Project Summary

The Surveys of Consumers Attitudes (SCA) measures consumer expectations to capture the impact of the expectations of consumers on their spending and saving behavior. The U.S. Department of Commerce selected the consumer expectations index as a component of the Index of Leading Economic Indicators due to its ability to predict future changes in the economy. The data are widely used by government agencies, financial institutions, business firm, and scholars, as well as by ordinary citizens. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers fosters scientific advances that serve the public interest. The surveys are known for innovations in how important economic topics are conceptualized, how they are measured, how representative national samples are selected, how the interviews are conducted, and how the data is analyzed.