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4 The Panel's Investigation into the Issues with the CE
Pages 47-67

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From page 47...
... All of these have provided valuable information for the Panel on Redesigning the BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys in its current task, and many of the papers presented at them are cited in this report. These events included the National Bureau of Economic Research's Conference on Improving Consumption Measurement (July 2009)
From page 48...
... As described in this chapter, their additional investigation included feedback from CE data users, panel members' reactions when they assumed the role of survey respondents, and a workshop to learn more about other large-scale household surveys. Redesign options developed by two outside groups in response to a Request for Proposal also formed an important part of the panel's investigations, and the chapter concludes with some of the main points and discussions elicited by these two options.
From page 49...
... Instead the national and regional estimates employed by the CE assume independence of households between quarters on the Interview survey, and independence between weeks on the Diary survey. As discussed in the Chapter 2 section "The CE Provides Data Critical in Administering Government Programs," the CE is used by a number of federal agencies to administer portions of their programs.
From page 50...
... PANELISTS' INSIGHT AS SURVEY RESPONDENTS Panel members wanted to gain firsthand insight into the CE from the viewpoint of a respondent, so approximately three-quarters of panel members were interviewed by a Census field representative. Most experienced the Interview survey, one kept the Diary, and several did both.
From page 51...
... The field representatives made a number of comments to panel members about their "typical" respondents and what they considered normal respondent behavior. The panel believes that this entire process brought realism into their discussion of the cognitive issues and potential solutions (Committee on National Statistics Panel on Redesigning the Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2011)
From page 52...
... The new design of Canada's Survey of Household Spending looks similar to the current CE in the United States. It uses a combination of a recall interview and 14-day diary for each selected household, with varying recall periods for different expense items.
From page 53...
... Borg (2011) discussed consumer expenditure surveys in Europe and the European Union's efforts to harmonize survey results.
From page 54...
... A tailored incentive program is designed into the process to encourage early response. Session 3: Designs That Effectively Mix Data from Multiple Surveys and/or External/Administrative Data to Produce Estimates Some of the information collected on the CE may be available in administrative records or collected on other government surveys.
From page 55...
... Session 4: Designs That Effectively Mix Global and Detail Information to Reduce Burden and Measurement Error This session highlighted surveys that, while collecting large quantities of information, do so using design strategies and questionnaire modules that avoid asking every respondent for all details on each contact.
From page 56...
... One result from their experiments on screening questions showed that respondents gave fewer "yes" answers to filters as they learned that such answers led to additional questions. Session 5: Designs That Use "Event History" Methodology to Improve Recall and Reduce Measurement Error in Recall Surveys This session highlighted surveys that utilize "event history" methodology to improve the quality of recalled information.
From page 57...
... This presentation discussed the implementation of "event history" methodology and presented what has been learned so far with the pilot program. Session 6: Diary Surveys That Effectively Utilize Technology to Facilitate Recordkeeping or Recall Newer technology, such as the Web, smart phones, and portable scanners, has opened possibilities for diary surveys.
From page 58...
... Third, while it is quite attractive to consider replacing or supplementing respondent-reported data with data from other sources (administrative records, data from other surveys) to reduce respondent burden and administrative costs, this is not as straightforward an enterprise as it might seem.
From page 59...
... It will be important for a CE redesign to make as much use of these opportunities as feasible, and to start a new forward-thinking mode of research and production that continually assesses the changing technological landscape and prepares as much as possible for changes before they happen. REDESIGN OPTIONS WORKSHOP: DESCRIPTION AND INSIGHTS In order to elicit a broader perspective on possible solutions to the CE's problems, the panel sought formal input from organizations with experience in designing complex data collection methods.
From page 60...
... In this modified charge (see Appendix B) , the panel is asked to view the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE)
From page 61...
... •  wo recall interview surveys, one year apart. Variable recall periods used.
From page 62...
... For the Diary survey, each person age 14 and over in a sampled household would be asked to report expenditure data for 14 days. Having multiple respondents minimizes concerns about proxy reporting.
From page 63...
... Respondents would also be asked to provide consent for collecting their expenditure history data directly from retailers, utilities, and mortgage companies. Respondents would be encouraged to scan receipts and records into the data repository as they receive them, rather than waiting for the field representative's return interview.
From page 64...
... The emphasis on obtaining data from records rather than the respondent's memory is intended to improve data quality and reduce respondent burden. Westat estimated that the proposed diary redesign would cost approximately 60 percent more than the current diary survey.
From page 65...
... would be asked to keep a "mini diary" for that same time period. During an initial personal visit to the selected household, the field representative would collect demographic and socioeconomic data, including asking some global questions related to certain expenditures and annual income.
From page 66...
... 11) During the 30-day diary period, household members would be asked to keep receipts and record expenditures on a real-time basis using one or more of the diary tools provided, with a computer tablet with Internet connection as the primary recording tool.
From page 67...
... The panel's proposed designs were inspired, in different ways, by the Westat proposal's strong focus on encouraging the use of records. Design C, Dividing Tasks Among Multiple Integrated Samples follows the Westat design that encourages respondents to keep receipts and record expenditures throughout the quarter prior to a visit by the field representative.


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