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

Evaluating Diary Collection Mode Changes 

in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Brett McBride and Nikki Graf

Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology

2021 Research and Policy Conference 

Session E-5

November 3, 2021
2 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Consumer Expenditure Surveys

Surveys produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collecting 

detailed expenditure information for a national sample of households

Diary Survey

2 one-week self-administered (paper) diaries

Collect daily, small and easily forgotten expenses

Approximately 17,800 sampled households per year, 53 percent response 

rate (2019) 
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Time Periods and Protocol Changes

 Baseline: January – March 18, 2020

Involved usual procedures

 Period 1: March 19 – May 2020

Census stopped personal visits and the Census National Processing Center closed

Diary completion: FRs called respondents, transcribed entries into a paper diary

 Period 2: June 2020

Online diaries with an alternative of phone transcription

 Period 3 (this talk): July – December 2020

Diary completion: online diary, telephone transcription, or ‘traditional’ personal visits 
4 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Data Analyzed

Consumer Units (CUs) with complete diaries from July to 

December, 2020

Excluded: diaries with no entries (no reported expenditures), 

diaries from CUs temporarily away from home during the 

reporting period

Final analysis dataset: 5,205 diaries (2,706 CUs)
5 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Analysis Outline

Distribution of CU Demographics by Mode 

Diary Entries by Mode of Diary Completion

Diarist Adherence to Itemization Instructions

Diary Entries by whether Data Editing (Allocation) Occurred

Regression of Diary Entries on Mode and Controls
6 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Race/Ethnicity of Reference Person

80

12

8

14

79

11 10

14

81

6

13

7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

White Black Other (incl. Asian, multi,

other)

Hispanic

Percent of CUs

Traditional (n=853) Phone (n=1,153) Online (n=700)
7 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Age of Reference Person

4

12

23

30 31

3

12

21

27

37

3

19

29

27

22

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Under 25 25-34 35-49 50-64 65 and older

Percent of CUs

Traditional (n=853) Phone (n=1,153) Online (n=700)
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Education of Reference Person

11

24

28

38

9

23

30

39

2

10

27

62

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

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

Percent of CUs

Traditional (n=853) Phone (n=1,153) Online (n=700)
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CU Size

29

50

21

36

49

16

26

52

22

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1 person 2-3 persons 4+ persons

Percent of CUs

Traditional (n=853) Phone (n=1,153) Online (n=700)
10 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CU Income by Mode

Mode N (CUs)

Mean income 

before tax

Median income 

before tax

Traditional 853 $77,905 $54,695

Phone transcription 1,153 $77,477 $53,164

Online 700 $114,136 $90,800
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Diary Data Collection Modes, Entries During Pandemic

31.7%

42.5%

25.8%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Mean Entries (Non-Blank Diaries)

Mode Share and Mean Entries

Traditional (n=1,649) Phone (N=2,212) Online (n=1,344)

Note: size of the ball indicates mode share of total diaries, height represents mean entries in that mode
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Diary Grocery Reporting Instructions

 Respondents are instructed to itemize: report each individual food item purchased
13 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Adherence to Instructions Varied by Mode

Number (diaries) Percent

Itemized entries 3,218 72.6%

1+ non-itemized 1,214 27.4%

Total 4,432 100.0%

 Overall compliance was good  Less compliance with itemization in online diaries

84.6%

76.0%

53.6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Traditional

(n=1,443)

Phone

transcription

(n=1,768)

Online (n=1,221)

Percent of Diaries with All Entries 

Itemized
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Diaries without Allocation

Presence of Allocation Number (diaries)

Average number of entries 

(before allocation)

Median number of entries 

(before allocation)

No allocation carried out 1,107 11.4 7

Allocation carried out 4,098 28.2 21

 Lack of itemization results in need for allocation (i.e., specific items determined using 

established patterns of itemized reporting)

 Yet allocation happened in most diaries in this period (79%)

