Attachment Y(a)

ATTACHMENT Y: SELF-ADMINISTERED DIARY TEST
I.

STUDY OVERVIEW

1. BACKGROUND
The Consumer Expenditure (CE) Diary Survey at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is
currently fielded by using an in-person interview to place two copies of a one-week paper
diary instrument that the respondent records expenditures in for two consecutive weeks.
Interviewers place the diaries and train respondents on how to record the household’s daily
expenditures. The interviewers also contact the respondents during the week to encourage the
diary keeping task. In October 2019, the CE began a test of an online diary with the
expectation of implementing the online diary into production using the same in-person
placement protocols as described above.
In-person interviews historically have higher response rates than other modes of data
collection and depending on content can offer higher quality data. However, the main
drawback to in-person interviewing is the higher cost compared to other modes of data
collection.
Because the CE diary is already primarily self-reported, it lends itself to moving away from
an in-person placement to being fully self-administered. This could lead to cost savings in the
future; however, switching to a fully self-administered mode is not without risk. First, the
response rates in self-administered modes tend to be lower than in-person modes. Also,
there’s uncertainty surrounding the impact on quality of a fully self-administered diary
without the aid of in-person training on diary-keeping procedures.
2. OBJECTIVES
In order to explore the impact of a fully self-administered mode of the diary, we plan to field
a test in an online probability panel. A further benefit of testing a self-administered diary in
an online probability panel (with recruitment from an address-based sample with known
probabilities) is to establish a platform that could allow for future experiments. These

experiments could be more quickly designed and tested in an online panel with results
feeding faster into production.
We expect results from an online probability panel will not be fully comparable to a
traditional address-based sample design; however, they will provide insight on some of the
sampling and measurement error that might result from a fully self-administered mode as
well as any differences between an online probability panel and a traditional address-based
design. This will allow a baseline for comparison for any future experiments we may conduct
in an online panel, and the findings will help inform future decisions related to the survey.
The self-administered diary test will be fielded from October 2021 to December 2021. The
target number of completed Online Diary Surveys is 2,000, which will require a starting
sample size of 4,102 panel members.
Objectives for Self-Administered Diary Test:
1. Test the feasibility of administering a two-week online diary to a probability panel
sample without the aid of an interviewer to assist in gaining cooperation and training the
respondent on how to record expenditures.
2. Evaluate the response and cooperation rates for keeping a fully self-reported online diary,
within the context of a probability based online panel.
3. Compare the sample composition of those that complete an online diary to that of the
BLS CE diary production sample to determine the differences in representativeness for
various population subgroups.
4. Identify any deviations in data quality from a self-administered online diary compared to
CE diary production data.
5. Establish a platform to allow for future experimentation in the online diary.
II.

STUDY DESIGN

1. FIELDING PERIOD
The self-administered diary test will be fielded from October 2021 to December 2021. The
target number of completed Online Diary Surveys is 2,000, which will require a starting
sample size of 4,102 panel members.

2. RESPONDENTS
The BLS-approved contractor (Ipsos) will use a national online panel that is representative of
the U.S. adult population with recruitment to the panel via address-based sampling.
KnowledgePanel® (KP) includes about 60,000 US residents (age 18 and older) representing
247,431,811 adults (age 18 and older) in the overall universe. The contractor will recruit a
nationally representative sample of adults (age 18 and older) from KP to achieve a minimum
of 2,000 completed Spending Diaries. To participate in the Spending Diary, respondents must
first participate in the Household Characteristics Survey and agree to participate in the diary
component of the study. The contractor will select a sample of approximately 4,102 panel
members to achieve a minimum survey cooperation rate of 65 percent for the Household
Characteristics Survey, followed by a 75 percent survey cooperation rate for the diaries.
3. METHODOLOGY
Recruitment and incentives
To maximize the survey cooperation rate respondents will receive an advance notification email, an
invitation email, and up to three email reminders for the Household Characteristics Survey. The
advanced notification email for the Household Characteristics Survey will notify respondents of the
pending study, provide a basic description of the study purpose, and inform them that they should
expect an invitation email in the near future. The advance notification email will be sent three days
prior to the invitation email. The invitation email will serve as the official invitation to the
Household Characteristics Survey. The invitation email will inform panel members of the basic
study purpose and provide a link to the survey. Subsequent email reminders will encourage nonresponding panel members to participate in the study, reiterate the basic study purpose, and provide
them with a link to the survey. The reminder emails will be sent on the fourth, eighth, and twelfth
days of the field period. The public burden statement and confidentiality assurances will be provided
at the start of the Household Characteristics Survey.

