Survey of Consumer Finances, 1952

This data collection is one in a series of financial
surveys of consumers conducted annually since 1946. In a nationally
representative sample, the head of each spending unit (usually the
husband, the main earner, or the owner of the home) was interviewed.
The basic unit of reference in the study was the spending unit, but
some family data are also available. The questions in the 1952 survey
covered the respondent's attitudes toward national economic conditions
and price activity, as well as the respondent's own financial
situation. Other questions examined the spending unit head's
occupation, and the nature and amount of the spending unit's income,
debts, liquid assets, changes in liquid assets, savings, investment
preferences, and actual and expected purchases of cars and other major
durables. The survey also elicited respondent's attitudes about
different methods of using income remaining after expenses were met,
e.g., investing in stocks or putting money in savings. In addition,
the survey explored in detail the subject of housing, e.g., previous
and present home ownership, value of respondent's dwelling, and
mortgage information. The 1952 survey included a separate
questionnaire for farmers that contained differing questions on
sources of income and housing. Personal data include number of people
in the spending unit, age, sex, and education of the head, and the
race and sex of the respondent.