U.S. Energy Information Administration Independent Statistics & Analysis www.eia.gov

Consumer Expenditure Interview 

Survey: Data Quality Assessment Pre vs. 

Post COVID-19

For

FCSM Virtual Conference

By

David Biagas, Survey Statistician
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 2

Consumer Expenditure Survey 

• Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEQ) 

– Designed to be an in-person survey

– Personal visit is primary mode of data collection 

• Especially for respondents completing their first wave of the 

survey

• Covid-19 Pandemic

– Halt of in-person data collection

• Goal for today is to examine the effect of the covid-19 

pandemic on key indicators of data quality
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 3

Research Questions

• Did the covid-19 pandemic have a 

detrimental effect on data quality?

– Does the effect of the pandemic differ for:

• wave 1 respondents (who will not be interviewed 

in person)?

• respondents who experienced a mode change 

from the previous wave (i.e., went from personal 

visit to telephone completion)?
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 4

Data and Methods

• July 2019 through June 2020

• 20,572 respondents

• Discontinuous growth curve models

– A form of longitudinal modeling that allows you to examine how trends in an outcome 

change at a point of discontinuity (e.g., the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak during 

March of 2020). 

• Data Quality Indicators:

– Total Expenditures 

– Number of Expenditures

– Total Interview Time 

– Number of Edited Expenditures

– Number of Rounded Expenditures 
5

Table 1. Covariates 

Variable Type

Mode of completion Binary

Mode change Binary

Month Continuous

Covid Binary

Age of reference person Continuous

Age of reference person squared Continuous

Sex of reference person Binary

Race of reference person Categorical

Highest education level of reference person Categorical

Family income Categorical

Family size Categorical

Housing tenure Binary

Region Categorical

Urbanicity Binary

Income imputation Binary

Record use Categorical

Total interview time Continuous

Number of expenditures reported Continuous

Wave Categorical
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 6

Results: Total Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.02*** -0.02*** -0.02***

Covid -0.24*** -0.21** -0.22***

Mode Change -0.07* -0.07 -0.04

Wave2 0.06 0.08 0.07

Wave3 -0.04 -0.00 -0.02

Wave4 -0.03 -0.04 -0.03

Covid*Wave2 - -0.05 -

Covid*Wave3 - -0.09 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.03 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.07
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 7

Results: Total Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.02*** -0.02*** -0.02***

Covid -0.24*** -0.21** -0.22***

Mode Change -0.07* -0.07 -0.04

Wave2 0.06 0.08 0.07

Wave3 -0.04 -0.00 -0.02

Wave4 -0.03 -0.04 -0.03

Covid*Wave2 - -0.05 -

Covid*Wave3 - -0.09 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.03 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.07
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 8

Results: Total Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.02*** -0.02*** -0.02***

Covid -0.24*** -0.21** -0.22***

Mode Change -0.07* -0.07 -0.04

Wave2 0.06 0.08 0.07

Wave3 -0.04 -0.00 -0.02

Wave4 -0.03 -0.04 -0.03

Covid*Wave2 - -0.05 -

Covid*Wave3 - -0.09 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.03 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.07
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 9

Results: Total Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.02*** -0.02*** -0.02***

Covid -0.24*** -0.21** -0.22***

Mode Change -0.07* -0.07 -0.04

Wave2 0.06 0.08 0.07

Wave3 -0.04 -0.00 -0.02

Wave4 -0.03 -0.04 -0.03

Covid*Wave2 - -0.05 -

Covid*Wave3 - -0.09 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.03 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.07
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 10

Results: Number of Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.02 -0.03 -0.00

Covid -2.32*** -1.28* -2.75***

Mode Change 0.02 0.06 0.44

Wave2 0.55** 0.54** 0.58**

Wave3 1.19*** 1.41*** 1.18***

Wave4 -0.22 0.10 -0.25

Covid*Wave2 - -0.46 -

Covid*Wave3 - -1.35* -

Covid*Wave4 - -1.44** -

Covid*Mode Change - - 1.23***
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 11

Results: Number of Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.02 -0.03 -0.00

Covid -2.32*** -1.28* -2.75***

Mode Change 0.02 0.06 0.44

Wave2 0.55** 0.54** 0.58**

Wave3 1.19*** 1.41*** 1.18***

Wave4 -0.22 0.10 -0.25

Covid*Wave2 - -0.46 -

Covid*Wave3 - -1.35* -

Covid*Wave4 - -1.44** -

Covid*Mode Change - - 1.23***
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 12

Results: Number of Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.02 -0.03 -0.00

Covid -2.32*** -1.28* -2.75***

Mode Change 0.02 0.06 0.44

Wave2 0.55** 0.54** 0.58**

Wave3 1.19*** 1.41*** 1.18***

Wave4 -0.22 0.10 -0.25

Covid*Wave2 - -0.46 -

Covid*Wave3 - -1.35* -

Covid*Wave4 - -1.44** -

Covid*Mode Change - - 1.23***
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 13

Results: Number of Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.02 -0.03 -0.00