The day after completing the Household Characteristics Survey, the respondents will receive an
invitation email that will serve as the official invitation to the Online Diary. The invitation email
will inform panel members of the basic study purpose, define full study participation, provide brief
reporting instructions, notify them of the $50 cash equivalent incentive, and provide a link to the
Online Diary. Subsequent email reminders will contain custom text with slightly altered wording
encouraging all panel members to continue participating in the study, reiterate the basic study
purpose, define full study participation, provide brief reporting instructions, notify them of the $50
cash equivalent incentive, and provide a link to the Online Diary. The final reminder will explicitly
indicate to panel members that their two-week Online Diary period is over, while encouraging them
to report information for all days within this time period and providing them with the information
found within the previous reminders.
Respondents will be sent invitation emails at the start of their diary date, followed by four custom
reminders to all panel members participating in the diary on the fourth, eighth, eleventh, and
fifteenth days of the diary field period to maximize reporting compliance.
As part of the Self-Administered Diary test, respondents will receive survey points redeemable for
cash, merchandise, gift cards, or game entries worth the equivalent of $2 cash for completing the
Household Characteristics Survey and survey points redeemable for cash, merchandise, gift cards, or
game entries worth the equivalent of $50 cash for entering at least one expense in each of the two
one-week diaries or marking a checkbox indicating they had no expenses during the week.
Diary keeping procedures
The respondent will keep the diary recording expenditures for all household members
beginning the day they receive the diary invitation email. The first time the respondent accesses
the Online Diary, they will view an introduction screen that will include brief instructions for
the Online Diary, links to the user guide, and links to the video tutorials. When the respondent
accesses the survey subsequently through the KP platform, they will be taken directly to the
Online Diary.
The contractor will provide panel members with a toll-free National 800 number and e-mail
address to assist respondents with technical issues and questions about survey concepts (e.g.,
what level of detail to include in reporting, where to report items) during data collection.

Respondents will be able to contact the help desk by phone or email during business hours
and on Saturdays. The help desk will keep a record of respondent contact and reasons for
contact.
3. INSTRUMENT CHANGES
The self-administered Household Characteristics Survey will differ from the CED CAPI
instrument in that housing characteristics questions that are based on the observation of the
sample unit by the FR will be simplified and converted to self-administered respondent
questions; questions designed to identify the consumer unit or group of individuals who are
related or share financial expenses will be eliminated and comparisons to production data
will be performed at a household level instead; modifications will be made to questions to
remove references to the Infobook and instead display information for the respondent on the
screen; additional variables such as some demographic information will only be collected for
the primary respondent instead of all household members; rostering questions will be added
to collect the number of children and adults living in the household; and a question will be
added notifying the respondents of the receipt of an incentive for completion of the
Household Characteristics Survey, soliciting participation in the Online Diary, and notifying
the respondent that they will receive an additional incentive for completing each of their twoweek Online Diaries.
Instead of a paper Diary, the respondent will report expenditures using an online diary. The
Online Diary will differ from the production Online Diary in that the meal type question will
be replaced with a vendor question; minor cosmetic changes will be made; and a respondent
introduction screen will be added.

4. SAMPLING AND SAMPLE SIZE
The contractor will use a national online panel named KnowledgePanel® (KP). KP is an
online panel that is representative of the U.S. adult population with recruitment to the panel
via address-based sampling. KP includes about 60,000 US residents (age 18 and older)
representing 247,431,811 adults (age 18 and older) in the overall universe. The sample
design uses a single sampling frame: the Delivery Sequence File (DSF) of the United States

Postal Service, covering almost 100% of the U.S. population. A random sample of
households from across the United States are sent a mail invitation to join the panel.
To participate in the Online Diary, respondents must first participate in the Household
Characteristics Survey and agree to participate in the diary component of the study. The
contractor will select a nationally representative sample of approximately 4,102 panel
members to achieve a minimum survey cooperation rate of 65 percent for the Household
Characteristics Survey. The contractor anticipates a minimum survey cooperation rate of 75
percent for the subsequent Online Diary. This will result in 2,000 completed Online Diaries
(4,102 x .65 x .75 =2,000). Expected response rates are based on actual response rates
achieved by the contractor for other studies using the same KP.
For selection of general population samples from KP, the sample is weighted to U.S. Census
Bureau benchmarks from the latest American Community Survey (ACS) and the most recent
March supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS) along the following dimensions,
with additional nesting of dimensions as well:
 Gender (Male, Female)
 Age (18–29, 30–44, 45–59, and 60+)
 Race/Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other/Non-Hispanic, 2+
Races/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
 Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor and beyond)
 Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
 Household Income (Under $10K, $10K to <$25K, $25K to <$50K, $50K to <$75K,
$75K to <$100K, $100K to <$150K, and $150K+)
 Home ownership status (Own, Rent/Other)
 Household Size (1, 2, 3, 4+)
 Metropolitan Area (Yes, No)
 Hispanic Origin (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Other, Non-Hispanic)
Using these panel weights as the measure of size (MOS) for each panel member, a PPS
(probability proportional to size) procedure is used to select study specific samples.

