Redesigning the Consumer Expenditure 

Survey: Usability and Data Quality

Sid J. Schneider

Abie Reifer

Westat

Nhien To

Jeanette Davis

Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Consumer Expenditure Survey

Provides information about the spending patterns 

of different types of households

Provides the basis for revising the expenditure 

weights for the Consumer Price Index
History

1880-1891: First expenditure surveys

Done sporadically until early 1940s, then about 

every 10 years

1980: Continuous Consumer Expenditure Survey 

began
The Consumer Expenditure Survey

Designed to represent the US civilian noninstitutionalized population

Collects data from Consumer Units – people living 

at one address who share living expenses
Data collection

Census Bureau collects data for the BLS using two 

different surveys with separate samples

Interview survey: Five quarterly interviews

Diary survey: Two weekly diaries

Respondents in both surveys are asked to report 

ALL of their spending

Business expenses are excluded 
Potential measurement error

Data quality depends upon

 Accuracy of respondents’ recall

 Any documentation respondents keep 
Respondents report ALL expenditures

All expenses

 Purchases by check, PayPal, credit or debit card

 Automatic fund transfers

 Cash purchases with or without receipts

 Purchases by money order, cashier’s check, food stamps, 

WIC vouchers, gift or rebate cards

 Recurrent expenses or unusual expenses

 Purchases of items labeled with barcodes

 Online purchases

 Returns and exchanges
Technology to minimize measurement error

Opportunity to improve data quality

Financial software packages

 Help users adhere to a budget

Smart phones

 Have thousands of apps

Receipt scanners

 Expense tracking

Email and texting
Financial software packages

Data downloads from financial institutions

 Banks and other financial institutions

 PayPal, investment accounts

Expense splitting

Categorization
Financial software packages and the 

Consumer Expenditure Survey

Data downloads from financial institutions

 Amount, date, sometimes payee

Expense splitting

 Divide overall purchase into individual items

Categorization

 Categorize as required by survey
Smart phones 

Microphone

Camera

Barcode scanning

On-screen questionnaire
Smart phones and the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey

Microphone

 Respondents can record messages about their purchases

Camera

 Respondents can photograph place of purchase, items 

purchased, as memory aid

Barcode scanner

 Respondents can record identity of certain items

On-screen questionnaire

 Data about purchases
Receipt scanners

OCR to turn receipt image into text

Current applications extract total of the receipt

Do not capture individual purchases constituting the total
Receipt scanners and the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey

May be possible to extract all purchases from 

receipt

 Software would have to be developed
Email and texting

Respondent messages noting an expenditure, as 

memory aid

Confirmation web pages or emails for online 

purchases
Followup CASI

Central repository would receive 

 Data files downloaded from financial institutions

 Barcodes

 Audio, photo files

 Receipt image files

 Purchase confirmation emails, web pages

 Email, texts

CASI

 Respondents provide needed data for each expenditure
Usability issues

• Is paper less burdensome?

• Will respondents remember to note purchases?

• Can respondents use technology reliably in actual 

conditions?

• How will respondents choose technology or paper?

• What instructions should respondents receive about 

choosing and using a technology?

• How can respondents best be helped if they 

encounter problems?
Demographic issues

Potential demographic bias

 Unbanked respondents

 People uncomfortable with technology 
Current developments

Gemini Project

National Academy of Sciences

Expert panel

Planning and testing

“Test early and often”
Thank you

sidschneider@westat.com