Asking consumption questions in general purpose surveys

Published on 4 November 2003

In many research areas it is desirable to have information on household total expenditure (‘consumption’).

In many research areas it is desirable to have information on household total expenditure (‘consumption’). We draw evidence from several sources on the usefulness of recall consumption questions. We conclude that valid information can be collected by adding specific recall questions to general purpose surveys, and provide recommendations on how to do so.

Authors

Martin Browning

Martin Browning

Research Associate University of Copenhagen

Martin is an IFS Research Associate, a Nuffield Senior Research Fellow and a Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford.

Guglielmo Weber

Guglielmo Weber

Research Associate University of Padua

Guglielmo is a Research Associate at the IFS and Professor in the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Statistics, Padua University.

Thomas Crossley

Thomas F. Crossley

Research Fellow University of Michigan

Tom is a Research Fellow at IFS, a Research Professor for the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.