DOI: 10.3886/icpsr04180
title: Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003: Diary Survey
title: Archival Version

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 are asked to maintain expense
 records, or diaries, of all purchases made each day for two
 consecutive one-week periods. 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 (CU) 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 and earnings for each consumer unit member,
 including information on relationship to reference person. The
 Detailed Expenditures (EXPN) files present weekly data on expenditures
 at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level, while Income (DTAB)
files contain data on CU characteristics and income at the UCC level.
description: National probability sample of households designed to
represent the total noninstitutional civilian population.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income, First Quarter
DS2: Member Characteristics and Income, First Quarter
DS3: Detailed Expenditures, First Quarter
DS4: Income File, First Quarter
DS5: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income, Second Quarter
DS6: Member Characteristics and Income, Second Quarter
DS7: Detailed Expenditures, Second Quarter
DS8: Income File, Second Quarter
DS9: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income, Third Quarter
DS10: Member Characteristics and Income, Third Quarter
DS11: Detailed Expenditures, Third Quarter
DS12: Income File, Third Quarter
DS13: Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income, Fourth Quarter
DS14: Member Characteristics and Income, Fourth Quarter
DS15: Detailed Expenditures, Fourth Quarter
DS16: Income File, Fourth Quarter
description: Noninstitutional civilian population of the United
States.
description: face-to-face interview; self-enumerated questionnaire(1) Some changes for FMLY and MEMB data files were
 made. For the details, please see, "Section II. Changes from the 2002
 Microdata Files" in the codebook. (2) The Universal Classification
 Codes, Diary Sample Program, and Integrated Diary and Interview
 Program are provided with the inputs. The output from the Sample
 Program is also available. (3) Integrated Diary and Interview Program
uses both Diary and Interview data.