5. RESPONDENT MATERIALS

1. Participant emails for the Household Characteristics Survey (Appendix A)
2. Participants emails for the Online Diary (Appendix B)
3. Diary user guide (Appendix C)
4. Diary video tutorial scripts (Appendix D)
III. BURDEN HOURS BY CALENDAR YEAR
Burden estimates for Calendar year 2021 are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Burden estimates for Calendar Year 2021 (October-December 2021)

Form

Response Burden for the Self-Administered Diary Test
Total
Frequency
Total
Average
Respondents
Responses
Time per
Response

Estimated
Total
Burden
Hours

Self-Administered
Diary Test
Household Screener

2,666

1

2,666

19

844

Self-Administered
Diary Test Recordkeeping

2,000

2

4,000

70

4,667

TOTALS

4,666

/////////

6,666

////////

5,511

Appendix A- Participant emails for the Household Characteristics Survey
Week #1 Invitation Email
Subject: Welcome to the Consumer Spending Diary (%%ANO%%) Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
Thank you for agreeing to participate in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Consumer Spending Diary!
The diary is used to get a sense of the spending habits of households in the
United States. You should record in the diary any expenses that you may have
for each day over the next two weeks. If you do not have expenses for a given
week, please report that as well. You will earn 50,000 survey points for
reporting your information over your two-week Spending Diary period.
We encourage you to access your diary each day, but spending can be entered
for a few days at a time at your convenience. To get to your diary please click
the link below:
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Our Spending Diary Help Desk is available if you have questions or comments.
You can contact us at our toll-free 1-888-288-0021 number, or by email at
[email protected]. In order to better serve you, please be
sure to include reference %%ANO%% in the subject of your message. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Week #1 Reminder Email
Subject: Reminder: Help Us With The Consumer Spending Diary (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
Thank you for your participation in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer
Spending Diary!
We encourage you to record in the diary any expenses that you may have for
each day over your two-week diary period. Remember, if you do not have
expenses for a given week, please report that as well. You will earn 50,000
survey points for reporting your information over your two-week Spending Diary
period. Your participation will be used to get a sense of the spending habits of
households in the United States.
If you have been reporting on each day, please continue to do so! If you still
have not recorded entries for certain days, please provide this information at
your earliest convenience. We encourage you to access your diary each day,
but spending can be entered for a few days at a time at your convenience. To
get to your diary please click the link below:
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Our Spending Diary Help Desk is available if you have questions or comments.
You can contact us at our toll-free 1-888-288-0021 number, or by email at
[email protected]. In order to better serve you, please be
sure to include reference %%ANO%% in the subject of your message. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Week #2 Invitation Email
Subject: Reminder: We Need Your Help - Consumer Spending Diary (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
Thank you for your participation in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer
Spending Diary!
Your participation is critical to this study’s success. You are now entering the
second week of your two-week diary period. You should record in the diary any
expenses that you may have for each day during the diary period. If you do not
have expenses for a given week, please report that as well. If you still have not
recorded entries for certain days over the past week, please provide this
information as soon as possible.
You will earn 50,000 survey points for reporting your information over your twoweek Spending Diary period. We encourage you to access your diary each day,
but spending can be entered for a few days at a time at your convenience. To
get to your diary please click the link below:
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Our Spending Diary Help Desk is available if you have questions or comments.
You can contact us at our toll-free 1-888-288-0021 number, or by email at
[email protected]. In order to better serve you, please be
sure to include reference %%ANO%% in the subject of your message. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Week #2 Reminder Email
Subject: Reminder: Your Participation In The Consumer Spending Diary (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
Thank you for your participation in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer
Spending Diary!
We encourage you to record in the diary any expenses that you may have for
each day over your two-week diary period. Remember, if you do not have
expenses for a given week, please report that as well. If you have been reporting
on each day, please continue to do so! If you still have not recorded entries for
certain days, please provide this information at your earliest convenience. Your
full participation is important to the success of this study!
As a reminder, you will earn 50,000 survey points for reporting your information
over your two-week Spending Diary period. We encourage you to access your
diary each day, but spending can be entered for a few days at a time at your
convenience. To get to your diary please click the link below:
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Our Spending Diary Help Desk is available if you have questions or comments.
You can contact us at our toll-free 1-888-288-0021 number, or by email at
[email protected]. In order to better serve you, please be
sure to include reference %%ANO%% in the subject of your message. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Closing Email
Subject: Completing Your Consumer Spending Diary (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
Thank you for participating in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer
Spending Diary!
The two-week diary period has now ended. You should record in the diary any
expenses that you may have had for each day of the two-week diary period. If
you did not have expenses for a given week, please report that as well. Your full
participation is important to us!
If you have already reported on each day of the diary period, thank you for your
cooperation! As a reminder, you will earn 50,000 survey points for reporting
your information over your two-week Spending Diary period. To get to your diary
please click the link below:
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Our Spending Diary Help Desk is available if you have questions or comments.
You can contact us at our toll-free 1-888-288-0021 number, or by email at
[email protected]. In order to better serve you, please be
sure to include reference %%ANO%% in the subject of your message. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never

transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Appendix B - Participants emails for the Online Diary
Pre-Notification Email
Subject: We Need Your Help Soon
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
Thanks for being an integral part of KnowledgePanel!
We will need your help in the next few days! You have been selected to
participate in the Consumer Spending Survey for the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. In the next few days please look for an email referencing the
Consumer Spending Survey. This survey will ask you questions about you and
your household’s characteristics and typical spending. In addition, we will have
an online diary component for this study to record daily spending over a twoweek period. This survey is used to get a sense of the spending habits of
households in the United States.
Thank you for your help on this very important survey!
Our Spending Survey Help Desk is available if you have questions or comments.
You can contact us at our toll-free 1-888-288-0021 number, or by email at
[email protected]. In order to better serve you, please be
sure to include reference %%ANO%% in the subject of your message. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us

at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Invitation Email
Subject: Consumer Spending Survey (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
Thanks for being an integral part of KnowledgePanel!
You have been selected to participate in the Consumer Spending Survey for the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As we mentioned in the email we sent you a
couple days ago about this survey, we will be interested in gathering information
about you and your household’s characteristics and typical spending. This
survey is used to help get a sense of the spending habits of households in the
United States. Please complete this very important study at your earliest
convenience. The survey can be accessed by clicking the following link:
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
In addition to this survey, we will have an online diary component for you to
record daily spending over a two-week period.
Our Spending Survey Help Desk is available if you have questions or comments.
You can contact us at our toll-free 1-888-288-0021 number, or by email at
[email protected]. In order to better serve you, please be
sure to include reference %%ANO%% in the subject of your message. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never

transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Reminder Email #1
Subject: Reminder: Help Us With The Consumer Spending Survey (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
We recently sent you the Consumer Spending Survey for the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics. We'd appreciate you taking it at your earliest convenience by
using the link below. As a reminder, in this survey we will be interested in
gathering information about you and your household’s characteristics and typical
spending. If you have already completed the survey, thank you and please
disregard this email.
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Reminder Email #2
Subject: Reminder: We Need Your Help - Consumer Spending Survey (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
We recently sent you the Consumer Spending Survey for the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics. We'd appreciate you taking it at your earliest convenience by
using the link below. As a reminder, this survey will gather information about you
and your household’s characteristics and typical spending. If you have already
completed the survey, thank you and please disregard this email.
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Reminder Email #3
Subject: Reminder: Please Help Us - Consumer Spending Survey (%%ANO%%)
Description:

Dear %%firstname%%,
We previously sent you the Consumer Spending Survey for the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics. We'd appreciate you completing this survey as soon as
possible. As a reminder, this survey is being conducted to learn more about you
and your household members and to understand the spending habits of
households in the United States. If you have already completed the survey,
thank you and please disregard this email.
%%LINK%%
Depending on your email reader, you may need to copy and paste the link into
your web browser.
Thanks,
The KnowledgePanel Team

Participating in KnowledgePanel® gives you the unique opportunity to make your opinions
heard among business and policy decision makers. You can express those opinions fully
confident that KnowledgePanel is committed to safeguarding your privacy. We will never
transfer your personally identifiable information (name, address, phone number) to users of
our research without your consent, nor will we ever try to sell you anything.
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or practices, you can email us
at [email protected].
If you believe you have received this email in error or prefer to opt out from receiving our
emails, send a message to KnowledgePanel support at [email protected] or call
us toll free at 1-800-782-6899.
© 2019 Ipsos | Panel Relations
1 Upper Pond Rd #D-2, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Appendix C - Diary user guide

April 2021

USER GUIDE

Spending Diary

This

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Consumer Spending Survey. We understand that this task takes time;
however, your information is very important to us and will be used for many purposes that affect all Americans.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide
for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance
with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act and other applicable Federal laws, your
responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2015, Federal information systems are protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity
screening of transmitted data. If you have comments regarding this survey, please email them to
[email protected].

