Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, Fall 1975

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.