DOI: 10.3886/icpsr06318.v1
title: Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1992: Diary Survey
title: Version 1

description: The ongoing Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) provides a
continuous flow of information on the buying habits of American
consumers and also furnishes data to support periodic revisions of the
Consumer Price Index. The survey consists of two separate components:
(1) a quarterly Interview Survey in which each consumer unit in the
sample is interviewed every three months over a 15-month period, and
(2) a Diary Survey completed by the sample consumer units for two
consecutive one-week periods. The Diary Survey contains consumer
information on small, frequently purchased items such as food,
beverages, food consumed away from home, gasoline, housekeeping
supplies, nonprescription drugs and medical supplies, and personal care
products and services. Participants were asked to maintain expense
records, or diaries, of all purchases made each day for two consecutive
one-week periods. Information was also elicited at the end of the
two-week period on work experience, occupation, industry, retirement
status, earnings from wages and salaries, net income from business or
profession, net income from one's own farm, and income from other
sources. The Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income (FMLY) files
supply information on consumer unit characteristics, consumer unit
income, and characteristics and earnings of the reference person and
his or her spouse. A consumer unit consists of all members of a
particular housing unit who are related by blood, marriage, adoption,
or some other legal arrangement. Consumer unit determination for
unrelated persons is based on financial independence. Member
Characteristics (MEMB) files contain selected characteristics for each
consumer unit member, including reference person and spouse. The
Detailed Expenditures (EXPN) files present weekly data on expenditures
at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level, while the Income
(DTAB) files contain weekly data on income at the UCC level. An
additional file, Part 20, includes sample programs that can be used for
various types of data extraction.
description: This survey is based on a national probability sample of 
 households. The sampling frame (i.e., the list from which housing units 
 were chosen) for this survey was generated from the 1980 Census 
 100-percent detail file. Each selected sample unit is requested to keep 
 two one-week diaries of expenditures over consecutive weeks. The 
 earliest possible day for placing a diary with a household is 
 predesignated so that each day of the week has an equal chance to start 
 the reference week and the diaries are evenly spaced throughout the 
 year. During the last six weeks of the year, the diary sample is 
 supplemented to twice its normal size to increase the reportings of 
types of expenditures unique to the holiday season.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: 1992 First Quarter: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income
DS2: 1992 First Quarter: Member Characteristics
DS3: 1992 First Quarter: Detailed Expenditures
DS4: 1992 First Quarter: Income
DS5: 1992 Second Quarter: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income
DS6: 1992 Second Quarter: Member Characteristics
DS7: 1992 Second Quarter: Detailed Expenditures
DS8: 1992 Second Quarter: Income
DS9: 1992 Third Quarter: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income
DS10: 1992 Third Quarter: Member Characteristics
DS11: 1992 Third Quarter: Detailed Expenditures
DS12: 1992 Third Quarter: Income
DS13: 1992 Fourth Quarter: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income
DS14: 1992 Fourth Quarter: Member Characteristics
DS15: 1992 Fourth Quarter: Detailed Expenditures
DS16: 1992 Fourth Quarter: Income
DS17: 1992 Publication Aggregation
DS18: 1992 Publication Labels
DS19: 1992 Universal Classification Codes and Titles
description: Civilian noninstitutional population of the United States.
description: Explanatory text for the sample program is available in
the codebook.