Covid -2.32*** -1.28* -2.75***

Mode Change 0.02 0.06 0.44

Wave2 0.55** 0.54** 0.58**

Wave3 1.19*** 1.41*** 1.18***

Wave4 -0.22 0.10 -0.25

Covid*Wave2 - -0.46 -

Covid*Wave3 - -1.35* -

Covid*Wave4 - -1.44** -

Covid*Mode Change - - 1.23***
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 14

Results: Number of Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.02 -0.03 -0.00

Covid -2.32*** -1.28* -2.75***

Mode Change 0.02 0.06 0.44

Wave2 0.55** 0.54** 0.58**

Wave3 1.19*** 1.41*** 1.18***

Wave4 -0.22 0.10 -0.25

Covid*Wave2 - -0.46 -

Covid*Wave3 - -1.35* -

Covid*Wave4 - -1.44** -

Covid*Mode Change - - 1.23***
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 15

Results: Total Interview Time

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.00* 0.00* 0.00

Covid 0.04*** 0.00 0.05***

Mode Change -0.07*** -0.07*** -0.05***

Wave2 -0.24*** -0.24*** -0.25***

Wave3 -0.30*** -0.31*** -0.30***

Wave4 -0.17*** -0.18*** -0.17***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.05* -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.05* -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04*
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 16

Results: Total Interview Time

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.00* 0.00* 0.00

Covid 0.04*** 0.00 0.05***

Mode Change -0.07*** -0.07*** -0.05***

Wave2 -0.24*** -0.24*** -0.25***

Wave3 -0.30*** -0.31*** -0.30***

Wave4 -0.17*** -0.18*** -0.17***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.05* -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.05* -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04*
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 17

Results: Total Interview Time

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.00* 0.00* 0.00

Covid 0.04*** 0.00 0.05***

Mode Change -0.07*** -0.07*** -0.05***

Wave2 -0.24*** -0.24*** -0.25***

Wave3 -0.30*** -0.31*** -0.30***

Wave4 -0.17*** -0.18*** -0.17***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.05* -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.05* -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04*
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 18

Results: Total Interview Time

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.00* 0.00* 0.00

Covid 0.04*** 0.00 0.05***

Mode Change -0.07*** -0.07*** -0.05***

Wave2 -0.24*** -0.24*** -0.25***

Wave3 -0.30*** -0.31*** -0.30***

Wave4 -0.17*** -0.18*** -0.17***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.05* -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.05* -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04*
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 19

Results: Total Interview Time

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month 0.00* 0.00* 0.00

Covid 0.04*** 0.00 0.05***

Mode Change -0.07*** -0.07*** -0.05***

Wave2 -0.24*** -0.24*** -0.25***

Wave3 -0.30*** -0.31*** -0.30***

Wave4 -0.17*** -0.18*** -0.17***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.05* -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.05* -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04*
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 20

Results: Edited Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Covid -0.06*** -0.08* -0.05*

Mode Change -0.04** -0.05** -0.03

Wave2 -0.03* -0.04* -0.03*

Wave3 -0.06*** -0.07*** -0.06***

Wave4 -0.09*** -0.09*** -0.09***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.05 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.01 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.01 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 21

Results: Edited Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Covid -0.06*** -0.08* -0.05*

Mode Change -0.04** -0.05** -0.03

Wave2 -0.03* -0.04* -0.03*

Wave3 -0.06*** -0.07*** -0.06***

Wave4 -0.09*** -0.09*** -0.09***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.05 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.01 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.01 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 22

Results: Edited Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Covid -0.06*** -0.08* -0.05*

Mode Change -0.04** -0.05** -0.03

Wave2 -0.03* -0.04* -0.03*

Wave3 -0.06*** -0.07*** -0.06***

Wave4 -0.09*** -0.09*** -0.09***

Covid*Wave2 - 0.05 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.01 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.01 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.04
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 23

Results: Rounded Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Covid -0.02*** -0.03** -0.02***

Mode Change -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Wave2 -0.01 -0.01 -0.01

Wave3 -0.02*** -0.02*** -0.02***

Wave4 -0.03*** -0.03*** -0.03***

Covid*Wave2 - -0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.01 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.01
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 24

Results: Rounded Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Covid -0.02*** -0.03** -0.02***

Mode Change -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Wave2 -0.01 -0.01 -0.01

Wave3 -0.02*** -0.02*** -0.02***

Wave4 -0.03*** -0.03*** -0.03***

Covid*Wave2 - -0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.01 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.01
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 25

Results: Rounded Expenditures

Covariate Baseline Wave Mode Change

Month -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Covid -0.02*** -0.03** -0.02***

Mode Change -0.00 -0.00 -0.00

Wave2 -0.01 -0.01 -0.01

Wave3 -0.02*** -0.02*** -0.02***

Wave4 -0.03*** -0.03*** -0.03***

Covid*Wave2 - -0.00 -

Covid*Wave3 - 0.00 -

Covid*Wave4 - 0.01 -

Covid*Mode Change - - -0.01
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 26

Conclusions

• Examined the effect of covid on several 

indicators of data quality

– Expenditures, number of expenditures, 

interview time and number of rounded and 

edited expenditures

• Effect of covid on data quality varies:

– By outcome in question

– To a lesser extent, by wave and mode change
David Biagas, FCSM Virtual 

Conference 27

Contact Information

David Biagas, PhD

David.Biagas@eia.gov