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Do We Know What is Good for Us?: Results on Health, Debt Overhang, and Negative Savings from the Consumer Expenditure Survey
Short Abstract
The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) is the most detailed Federal source of expenditure data collected directly from households. Information on income, assets and liabilities, and demographics is also collected from the national sample. Tabular and microdata from the CE are available for free download. This session features research using these data, and a description of a major survey redesign proposal, on which attendees will be invited to comment. The first two presentations examine spending patterns on items generally deemed to promote good health (health care, education) or detract from it (fast food, tobacco, vending machine purchases). The third presentation assesses the impact of stronger creditor rights on credit market outcomes by focusing on laws providing creditors stronger rights to recoup their losses in residential mortgages. The fourth analyzes the persistent, positive gap between total expenditures and income for low-income consumers, and evaluates possible explanations. The final presentation describes the Gemini Project to Redesign the CE to reduce measurement error and respondent burden, without reducing response rates. Presenters include CE program staff members, providing attendees the opportunity to make contacts to help them in their own research. Also speaking are two Ph.D. candidates who are using CE data in their dissertations.