Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, Spring 1976

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans, as well as to provide information on retirement plans. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. A series of questions addressed 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. Respondents were asked to give assessments of their financial status relative to the previous year, as well as their opinions of political leaders such as George Wallace, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Ted Kennedy, the freedom to make public speeches against democracy, the most important problems facing the country, racial integration, fuel cost increase, and their satisfaction with their income, health, standard of living, marriage, and their life as a whole. The survey also elicited respondents' feelings about their choice of presidential candidate in 1972, their political party identification, ideological leanings, their income tax filing and refunds, their anticipated age for retiring, retirement income and residence, and their car ownership and plans to buy a new one. Demographic variables include age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, employment status, and family income.