Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1998: Interview Survey and Detailed Expenditure Files

The ongoing Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) 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 were created from all the major expenditure sections of the Interview Survey questionnaires and contain the most detailed expenditure data from the Interview Survey. Parts 69-72 contain processing files used by the program in Part 73. Part 73, Documentation File, includes a sample program and lists of the data file variables by start position. Parts 74 and 75 are SAS programs that generate means, variances, standard errors, and coefficients of variation.

持续开展的消费者支出调查（Consumer Expenditure Survey，CES）可连续提供美国消费者的消费习惯相关数据，同时为消费者物价指数（Consumer Price Index）的定期修订提供数据支撑。本调查包含两个独立子模块：(1) 季度访谈调查（Interview Survey）：样本中的每个消费单元需在15个月周期内每3个月接受一次访谈；(2) 日记调查（Diary Survey）：样本消费单元需连续完成两个为期一周的消费记录填报。访谈调查旨在采集大额消费项目、家庭特征及收入相关数据。该调查覆盖的支出项目为受访者可在三个月及以上时长内较为准确回忆起的消费类型。一般而言，此类支出包含大额购置（如房产购置）或定期发生的固定消费（如房租、公用事业费及保险保费）。未覆盖的消费品类包括非处方药、家居用品及个人护理用品。若纳入食品支出的整体估算值，则访谈调查可覆盖约90%至95%的消费者总支出。详细支出文件（Detailed Expenditure Files）源自访谈调查问卷的全部大额消费板块，收录了访谈调查中最为详尽的支出数据。第69至72部分包含第73部分程序所使用的处理文件；第73部分为文档文件（Documentation File），内含示例程序及按起始位置排序的数据文件变量清单。第74、75部分为SAS程序，可计算均值、方差、标准误及变异系数。