Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002: Interview Survey and Detailed Expenditure Files

The ongoing Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) provides acontinuous flow of information on the buying habits of Americanconsumers and also furnishes data to support periodic revisions ofthe Consumer Price Index. The survey consists of two separatecomponents: (1) a quarterly Interview Survey in which each consumerunit in the sample is interviewed every three months over a 15-monthperiod, and (2) a Diary Survey completed by the sample consumer unitsfor two consecutive one-week periods. The Interview Survey wasdesigned to collect data on major items of expense, householdcharacteristics, and income. The expenditures covered by the surveyare those that respondents can recall fairly accurately for threemonths or longer. In general, these expenditures include relativelylarge purchases, such as those for property, or expenditures thatoccur on a fairly regular basis, such as rent, utilities, orinsurance premiums. Excluded are nonprescription drugs, householdsupplies, and personal care items. Including global estimates onspending for food, it is estimated that about 90 to 95 percent ofexpenditures are covered in the Interview Survey. The DetailedExpenditure Files were created from all the major expendituresections of the Interview Survey questionnaires and contain the mostdetailed expenditure data from the Interview Survey. Parts 71-75contain processing files used by the Interview Survey Sample Program(Part 70).