Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, April 1978 (ICPSR 8731)

These surveys were done to measure changes in consumer
attitudes and expectations, to understand why these changes occur, and
to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or
make discretionary purchases. This type of information is essential for
forecasting changes in aggregate consumer behavior. Each quarterly
survey contains approximately 40 questions, each of which probes a
different aspect of consumer confidence. Open-ended questions are asked
concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances,
employment, price changes, and the national business situation.
Additional questions probe buying intentions for automobiles and the
respondent's appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing
houses, automobiles, and other durables.

These surveys were done to measure changes in consumer
attitudes and expectations, to understand why these changes occur, and
to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or
make discretionary purchases. This type of information is essential for
forecasting changes in aggregate consumer behavior. Each quarterly
survey contains approximately 40 questions, each of which probes a
different aspect of consumer confidence. Open-ended questions are asked
concerning evaluations and expectations about personal finances,
employment, price changes, and the national business situation.
Additional questions probe buying intentions for automobiles and the
respondent's appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing
houses, automobiles, and other durables.

The codebook is provided by ICPSR as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF reader software, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the ICPSR Web site.

Methodology

Sample:
National sample of dwelling units selected by area
probability sampling.