Questions?
Contact the Spending Diary Help Desk by email at [email protected] or by telephone
at 1-888-288-0021 (Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm Eastern)

1

What Should I Enter in the Diary?
Complete the Spending Diary for the entire two weeks. Enter EVERYTHING you and your household spend money on
each day (see exceptions below) – the products you buy, the services you use, and the household expenses you have
during the week – no matter how large or small they are. Do NOT use abbreviations for any item descriptions.
The only items you should not include in your diary are:




Expenses while you were away from home overnight
Business or farm operating expenses
Sales tax, except for Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home

Help
To access Help tools, click the “Help” button on the top right of the screen. Here you will have the following options: User
Guide, Video Tutorials, General Instructions, How to Fill Out Your Diary, Diary Examples, FAQs, and Definitions.

No Expenses

If you had no expenses during your diary week, login to the diary on or after the last day of your diary week and you will
see the following checkbox. Check the box to confirm that you had no expenses during the week.

Logout
To protect your privacy, the Spending Diary will automatically log you out if there is no activity for more than 15 minutes.
You can also logout at any time by clicking on the “Logout” button. To re-enter the survey, please select the study survey
link provided in your KnowledgePanel Member Portal or using an e-mail associated with this study. To prevent losing
data you have entered, please remember to save your entries.

2

Entering Expenses

Below are examples of your home screen where you will be able to view a summary of your entered expenses and add
new expenses. Please refer to Page 4 for more detailed instructions on how to add an expense.
Desktop Version
To add an expense, you will enter information by first
selecting the appropriate week and then the date of the
expense on the left side of the screen.

Mobile Version
To add an expense, tap on the “Add Item” icon on
the bottom right of the summary screen. An
expense entry screen will appear allowing you to
add a new expense.

f
(mobile summary screen)

(mobile expense
entry screen)

View, Edit, or Delete an Expense

To help you find a particular entry, you can enter a search term in the search box on the top right of your desktop version.
In the mobile version, tap on the “Search” icon on the bottom of the summary screen. You can view your expenses by
selecting Week 1 or Week 2 and clicking on a specific date to expand the selection and view the expenses entered for that
date.

Desktop Version
To delete an expense, click on the trash can icon to the right
of the expense. To view or edit an expense, click on the
pencil icon to the far right of the expense. In the left entry
space, you will be able to make any changes and select
“Update” or “Cancel.”

Mobile Version
To delete an expense, click on the trash can icon
to the right of the expense. To view or edit an
expense, click on the pencil icon to the far right
of the expense. When you click on edit, you will
be taken to the expense entry screen where you
will be able to make any changes and select
“Update” or “Back” to cancel.

3

Adding Expenses to Your Spending Diary

The Expense Entry screen on the mobile version is on a separate screen, but the entry fields are the same.

Select the date the
purchase was made.
Enter the
name of the
business.
Select the
category.

To save the expense entry,
select Save.

Category Specific Questions
After you select a category, additional questions specific to that category will appear for you to complete.
See examples below:
Meals, Snacks, and
Drinks Away from
Home
 Enter the total cost
(include tax and tip)

 Select the vendor
type

 Indicate if alcohol

Food and Drinks for
Home Consumption
 Describe the item or
expense
 Enter the cost
(do not include tax)
 Select the type of
packaging

was included and
the cost of alcohol, if
applicable

Clothing, Shoes,
Jewelry, and
Accessories

All Other Products,
Services, and
Expenses

 Describe the item or

 Describe the item or

expense
 Enter the cost
(do not include tax)
 Select the gender
and age

4

expense
 Enter the cost
(do not include tax)

Meals Snacks and Drinks Away from Home vs. All Other Categories
Something you should keep in mind when entering your expenses is that the Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home
category is different from the other categories. See below for examples with entries in the Mobile version.
Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home

In the Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home category, you will enter the entire meal/purchase as
one entry and enter the total cost of the meal including tax and tip.

All Other Categories

For all of the other three categories, you will enter each item purchased as a separate entry and enter
the cost of the item without tax.

