间的关联。该系列数据常规涵盖消费者信心指数(Index of Consumer Sentiment)、当前经济状况指数以及消费者预期指数。自20世纪40年代起，该系列调查于1977年前按季度开展，1977年之后转为月度频率。2013年开展的本次调查聚焦于个人财务、能源、就业、物价变动及国民经济形势的评估与预期等议题，收集了受访者对当前购房、购车及其他耐用品购置市场状况的评价意见。本次调查还探究了受访者的储蓄与金融投资品类、借贷用途、住房抵押贷款再融资情况、家庭收入及退休规划等内容。该系列调查的其他常规议题通常涵盖受访者对互联网的熟悉程度与使用情况。调查收集的人口统计信息包括族裔、性别、年龄、婚姻状况及受教育程度。