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COVID-19 Protocol Changes and

Consumer Expenditure Diary Reporting 

in 2020

Brett McBride and Nikki Graf

CE Survey Methods Symposium

July 20, 2021
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Time Periods and Protocol Changes

 Baseline: January – March 18, 2020

Involved usual diary placement, interviewer pickup, and entry procedures (with few exceptions).

 Period 1: March 19 – May 2020

In mid-March the Census Bureau stopped personal visits, and the Census National Processing 

Center closed.

Diary collection involved interviewers calling respondents and transcribing entries into a paper 

diary.

Included phone transcription from completed paper diaries that interviewers could not pick up.

 Period 2: June 2020

Eligible respondents were referred to online diaries, with an alternative of phone transcription.
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Sample of Consumer Units (CUs) by Time Period

Month (2020) Baseline Period 1 Period 2

January 614 -- --

February 594 -- --

March 60 399 --

April -- 334 --

May -- 341 --

June -- -- 318

TOTAL 1,268 1,074 318

CUs with at least one week with a complete disposition
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Count of Diaries

Time Period Diaries With Entries No Entries

Baseline 2,496 2,402 94

Period 1 2,097 2,037 60

Period 2 628 600 28

Telephone 424 401 23

Online 204 199 5
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Responding Sample Composition – Demographics

 Compared across:

Baseline vs. Periods 1 and 2

Within Period 2 – Online Diaries vs. Telephone Transcription

 Demographic characteristics

Race, Hispanic origin, Gender, Age, and Education of Reference Person

Housing tenure

CU size
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Housing Tenure

65

34

72

28

74

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Owner Renter

Percent of CUs

Baseline (n=1,237) Period 1 (n=1,065) Period 2 (n=315)
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Education of Reference Person

8

20

32

41

6

19

30

45

8

17

29

46

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Less than high school High school graduate Some college Bachelor's+

Percent of CUs

Baseline (n=1,237) Period 1 (n=1,065) Period 2 (n=315)
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Age of Reference Person

4

15

25

28 27

2

12

25

29

32

1

11

26

33

29

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Ages 18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 65 and older

Percent of CUs

Baseline (n=1,237) Period 1 (n=1,065) Period 2 (n=315)
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Race/Ethnicity of Reference Person

81

10 10

14

82

9 9 10

85

7 8

10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

White Black Other (incl. Asian, multi,

other)

Hispanic

Percent of CUs

Baseline (n=1,237) Period 1 (n=1,065) Period 2 (n=315)
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Within Period 2:

Education of Reference Person – by Mode

1

14

26

59

11

19

30

40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Less than high school High school graduate Some college Bachelor's+

Percent of CUs

Online (n=102) Telephone (n=213)
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Within Period 2:

Age of Reference Person – by Mode

2

14

35

27

22

1

10

21

35

33

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Ages 18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 65 and older

Percent of CUs

Online (n=102) Telephone (n=213)
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Within Period 2:

CU Size – by Mode

22

51

27

31

52

17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1 person 2-3 persons 4+ persons

Percent of CUs

Online (n=102) Telephone (n=213)
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Impact on Diary Reporting
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Impact on Diary Reporting

 Data Quality

Expenditure counts

Itemization

Recall

Drop Off

Item Non-Response

 Mode Differences

 Next Steps
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Counts

 Excluded blank diaries

 Decline over time in weekly entries

 Baseline to Period 1 

21% decline in total entries

Large share of decline from fewer entries 

in CLO, MLS (59%)

FDB entries declined (13%)

 Period 1 to Period 2

19% decline in total entries

Larger reduction in FDB (26%)

Change in Average Weekly Diary Entries 

FDB, 19.6

FDB, 17.1

FDB, 12.7

MLS, 4.1

MLS, 1.7

MLS, 1.9

CLO, 0.9

CLO, 0.4

CLO, 0.5

OTH, 8.5

OTH, 6.9

OTH, 6

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Baseline (N=2,402) Period 1 (N=2,037) Period 2 (N=600)

Weekly Entries

FDB MLS CLO OTH

12.8% 

reduction

25.7% 

reduction
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Itemization

 Examined FDB section

 Found that not all entries were itemized, despite instructions

 Increasing prevalence of item descriptions containing ‘groceries’

 ‘Groceries’ entries associated with large and increasing expenditure amounts

Diaries Diaries containing 

‘Groceries’ description

Median ‘groceries’ 

expenditure

Baseline 2,402 6% $53.51

Period 1 2,037 11.2% $71.49

Period 2 600 12.5% $79.06
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Recall

FRs asked to indicate at diary pickup... 

Were there any entries added (ANYENTR), 

Were there any expenditures added through recall (ANYRECAL)

Total Recall = Diaries reported to have no entries but recall 

Partial Recall = Diaries reported to have entries and recall

No Recall = Diaries with or without* entries and no recall 

*CU temporarily absent, legitimate blank diaries
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Recall

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Total recall Partial recall No recall Missing

Percent of Diaries

Baseline (N=2,496) Period 1 (N=2,097) Period 2 (N=628)
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Drop Off

Respondent participation in the diary-keeping task noted to decline over 

time

Measure: averaged percent of each CU’s two-week entries in week one

Calculated for CUs with 1+ entry (CU = x1+2 > 0)

CUs Week 1 mean 

entries

Week 2 mean 

entries

Mean entries Mean CU 

Drop Off*

Baseline 1,165 35.3 31.8 67.1 53.0%

Period 1 972 28.0 25.5 53.6 52.4%

Period 2 285 22.7 20.4 43.1 53.6%

*Difference by period not significant
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Item Non-Response

 Examined missing data for non-blank 

diaries

 Excludes meals section for item 

description analysis

 Rates significantly increased from 

Baseline to Period 1

 Introduction of online diary in Period 2: 

-> lower missing for cost, but 

-> higher missing for item description

Item Non-Response in Cost and Item Description Fields

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

Cost % Description %

Percent of Entries

Baseline Period 1 Period 2
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Mode Differences – Period 2

 Phone transcription most frequently used (68% of CUs)

 Difference in weekly entries supplied by mode (excluding blank diaries)

 Although difference significant, online CUs had larger CU sizes, higher education levels

 Phone transcription diaries adhered more closely to instructions for itemizing

N (diaries) Mean Median

Phone 401 19.5 14

Online 199 24.3 17

Diaries Diaries containing un-itemized 

‘Groceries’ description

Phone 401 10.7%

Online 199 16.1%
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Mode Differences – Period 2

 Phone collection associated with an increased collection of expenditures via recall

25.5% of (phone) CUs with recall, only 10.3% with recall for online CUs 

 One area with improved reporting observed among online CUs, item non-response

Entries Entries with missing cost value

Phone 7,816 1.6%

Online 4,828 0.2%
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Summary

 Analysis found COVID-19 impacts on CED participant composition, reporting behavior

 Decline in entries of concern, likely a mix of factors: 

Shifts in spending due to COVID-19

Declines in reporting quality

Food expenses not itemized correctly

 Moderating extents of recall and item non-response in certain fields had patterns 

suggesting FRs may have adjusted to new procedures over time

 Caveats: small sample size for Period 2 data, unable to control for demographics

 Little evidence online diaries exacerbated entry declines, despite some problems 

noted with lack of itemizing 
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Next Steps

 A subsequent report will 

further examine the introduction of online diaries (completion, recall, receipt provision) 

rates of non-itemization of food section entries,

incorporate controls on CU demographic characteristics, and

continue analysis for the remaining months of 2020
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Contact Information

Brett McBride

Branch of Research and Program 

Development

(202) 691-5136

Mcbride.brett@bls.gov