Attachment U - 2018 Response Rates in the Consumer Expenditure Survey

U .S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics

2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E.

Washington, D.C. 20212

October 9, 2019

MEMORANDUM FOR: DAVID C. SWANSON, Supervisory Mathematical Statistician

Branch of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

Division of Price Statistical Methods

Office of Prices and Living Conditions

FROM: SHARON L. KRIEGER, Mathematical Statistician

Branch of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

Division of Price Statistical Methods

Office of Prices and Living Conditions

SUBJECT: 2018 Response Rates for the Interview and Diary Surveys

The response rate for eligible Consumer Units (CUs) in the 2018 Interview survey was 57.4% as shown below. The table also shows response rates from 2014 thru 2017 as a comparison.

Interview Survey

Collection Year	CUs Designated for the Survey	Type B or C Nonresponses	Total Eligible CUs	Type A Nonresponses	Interviews	Response Rate for Eligible CUs
2014	47,529	8,526	39,003	13,095	25,908	66.4%
2015	44,295	7,603	36,692	13,118	23,574	64.2%
2016	48,253	7,878	40,375	14,934	25,441	63.0%
2017	47,949	7,756	40,193	15,714	24,479	60.9%
2018	48,018	7,652	40,366	17,207	23,159	57.4%

The counts for 2014 are for interviews 2 through 5, which excludes the bounding interviews. The bounding interview was discontinued at the beginning of 2015 so no bounding interviews are in 2015 or later years.¹ Also, there was a sample design change in 2015. The Interview survey counts for 2015 are for the “2010-based” sample design. There were no cases in January 2015 in that sample design, which is the reason the number of CUs designated for the survey dropped from 47,529 in 2014 to 44,295 in 2015.

The response rate for eligible Consumer Units (CUs) in the 2018 Diary survey was 55.0% as shown below. The table also shows response rates from 2014 thru 2017 as a comparison.

Diary Survey

Collection Year	CUs Designated for the Survey	Type B or C Nonresponses	Total Eligible CUs	Type A Nonresponses	Interviews	Response Rate for Eligible CUs
2014	25,606	5,130	20,476	7,170	13,306	65.0%
2015	24,961	4,444	20,517	8,676	11,841	57.7%
2016	24,666	4,275	20,391	8,839	11,552	56.7%
2017	24,696	4,586	20,110	8,452	11,658	58.0%
2018	24,522	4,389	20,133	9,054	11,079	55.0%

Type B or C nonresponses are housing units that are vacant, nonexistent, or ineligible for interview. Type A nonresponses are housing units which the interviewers were unable to contact or the respondents refused to participate in the survey. The response rates stated above are based only on the eligible housing units (i.e., the designated sample less type B and C nonresponses).

OPLC/SMD/Krieger/slk/10092019/A19032

cc: J. Brattland

A. Cobet

B. Creech

S. Curtin

E. Drummer

M. Edwards

L. Erhard

T. Garner

S. Henderson

B. Nix

S. Reyes-Morales

A. Safir

B. Steinberg

1 The bounding interview, which recorded recent major expenditures for comparison with subsequent purchases, was determined to be unnecessary, and was dropped at the beginning of 2015 to save money and reduce respondent burden and collection costs.