Survey of Consumer Finances, 1950

Resource Information

The work Survey of Consumer Finances, 1950 represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Bates College. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Survey of Consumer Finances, 1950

Creator

• Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]
• Economic Behavior Program. Survey Research Center. University of Michigan

Author

• Economic Behavior Program. Survey Research Center. University of Michigan

Contributor

• Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]

Subject

• Income
• Insurance
• automobile ownership
• business conditions
• consumer attitudes
• consumer behavior
• consumer expectations
• consumer expenditures
• debt
• disposable income
• durable goods
• economic conditions
• families
• financial assets
• financial balances
• Consumers -- Attitudes
• household budgets
• household expenditures
• household income
• housing
• income distribution
• insurance coverage
• investments
• national economy
• occupations
• personal debt
• personal finances
• prices
• savings
• survey
• home ownership
• Economic history
• Finance, Personal
• Home economics -- Accounting

Genre

• survey

Summary

This data collection is one in a series of financial surveys of consumers conducted annually since 1946. In a nationally representative sample, the head of each spending unit (usually the husband, the main earner, or the owner of the home) was interviewed. The basic unit of reference in the study was the spending unit, but some family data are also available. The questions in the 1950 survey covered the respondent's attitudes toward national economic conditions and price activity, as well as the respondent's own financial situation. Other questions examined the spending unit head's occupation, and the nature and amount of the spending unit's income, debts, liquid assets, changes in liquid assets, savings, investment preferences, and actual and expected purchases of cars and other major durables. The survey also elicited respondent's attitudes about different methods of using income remaining after expenses were met, e.g., investing in stocks or putting money in savings. In addition, the survey explored in detail the subject of housing, e.g., previous and present home ownership, value of respondent's dwelling, and mortgage information. Further questions concerned life insurance (including number of policies, types, and premiums) and common stock ownership, purchases, and sales. The 1950 survey included a separate questionnaire for farmers that contained differing questions on sources of income and housing. Personal data include number of people in the spending unit, age, sex, and education of the head, and the race and sex of the respondent