5

Frequently Asked Questions
1. How detailed should my descriptions be?
Refer to the Diary Examples page in the Help menu for examples of the level of detail needed in each part. Do
not rely solely on brand names.
2. How can I delete or make changes to an expense that I’ve saved?
Locate the saved expense listed under the relevant date in the Expenses section of the main page. To delete the
expense, click on the trash can icon next to the cost and select ‘ok’ to confirm. To make any changes, click on the
pencil icon next to the trash can. Make any changes in the Edit Expense box and click the 'Update' button to
save your changes.
3. How should I record multiple quantities?
You may group identical items on the same entry and enter a total cost of all the items, or you may write each
item on a separate entry with the individual cost.
4. How should I record pre-payments such as a subway fare card?
Record the expense when you pay for it, not when you use it.
5. How should I record credit card purchases?
Record the individual expense the day that you use your credit card to pay for something, not the day you pay
your credit card bill.
6. Should I record automatic deductions taken from my paycheck or bank account?
Yes, record automatic deductions (such as health insurance premiums taken out of your account or paycheck)
only if they are deducted that week. Write them in the section called All Other Products, Services, and Expenses.
7. Should I record typical monthly bills?
Yes, record typical monthly bills only if you pay them during the week that you have the diary. Enter them in the
section called All Other Products, Services, and Expenses.
8. What should I do when I use coupons, discount cards, or loyalty cards?
Subtract the discount from the original price and enter the amount that you paid.
9. Can I just give you receipts instead of entering the information online?
No, we need you to enter the information into the online diary. We encourage you to save your receipts to
remember to record what you bought or paid for.
10. How should I record items if I don’t know whether it includes tax?
Write down the amount paid.
6

11. What if I make a contribution or charitable donation?
Record money contributions or donations in the section called All Other Products, Services, and Expenses.
12. What about gift certificates or gift cards?
If you buy a gift certificate to give to someone, write down the cost of it under the appropriate section (e.g., a
certificate to a clothing store would go under Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories and a certificate to a
department store would go under All Other Products, Services, and Expenses. If you use a gift card, enter the full
amount for your purchase as if paid with cash.
13. What do I do about returns and exchanges?
If an item is bought and returned during the diary period, it can be deleted (see FAQ 2). If it was bought outside
the diary period and returned during the period, do not make any entry. If an item is exchanged during the diary
period, change or edit the item that was returned to the new item and its cost on the day the exchange was
made (see FAQ 2).
14. Should I record subsidized/reimbursed expenses?
Yes, but if someone not in your household pays for or helps pay for an expense or if you will be reimbursed for
an expense, only record the amount that you or someone in your household has to pay.
15. What should I do about shipping & handling costs?
Include the shipping & handling cost in the total price of the item. If the shipping & handling covered multiple
items, include the shipping & handling in the total price of one item from the order.
16. How do I know what items to report for each type of expense?
Click or tap on the icon next to each expense type category.
17. What’s the difference between a concession stand and a mobile vendor?
A concession stand has to stay in a permanent location and a mobile vendor does not. Some mobile vendors
may seem permanent because they are usually in the same location, but they are still considered mobile
vendors because they have the option to change locations.

7

Appendix D - Spending Diary Video Tutorial Scripts
Video 1. How do I get started?
1. Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Spending Diary Survey. In this video, I’m going to
show you how to get started on your Diary.
2. The first time that you go to login to your Spending Diary, you will be shown an Introduction
Screen. After you have viewed this screen once, you will then be taken directly to your Spending
Diary moving forward.
3. Once you enter your Spending Diary you will see the home screen.
a. The home screen will look slightly different depending on whether you are using a
computer or a mobile device, but both display the same information.
b. From this screen you can add an expense or you can view, edit, or delete any expenses
you have already entered. We’ll go over how to do all that in another video.
c. You can learn more about the survey and obtain helpful information by selecting the Help
link.
d. If you still have questions after reviewing the Help links, you can call or email the Help
Desk.
e. And at any time, you can logout using the logout button.
4. If by chance you had no expenses during your diary week, you can login on or after the last day
of your diary week. You will see a checkbox to confirm that you had no expenses during the
week.
5. Thank you for watching this video. If you have any questions about the Spending Diary Survey,
you can contact the Spending Diary Help Desk by email at [email protected]
or by calling 1-888-288-0021.

