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Consumer Expenditure Surveys
Bureau of Labor Statistics > Consumer Expenditure Survey > Methods

Section 1 - Household Characteristics

Section 1 is used to establish membership in the consumer unit and to collect demographic characteristics of members. IMPORTANT: The Census Bureau does not release to the Bureau of Labor Statistics any confidential information such as names and addresses. This information is only used during the course of the interview.

What are the names of all persons living or staying here? Start with the name of the person, or one of the persons, who owns/rents this home/ What is the name of the next person living or staying here? [enter text] ______________

* Enter Last Name[enter text] ______________

* Ask if not apparent

What is your/name’s relationship to you/name of reference person/the owner/renter?

* If this is the Reference Person, Enter 1
(The Reference person is one of the persons who owns or rents this home.)

  1. Reference person
  2. Spouse (Husband/Wife)
  3. Child or adopted child
  4. Grandchild
  5. In-Law
  6. Brother or Sister
  7. Mother or Father
  8. Other related person (Aunt, Uncle, etc.)
  9. Unrelated Person (Lodger, lodger’s spouse, foster child, etc.)
  10. Unmarried partner

* Ask if not apparent

Are you/Is (name) male or female?

  1. Male
  2. Female

* Ask if not apparent

Are you/Is (name) living away at college?

  1. Yes
  2. No

* Ask if not apparent

Do you/Does (name) usually live here?

  1. Yes
  2. No

* Ask if necessary

With whom am I speaking?

  1. [Respondent's name]
  2. For proxy respondent

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So I have listed [# people/person] living or staying here now.
[insert names]
Is there anyone else living or staying here now - any babies, small children, non-relatives, or anyone else?
* Please verify that the information on this screen is correct. You will not be able to alter the list of household members after this screen.

  1. Yes
  2. No

Are there any non-relatives who are household/household members?

  1. Yes
  2. No

You said that (name) was/you were not related to name (reference person).
Are you/Is (name) related to anyone else in this household?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Who are you/is (name) related to?

PROBE: Anyone else? [enter text] ______________

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* Begin financial responsibility questions to determine households.

Do/Does (name(s) of persons in this subfamily) pay for all your/his/her/their housing expenses with your/his/her/their own money?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Do/Does (name(s) of persons in this subfamily) pay for all your/his/her/their food expenses with your/his/her/their own money?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Do/Does (name(s) of persons in this subfamily) pay for all (your/his/her/their) other living expenses such as clothing, transportation, etc., with your/his/her/their own money?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Does all or part of the money to pay for (name(s) of persons in this subfamily) come from someone in this household?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Who is that person(s)?[enter text] ______________

* HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS BROKEN INTO APPROPRIATE HOUSEHOLD’s

TOTAL_HOUSEHOLD have been determined.

  1. Enter 1 to Continue

During this interview, I will refer to the person/people on your list.
(If household has more than one household, read: This is the person or group of related people in this household who are independent of everyone else in the household for payment of their major expenses.)

The person/people I'm including on your list is/are (READ NAME(S))

  1. Enter 1 to Continue

As of today, how old Is/Are You/(name)?[enter value] _____________

* Ask if necessary

Are/Is you/he/she under 16?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Are/Is you/(name) Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Are/Is you/(name) -

For definitions Information Booklet »

* Examples of "other" include - Argentinean, Colombian, Dominican, Nicaraguan,Salvadoran,Spaniard
  1. Mexican?
  2. Mexican-American?
  3. Chicano?
  4. Puerto Rican?
  5. Cuban?
  6. Other?

* Specify: [enter text] _____________

What is Your/(names) race?

For definitions Information Booklet »

* Probe if necessary

* Enter all that apply

* Examples of "Other Pacific Islander" include - Fijian, Tongan

  1. White
  2. Black or African American
  3. American Indian or Alaska Native
  4. Asian
  5. Native Hawaiian
  6. Guamanian or Chamorro
  7. Samoan
  8. Other Pacific Islander
  9. Other Specify
  10. Don't Know

Are/Is you/(name) -

* Examples of “other” include – Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, Cambodian

For definitions Information Booklet »

  1. Chinese?
  2. Filipino?
  3. Japanese?
  4. Korean?
  5. Vietnamese?
  6. Asian Indian?
  7. Other? (Specify)

* Specify: [enter text] _____________

* Specify other race: [enter text] _____________

* Ask if not apparent

Are/Is you/(name) now -

  1. Married?
  2. Widowed?
  3. Divorced?
  4. Separated?
  5. Never married?

What is the highest level of school (name) has/you have completed or the highest degree (name) has/you have received?

For definitions Information Booklet »

  1. No schooling completed, or less than 1 year
  2. Nursery, kindergarten, and elementary (grades 1-8)
  3. High school (grades 9-12, no degree)
  4. High school graduate-high school diploma or the equivalent (GED)
  5. Some college but no degree
  6. Associate’s degree in college
  7. Bachelor’s degree (BA, AB, BS, etc.)
  8. Master’s professional, or doctorate degree (MA, MS, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, etc.)

Are you/Is (name) currently enrolled in a college or university either -

  1. Full-time?
  2. Part-time?
  3. Not at all?

Are you/Is (name) now in the Armed Forces?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Does more than one person in this household regularly contribute to the expense of items such as food, cleaning supplies, or paper products?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Does one person usually make the purchase?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Who? [enter text] _____________

NOTE: Ask the person who usually makes the purchases to record the expenses for the shared items.

Are these living quarters used partly for business or rented to others?

  1. Yes
  2. No

*Ask if not apparent

Is it for business, or rented to others, or both?

  1. Part business
  2. Rented to others
  3. Both business and rented to others

What percent of the expenses is counted as a business expense? [enter value] _____________

NOTE: Ask the person who usually makes the purchases to record the expenses for the shared items.

ASK AT WEEK 1 AND WEEK 2 PICK-UP

Were you/you or any persons on your list away overnight for one day or more last week (during the diary reference period)?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Did anyone else, such as visitors, stay overnight for one day or more last week (during the diary reference period)?

  1. Yes
  2. No

End of Section 1

Go to Section 2 - Consumer Unit Characteristics »

Go to CE Diary Household Characteristics Questionnaire Home Page »

 

Last Modified Date: January 2, 2013