 Unexpectedly, those with allocation had a larger number of entries (before allocation)
15 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Predictors of Number of Diary Entries (1 of 2) 

Parameter Coefficient SE

Intercept 34.80 (1.750)*

Phone (v. Traditional) -7.97 (1.364)*

Online (v. Traditional) -11.11 (1.371)*

Involved Recall of Expenses -5.08 (1.269)*

No Allocation -13.75 (0.830)*

Ref. person HS or less (v. Col grad) -7.12 (1.185)*

Ref. person some college (v. Col grad) -4.64 (1.017)*

2 or 3 CU members (v. 1 member) 6.68 (1.019)*

4 or more CU members (v. 1 member) 14.52 (1.585)*

R

2 = 0.20, n=5,205 diary weeks

* P < 0.05
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Predictors of Number of Diary Entries (1 of 2) 

Parameter Coefficient SE

Intercept 34.80 (1.750)*

Phone (v. Traditional) -7.97 (1.364)*

Online (v. Traditional) -11.11 (1.371)*

Involved Recall of Expenses -5.08 (1.269)*

No Allocation -13.75 (0.830)*

Ref. person HS or less (v. Col grad) -7.12 (1.185)*

Ref. person some college (v. Col grad) -4.64 (1.017)*

2 or 3 CU members (v. 1 member) 6.68 (1.019)*

4 or more CU members (v. 1 member) 14.52 (1.585)*

R

2 = 0.20, n=5,205 diary weeks

* P < 0.05
17 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Predictors of Number of Diary Entries (1 of 2) 

Parameter Coefficient SE

Intercept 34.80 (1.750)*

Phone (v. Traditional) -7.97 (1.364)*

Online (v. Traditional) -11.11 (1.371)*

Involved Recall of Expenses -5.08 (1.269)*

No Allocation -13.75 (0.830)*

Ref. person HS or less (v. Col grad) -7.12 (1.185)*

Ref. person some college (v. Col grad) -4.64 (1.017)*

2 or 3 CU members (v. 1 member) 6.68 (1.019)*

4 or more CU members (v. 1 member) 14.52 (1.585)*

R

2 = 0.20, n=5,205 diary weeks

* P < 0.05
18 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Predictors of Number of Diary Entries (1 of 2) 

Parameter Coefficient SE

Intercept 34.80 (1.750)*

Phone (v. Traditional) -7.97 (1.364)*

Online (v. Traditional) -11.11 (1.371)*

Involved Recall of Expenses -5.08 (1.269)*

No Allocation -13.75 (0.830)*

Ref. person HS or less (v. Col grad) -7.12 (1.185)*

Ref. person some college (v. Col grad) -4.64 (1.017)*

2 or 3 CU members (v. 1 member) 6.68 (1.019)*

4 or more CU members (v. 1 member) 14.52 (1.585)*

R

2 = 0.20, n=5,205 diary weeks

* P < 0.05
19 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Predictors of Number of Diary Entries (2 of 2)

Parameter Coefficient SE

Ref. person aged 18-34 (v. 65+) -3.60 (1.113)*

Ref. person aged 35-49 (v. 65+) -0.58 (1.118)

Ref. person aged 50-64 (v. 65+) 1.25 (0.915)

Ref. person Black (v. White) -4.92 (1.821)*

Ref. person Other (v. White) -5.25 (1.241)*

CU in Northeast (v. West) -2.11 (1.418)

CU in Midwest (v. West) -0.72 (2.049)

CU in South (v. West) -3.27 (1.504)*

R

2 = 0.20, n=5,205 diary weeks

* P < 0.05
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Summary

Fewer entries when interviews conducted in non-traditional manner 

(phone, online)

Weaker adherence with diary-keeping instructions in new modes 

Allocation (needed if the entry is vague) associated with more entries

Education, CU size, race, geography all factors in diary entries

Return to baseline/average entries?
21 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Brett McBride & Nikki Graf

mcbride.brett@bls.gov, 

graf.nikki@bls.gov

Contact Information