Video 2: What should I enter into the Spending Diary?
1. Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Spending Diary Survey. In this video, I’m going to
talk about what information we’d like you to enter into the diary.
2. To put it simply, we want you to record everything you buy during the diary period no matter
how little or how much it costs. We want you to include products that you buy and services that
you use. And we want you to include things that you’ve purchased for yourself and things you’ve
purchased for others. Do not use abbreviations in your descriptions.
3. There are a few things you should not include:
a. Expenses while you were away from home overnight
b. Business or farm operating expenses
c. Sales tax, except for the category Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home
4. For each item you record in the diary we need to know a few pieces of information.
a. The date that the purchase was made,

Page 1 of 6

b. The name or description of the business where the purchase was made,
c. A description of what you bought (with the exception of Meals, Snacks, and Drinks
Away from Home),
d. And how much you paid for it
e. We would also like you to categorize what you purchased into one of these four
categories:
i. Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home – which include meals eaten at
restaurants, drinks purchased at coffee shops, sodas purchased from vending
machines, things like that.
ii. Food and Drinks for Home Consumption – which include grocery items that you
would eat or prepare at home
iii. Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories
iv. And All other Products and Services – which is anything that doesn’t fit into one
of the other categories.
f. The reason we divide the world of purchases up into these four categories is because we
are interested in slightly different information depending on the category.
5. For Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away From Home we are interested in:
a. The cost of the whole meal, including tax and tip
b. The type of vendor…that is, whether it was at a fast-food place or for take-out or delivery
(where you pay before eating or drinking); or at a full-service place (where you pay after
eating or drinking); or from a vending machine or mobile vendor (which includes food
trucks); or at an employer or school cafeteria.
c. And if alcohol was purchased for the meal, we would like to know the types of alcohol
and the total cost for the drinks.
d. Here are some examples of purchases that would be considered Meals, Snacks, and
Drinks Away From Home.
• Dinner at a restaurant
• Lunch at a cafeteria
• Coffee from a coffee shop
• Soda from a vending machine
• Chinese take-out
6. For Food and Drinks for Home Consumption we need
a. Each item entered separately. That is, if you spent $20 at the grocery store, we don’t want
you to enter $20 for groceries; we would like you to record that you spent $4 on milk, $2
on eggs, and so on.
b. For this category, we would like you to enter a description of each item that was
purchased
c. The cost of that item without tax
d. And the type of packaging that the item came in
e. After entering that information for one item on your receipt, you would then tap the
“Save” button and enter the next item.
f. Here are some examples of purchases that would be considered Food and Drinks for
Home Consumption.
• Lettuce
• Ground beef
• Whole milk
• White bread
• Apple juice

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7. For Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories
a. We also need items to be entered separately.
b. Here too, we would like a description of each item you purchased
c. And the cost of each item without tax
d. We also need the gender and age of the person that the item was purchased for.
e. Here are some examples of purchases that would be considered Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry,
and Accessories.
• T-shirt
• Dress
• Gloves
• Sneakers
• Necklace
8. And finally, for All Other Products, Services, and Expenses
a. We would like each item to be entered separately as well
b. For items that belong to this category all we need is
i. A description of the item
ii. And the cost of the item without tax
c. This is a catchall category for anything that doesn’t fit into one of the other three
categories. Here are some examples of purchases that would be considered All Other
Products and Services.
• Prescription medicine
• Movie tickets
• Bus fare
• Phone bill
• Paper towels
9. Thank you for watching this video. If you have any questions about the Spending Diary Survey,
you can contact the Spending Diary Help Desk by email at [email protected]
or by calling 1-888-288-0021.

Video 3: How do I enter and edit my expenses?
1. Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Spending Diary Survey. In this video, I’m going to
show you how to enter your expenses into the diary using your desktop computer or your mobile
device. Once you start entering expenses, you’ll also want to know how to make changes. I’ll
show you how to do that as well.
2. We’ll start by entering an expense on a mobile device.
a. Let’s say I want to enter information about a pair of shoes I bought yesterday.
b. I would first tap on the Add Item button and that would get me to the Expense Entry
screen
i.
Here, I would select the date of the purchase, which was March 11th.
ii.
I would then enter the name of the business where I purchased the shoes, which
was A.J. Sporting Goods
iii.
I would then select Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, & Accessories and answer the
follow-up questions.

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iv.
v.
vi.

I would enter a description, being as descriptive as possible…I bought a pair of
running shoes
The shoes cost $70.00
I bought the shoes for my daughter and she is 14 years old, so I check the box for
Girl 2-15 and then tap save.

