Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, Spring 1958

This survey was undertaken to assess consumer sentiment and buying plans, as well as unemployment, travel, long-distance telephone calls, and attitudes toward proposed anti-recession measures. Open-ended questions were asked concerning evaluations and expectations about price changes, employment, recession, and the national business situation. Information was elicited on the number of people then working who had been laid off intermittently in the past year or who were working shorter hours or who had lost their jobs. Questions were also asked about how families whose income had been reduced by unemployment or by shorter hours had managed financially, and what might stimulate business and reduce unemployment. Respondents were also asked about their plans for future travels, travel experiences, and overseas travel preferences, and their reactions to the introduction of jet planes for commercial use. Additional variables probe respondents' telephone usage and the effects of the recession on their use of telephones for long-distance calls. Data are also provided on respondents buying intentions for a house, automobiles, appliances, and other consumer durables, as well as their appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing these items. Demographic variables provide information on age, race, sex, marital status, education, occupation, religion, and family income. A supplementary sample of 122 respondents, consisting of a specially selected Detroit unemployment sample, is available upon request only.