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Summary
Pages 1-14

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From page 1...
... The charge to the Panel on Redesigning the BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys includes reviewing the output of a Gemini-convened Data User Needs Forum and Survey Methods Workshop and convening its own Household Survey Producers Workshop to obtain further input. In addition, the panel was requested to commission options from contractors for consideration in recommending possible redesigns.
From page 2...
... The focus was on large expenditures, such as property, automobiles, and major appliances, as well as regular expenditures, such as rent, utility bills, and insurance premiums. The Diary survey, on the other hand, was designed to obtain expenditures for smaller, frequently purchased items.
From page 3...
... Approximately 7,100 interviews, each of which averages about 60 minutes, are conducted each quarter in the Interview survey, with five interviews for each household. Although most data are collected in household visits, an increasing proportion of the later interviews rely completely or partly upon telephone interviews.
From page 4...
... The panel's Household Survey Producers Workshop (June 2011) was organized around several critical topics, including consumer expenditure surveys in other countries and survey design experiences on other topics and issues.
From page 5...
... For example, the Interview asks for an estimate of the household's weekly expense for grocery shopping and then for portions spent for nongrocery items. In contrast, the Diary asks for a listing of individual food items purchased for home consumption during a specific week of the year.
From page 6...
... Asking respondents to spend more than five hours over the course of a year answering detailed questions about their expenditures is a substantial burden. The field representative, concerned about the respondent's willingness to agree to additional interviews, may be hesitant to press too hard for accurate recall or the use of records.
From page 7...
... Field representatives report the use of records in the interview varies greatly. However, the proportion of respondents who never or only sometimes use records far exceeds the proportion that always or almost always does.
From page 8...
... These interviews result in fewer positive answers to screener questions and do not benefit from an information booklet designed to encourage recall when the field representative visits the household. C  onclusion 5-10: Telephone interviews appear to obtain a lower qual ity of responses than the face-to-face interviews on the CE, but a sub stantial part of the CE data are collected over the telephone.
From page 9...
... Response Rates Have Declined Response rates in 2010 for the Interview survey were 73 percent and for the Diary survey, 72 percent. These rates have declined over time, as have response rates to most household surveys.
From page 10...
... Improved data quality for data users and a reduction in burden for data providers should be very high on its priority list. R  ecommendation 6-2: The panel recommends that BLS implement a major redesign of the CE.
From page 11...
... It col lects the detail of expense items as in Design A while providing a household profile for six months. To do both, it uses a more complex sample design and employs modeling, collecting different information from different households.
From page 12...
... Another key element of the prototypes is the use of incentives to motivate respondents to complete data collection and provide accurate data. The panel recommends an appropriate incentive program be a fundamental part of the future CE program.
From page 13...
... Of particular importance is to facilitate ongoing development of novel survey and statistical methods, to build the capacity for newer model-assisted and model-based estimation strategies required for today's more complex survey designs and nonsampling error problems, and to build better bridges between researchers, operations staff, and experts in other organizations that face similar problems. Facing the demands of the immediate redesign of the CE and use of tablet computers, the panel recommends BLS find additional expertise through outside experts and organizations.
From page 14...
... In summary, the CE performs an extremely important role in helping understand the consumption patterns of American households and more appropriately targeting critical policies and programs. The current CE d ­ esign has been in place for four decades, and change is needed.


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