The Consumer Expenditure Survey is a federal survey that collects 

information on the buying habits of U.S. consumers. One respondent 

reports the expenditures of everyone in their household.

Proxy respondents cannot report information they do not have and 

recall is often flawed even when the respondent is knowledgeable.

Book & Edgar (2012) explored a protocol to reduce the impact of the 

recall problem. The study findings suggest the protocol was effective 

but required skilled probing.

Background

Test feasibility of improving proxy reporting by using scripted questions 

and probes that do not require a high degree of interviewer skill.

Study Goal

Helpfulness:

Participants who did not report 

additional expenditures still found 

the questions helpful. The questions 

may have cued expenditures before 

the additional, directed probing. 

Probes:

Scripted probes did not elicit additional expenditures as expected. 

Adding customization to the probes improved reporting.

Results

Results (continued)

Added expenditures:

Questions and probes about hobbies had the most impact, with four 

people reporting additional expenditures after that probe.

References

Book, T. & Edgar, J. (2012). Proxy reporting lab study report. Bureau of Labor Statistics internal report. 

Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cate-Schaeffer, N. (2010). Issues in proxy reporting in the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Paper presented at 

CE Methods Workshop. Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Kojetin, B. & Jerstad, S. (1997). The quality of proxy reports on the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Bureau of 

Labor Statistics internal report. Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Reiser, B. J., Black, J. B., & Abelson, R. P. (1985). Knowledge structures in the organization and retrieval of 

autobiographical memories. Cognitive Psychology, 17, 89-137.

Erica C. Yu

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Survey Methods Research

Asking Questions About Others to Improve Proxy Reporting

Erica C. Yu

Office of Survey Methods Research

Yu.Erica@BLS.gov

Design

The interview was administered using the production CAPI instrument 

on a laptop, by one interviewer for all participants. Between taking 

the household roster and beginning the survey, the interviewer asked 

about these questions regarding others in the household:

• Are there some types of things that [Johnny] spends money on that 

you don’t?

• Thinking about the last three months since February 1st, has 

[Johnny or Sam] taken any vacations or trips without you?

• Thinking about the last three months since February 1st, has 

[Johnny or Sam] made any changes to their normal day-to-day 

routine that might have changed what they did or did not spend 

money on?

• Thinking about the last three months since May 1st, has [Johnny or 

Sam] bought anything unusual or out of the ordinary?

• Does [Johnny or Sam] have any hobbies or activities that they like 

to spend time on?

During the relevant survey sections, the interviewer prompted the 

participant to remember the expenses indicated by their answers to 

the questions about others in their household using scripted probes. At 

the end of the interview, the interviewer asked debriefing questions.

You mentioned that your wife 

bought some school books; has 

she done that in the past three 

months?

You mentioned that your wife 

made a change to her day-to-day 

routine. Are there any other 

expenses that you want to add 

related to that?

You mentioned that your wife 

started school. Did she have any 

school-related expenses that we 

haven’t talked about yet?

10 of 18

participants

added reports

0 of 11

participants

added reports

5 of 14

participants

added reports

Book & Edgar 

(2012)

Unscripted 

Probes

Round 1

Generic 

Scripted 

Probes

Round 2 

Customized 

Scripted

Probes

n

1 Not at all helpful 0

2 0

3 4

4 5

5 Very helpful 15

Self

n

Others 

n

1 Not at all sensitive 8 5

2 6 2

3 6 8

4 4 6

5 Very sensitive 1 4

Sensitivity: 

The difference between self and 

other ratings suggests that the 

answers are sensitive -- participants 

may have offered no sensitive 

answers but could imagine others 

revealing personal information.

Length: 

The median length of questions protocol was 2 min 40 sec. The 

maximum length was 7 min 6 sec.

n $

Hobbies 4 $528

Changes to day-to-day routine 1 $30

Types of things others spend money 1 $30

Vacations or trips without the participant 0

Unusual or out-of-the-ordinary purchases 0

Survey designers should weigh the benefits of these protocols against 

the cost of the additional time needed to ask the questions. 

Questions can be asked before the survey and should...

• Prompt the respondent to think about others: the process of 

thinking about the questions alone may improve recall

• Be broad and universal: respondents will supply the detail needed

• Focus on behaviors: actions may be easiest to remember

• Ask about relevant others only: asking irrelevant questions is 

awkward and does not provide useful information (e.g. small child)

Probes can be used during the survey and should...

• Be customized: give respondents detail to trigger memory

Usefulness: 

Half of participants thought they 

would have remembered others’ 

expenses even without the protocol 

questions and probes

n

Would have remembered 12

Would not have remembered 12

Recommendations

• n = 25 participants from the Washington, DC area

• Screening criteria: household size of at least two people and having 

made recent purchases in relevant CE expenditure categories

Participants