1 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Using Computer Audio Recorded Interviews (CARI) to 

Assess Interviewer Behavior and Response Outcomes in 

the Consumer Expenditure (CE) Interview Survey

Wendy Carlton, Economist

Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

AAPOR Conference

Atlanta, Georgia

May 17, 2024
2 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Overview

Brief Overview of 

the CE

CARI in Analysis Vehicle Services Findings
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Consumer Expenditure Surveys

◼ Interview and Diary Surveys

Collect Spending Data about Consumers in the United States

◼ Consumer Expenditures Interview Survey

Address based national survey, around 5,000 completed per quarter

Respondents represent a Consumer Unit (CU), analogous to household

4 waves per CU, 3-month recall period 

Large purchases and recurring payments

In-person and telephone surveys

https://www.bls.gov/cex/
4 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CARI

◼ Computer Audio Recorded Interviewing (CARI)

 How are interviewers delivering survey questions? 

SCRIPT-READING

• Did the interviewer 

read the item as 

worded?

(Read: relevant time

frame, all response

options, specific key 

words)

VISUAL AID

• Did the interviewer 

reference the 

Information 

Booklet? (A visual 

aid listing all 

response options)

RESEARCH QUESTION

• Do variations in 

these lead to 

differences in 

response outcomes?
5 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Background – Vehicle Services

◼ Vehicle Services Section

Features a “laundry list” style of question: a single question stem (“In 

the last three months, did you pay for any....”) and a select-all group of 

response options

◼ 12 Response options at the time of the CARI study

Some very specific items (ex: oil change, lubrication or oil filter)

Some broader categories (ex: vehicle accessories or customizing)
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Response Options in 

Information Booklet 

(InfoBook)

Since the first of (reference month), have 

you or any members of your household 

had expenses for any of the following:
7 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Interview Sample

Consumer 

Units

Own / Lease 

Automobile

Consented to 

CARI

Interviewer 

Reported 

Infobook Use

Average Vehicle 

Services 

Expenses 

Reported (from 

list of 12)

Jan - March 2023 4,807 90.3% 62.2% 26.2% 1.031

➢ First Interview 1,288 89.9% 64.1% 32.0% 1.064

➢ Interviews 2-4 3,519 90.5% 61.5% 24.1% 1.018
8 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Number of List Items Reported - Full Sample (Jan – Mar, 

2023): Automobile Ownership (n = 4,807)

Average List 

Items per CU

Own / Lease 

Automobile 1.13

No Automobile 

Reported 0.11
9 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Number of List Items Reported - Full Sample (Jan – Mar, 

2023): CARI Consent (n = 4,807)

Average List 

Items per CU

CARI 

Consent 1.09

CARI 

Refusal 0.94
10 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Number of List Items Reported - Full Sample (Jan – Mar, 

2023): InfoBook Available (n = 4,807)

Average List 

Items per CU

InfoBook (Y) 1.13

InfoBook (N) 1.00
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Number of List Items Reported - Full Sample (Jan – Mar, 

2023): Interview Wave (n = 4,807)

Average List 

Items per CU

First 

Interview 

(1,288) 1.06

Interview 2-4 

(3,519) 1.02
12 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CARI-Sampled Data

◼ A subset of CE-Sampled Data: Jan - March, 2023 (N = 488)

Required CARI consent by respondent

Sufficiently complete interview – including targeted survey item

Required sufficient audibility for the survey item in question 

– Microphone turned on (some recordings were silent)

– Audio recording not misaligned with the full Interviewer-Respondent 

Interaction in any way (no truncation / interruption)

– Sufficiently clear / intelligible 

– English
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Key CARI Observations

Consumer Units

Infobook (heard 

on recording)

Verbatim-ish (no 

major change to 

question)

All laundry list 

response options 

verbally 

communicated

Jan - March 2023 488 20.90% 13.10% 18.90%

➢ First interview 170 25.30% 10.60% 14.70%

➢ Interviews 2-4 318 18.60% 14.50% 21.10%
14 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Number of List Items Reported – CARI Sample (Jan – Mar, 

2023): InfoBook Referenced (n = 483)

Average List 

Items per CU

InfoBook (Y) 1.38

InfoBook (N) 1.05
15 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Number of List Items Reported – CARI Sample (Jan – Mar, 

2023): Verbatim-ish / No major change (n = 484)

Average List Items 

per CU

Verbatim-ish 

(Y) 1.41

Verbatim-ish 

(N) 1.07
16 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Number of List Items Reported – CARI Sample (Jan –

Mar, 2023): Interviewer Approach (n = 479)

Interviewer 

Approach

Number 

of Obs

Avg 

Items 

Reported

Verbatimish + 

InfoBook (VB) 7 2.86

Verbatimish, No 

InfoBook (VX) 57 1.23

Major-change + 

InfoBook (XB) 95 1.27

Major-change, No 

InfoBook (XX) 320 1.01
17 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Interviewer Approaches to Laundry List

◼ Abbreviate the lists by 

constructing broader 

categories

◼ Read off the most common / 

presumed most likely 

responses

“...have you had any maintenance or 

repairs on your vehicle? What about 

car washes?”

“ok, any work done on your vehicle, 

oil change, tune-up, battery, tire 

purchase or rotation, alignment. 

Nothing?”

“Did you have any expenses for 

your vehicle? Like an oil 

change? Any car wash?”
18 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Interviewer Approaches to Laundry List

◼ Interviewer assumptions about 

respondent awareness or likely 

expenses?

After “Y” to oil change, “...any 

other expense? Tires or batteries 

or anything?”

“ok, since there aren’t any 

cars, there’s no expense”

Last interview you said you had 

xxxxx, did you have anything like 

that this time?
19 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Summary

◼ CARI Findings: Variance in interviewer approaches to laundry 

list style question

Associations between approach and outcomes

◼ Interviewer challenges to communicate script and cues

Complication of context: acknowledging respondent reports in prior 

interviews or earlier in the survey

◼ Administration Protocols

Favoring approaches that seem to elicit more responses 
20 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Thank you!!

Wendy Carlton

Branch of Research and Program Development

Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

carlton.wendy@bls.gov