3. To enter the same information into the desktop version, I simply begin entering information into
the boxes on the left of the screen. The Expense Entry Screen will always appear on the left side
of the screen and the questions are the same as those on the Expense Entry Screen on the mobile
version.
4. Now, let’s say I entered the wrong cost for the shoes. I realized that I should’ve entered the cost
without tax for this category.
a. Here’s what I would do on the mobile version:
i.
I would start by tapping the edit button, which is the pencil icon, next to the pair
of shoes
ii.
I would then edit the price to $64.95
iii.
And then tap Update
iv.
I’ll end up back at the home screen, where I can see the change has been made
b. The process is exactly the same on the desktop version
i.
I click edit
ii.
I change the information
iii.
And then I click Update
5. When I show my daughter the shoes, she says that they are not comfortable so I decide to take
them back and get a refund. Since it is no longer money that I’ve spent, I can delete the shoes
from the diary.
a. To delete an item in the mobile version, I simply tap on the trash can icon. A
confirmation screen will pop-up to ask if I’m sure I want to delete the expense. I then tap
OK in the pop-up box to confirm and am brought back to the home screen where the item
has been deleted.
b. Deleting an item in the desktop version is easy. I simply click the trash can icon and then
confirm the deletion.
6. Now that we’ve covered the basic functions of the diary, I’ll walk you through a couple of
examples that will show you how you might use the diary in the real world.
7. Let’s say I went out to dinner with a friend and I picked up the tab for the both of us. I decide to
enter the meal into the mobile diary during the cab ride home.
a. I’ll start by tapping on Add an Item
b. This dinner was on June 3rd
c. The name of the restaurant was Green Onion Bistro
d. This was a Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home so I will enter the total cost of
the meal including tax and tip and check the box for Full Service Places
e. We also had some alcoholic drinks so I will enter that information
i.
There was a beer and a liquor drink so I will select Beer and Other
ii.
I’ll then total up the cost of the alcohol and enter that
f. And then I’ll tap save
8. In the next example, I stopped by Dan’s Warehouse and picked up some household goods and
grocery items. Notice that this receipt covers several different diary categories. Since none of

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these items is a Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home purchase, I will enter each
individually. Let me show you how to add these expenditures on a mobile device.
a. I’ll start at the top. These items were purchased on June 3rd
b. The name of the store is Dan’s Warehouse, so I’ll enter that into the Business field
c. The first item I purchased is a warehouse club membership, which belongs in the All
Other Products, Services, and Expenses category, so I’ll select that category
i.
I’ll enter “warehouse club membership” into the description field
ii.
And in the cost field, I’ll enter $25.00, the cost without any tax.
iii.
Then I’ll tap on save
d. Next, I purchased some Tupperware.
i.
The date, business, and category are the same, so I tap on the same category
ii.
And enter “Tupperware” in the description field
iii.
Then in the cost field, I’ll enter $4.50, the cost without tax
iv.
And then hit save.
e. Lastly, I purchased a couple pounds of ground beef.
i.
Again the date and business are the same, but the category is different for this
item, so I select Food and Drinks for Home Consumption which brings up
different follow-up questions.
ii.
I enter “ground beef” in the description field
iii.
And enter $7.85 into the cost field
iv.
The ground beef is fresh, so I’ll select that
v.
And then hit save.
9. Now I’ll show you how to enter expenses using the desktop computer diary, but before I do that,
notice that all of the items that I typed into the mobile diary now appear in the Summary of
Expenses in the computer diary.
10. In this next example, I went to the Val-U-Mart superstore and bought several things for my
house. Again, this receipt covers several different diary categories. Since none of these items is a
Meals, Snacks, and Drinks Away from Home Purchase, I will enter each individually.
a. I’ll start by entering the date…these items were purchased on June 10th which is in
Week 2 of my diary keeping period, so I’ll click on Week 2.
b. I’ll select June 10th from the Date box
c. And then enter “Val-U-Mart” in the business box
d. The first item I have to enter is shampoo
i.
I select All Other Products, Services, and Expenses from the category options
ii.
I then enter “Shampoo” in the description field
iii.
And enter “2.94” in the cost field
e. Next I purchased a gallon of 2% milk.
i.
The date and store are the same but the category is different, so I select Food and
Drinks for Home Consumption
ii.
I enter “2% milk” in the description field
iii.
“$3.75” in the cost field
iv.
Select “fresh”
v.
And then click save
f. Lastly, I purchased 2 T-shirts
i.
The date and store are the same again, but the category is different, so I select
Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, and Accessories this time
ii.
Since the items are the same and they cost the same amount, I can enter them
together. In the description box, I enter that I purchased two “men’s T-shirts”

Page 5 of 6

iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.

Notice that when I’m describing the item I don’t include the name-brand, just a
description of the item.
I’ll enter the combined cost of both shirts without tax, which is “$31”
Since I purchased the shirts for myself, I’ll select Male and 16 & Over.
And then I’ll click save
I’ll then review my items under the Summary of Expenses to make sure I entered
everything correctly.

11. Thank you for watching this video. If you have any questions about the Spending Diary Survey,
you can contact the Spending Diary Help Desk by email at [email protected]
or by calling 1-888-288-0021.

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