Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Appendix B: Consumer Responses to Survey Questions

Questions are listed below in order in which they were presented to respondents. Questions with fewer than 11,400 respondents were not asked to the full sample, and the question-specific screening criteria are available in appendix A. All data are weighted to yield estimates for the U.S. adult population.

Living Arrangements Section

Question L0. First, do each of the following people currently live with you?

Question L0A. Are the adult children (who are age 18 or older) who live with you:

Question L0B. Other than your spouse or partner, children, or parents, are the people living with you:

Question L0C. How many children do you have who are under age 18 and currently live with you?

Question L0E. How old is your youngest child that lives with you?

General Well-Being Section

Question B2. Overall, which one of the following best describes how well you are managing financially these days?

Question B3. Compared to 12 months ago, would you say that you (and your family) are better off, the same, or worse off financially?

Question B6. Think of your parents when they were your age. Would you say you (and your family) are better, the same, or worse off financially than they were?

Question B7. How would you rate economic conditions today:

Caregiving Section

Question CG1. Currently, how many hours per week do you use paid childcare?

Question CG2. How much do you pay per week for childcare in total for all of your children?

Question CG3. When it comes to taking care of your children when they are at home, which of the following statements best describes the caretaking responsibilities?

Question CG4. Do you regularly provide unpaid help or take care of an adult relative or friend who needs assistance due to aging, disability, or illness?

Question CG5. Do you regularly provide unpaid help or care to each of the following people due to aging, disability, or illness?

Question CG6. About how often do you provide unpaid help or care to an adult relative or friend who needs assistance due to aging, disability, or illness?

Employment Section

Question D1A. Last month, did you do any work for either pay or profit?

Question D4. Last month, did you have more than one job, including part time, evening, or weekend work?

Question D48. Thinking about all your jobs, do you usually work 35 hours or more per week?

Question D3B. Thinking about your main job (where you earn the most money), do you usually work 35 hours or more per week?

Question D1E. At any time during the past month, did you want to work more hours?

Question D22. Did each of the following contribute to you not working or working less than 35 hours per week in the last month?

Question D3A. Think about your main job (the job from which you earned the most money in the past month). In this job, were you working for someone else, self-employed, or something else?

Question D28. How often do each of these statements describe your work situation?

Question D30. Still thinking about your main job, do you normally start and end work around the same time each day that you work, or does it vary?

Question D47. Some employers restrict what their employees can do if they leave their job. In your main job, did you agree that if you leave your employer, you will not start or work for a competing business? This is often called a non-compete agreement.

Question D34A. Thinking about the work you did last week, how much of it did you do by telecommuting or working from home?

Question D36A. How likely would you be to actively look for another job or leave your job if you had to report to work in person each workday?

Question D36B. How likely would you be to actively look for another job or leave your job if your employer (kept your pay the same for a year/decreased your pay by 1 percent/5 percent/10 percent)?

Question D44_f. (Think about any job in the past 12 months, not just your main job.) In the past 12 months, have you gotten laid off or lost a job (including a temporary layoff)?

Question D44. (Think about any job in the past 12 months). In the past 12 months, have you:

Question D37A. You indicated that you started a new job in the past 12 months. Is your main job (where you earn the most money) the same as it was a year ago?

Question D38. Are each of the following better, the same, or worse at the main job you have now than the one you had a year ago?

Question D39. Overall, is the main job you have now better, the same, or worse than the one you had a year ago?

Question D45. How long have your been working continuously in your main job (where you earn the most money)?

Question D5. Last month, did your spouse or partner do any work for either pay or profit?

Question D49. Does your spouse or partner usually work 35 hours or more per week?

Question D41. Did each of the following contribute to your spouse or partner not working or working less than 35 hours per week in the last month?

Housing Section

Question GH1. Do you (and/or your spouse or partner):

Question GH12. Do you have either a homeowner's insurance or a condo insurance policy for your primary residence?

Question R1. Are each of the following a reason why you rent your home rather than own?

Question GH2. When did you move into your current home?

Question R4. Before your most recent move, did you own your previous home?

Question R5E. Was the main reason that you moved in the past year because of rent increases at your previous home or apartment?

Question R5B. Did each of the following contribute to your moving in the past year?

Question R5C. Did each of the following contribute to your moving in the past year?

Question R3. Approximately how much do you and/or your spouse or partner pay for rent each month?

Question R11. Have you been behind on your rent at any time in the past year?

Question M4. Approximately how much is your total monthly mortgage payment (i.e., the amount you send to the bank)?

Question GH3. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of your neighborhood?

Natural Disasters Section

Question ND0. In the past year, have you been financially affected by natural disasters or severe weather events like flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, or extreme temperatures?

Question ND1. In the past year, have natural disasters or severe weather events like flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, or extreme temperatures affected you in each of the following ways?

Question ND2. Five years from now, do you think that the chance that you will experience a natural disaster or severe weather event will be higher, lower, or about the same as it is now?

Question ND4. In the past year, have you done each of the following at least partially because of the threat of natural disasters or severe weather events?

Banking Section

Question BK1. Do you and/or your spouse or partner currently have a checking, savings, or money market account?

Question BK2. In the past 12 months, did you and/or your spouse or partner:

Credit Application Section

Question A6. If you were to apply for a credit card today, how confident are you that your application would be approved?

Question A0. In the past 12 months have you applied for any credit (such as a credit card, higher credit card limit, mortgage, refinance, student loan, personal loan, or other loan)?

Question A7. Have you applied for each of the following types of credit in the past 12 months?

Question A0B. Was there a time in the past 12 months that you desired credit but chose not to submit a credit application?

Question A1. In the past 12 months, has each of the following happened to you:

Question A8. Were you turned down or offered less credit than requested for the following types of credit in the past 12 months?

Question A2. You indicated that you desired credit in the past 12 months but did not submit a credit application. Was this because you thought that you might be turned down or denied credit?

Credit Condition Section

Question C2A. Do you currently have at least one credit card? Please do not include debit cards or prepaid cards.

Question C3P. Last month, how did you handle your credit card bills?

Question C4A. In the past 12 months, how frequently have you carried an unpaid balance on one or more of your credit cards?

Question BNPL1. In the past year, have you used a "Buy Now Pay Later" service to buy something?

Question BNPL3. In the past year, have you ever been late making a payment for something you bought using a Buy Now Pay Later service?

Question BNPL3A. In the past year, have you been charged extra because you were late on a buy now pay later payment?

Question BNPL4. Thinking about the most recent time you used a Buy Now Pay Later service, were each of the following a reason why you chose to finance the purchase in this way?

Cryptocurrency Section

Question S16. In the past year, have you done the following with cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum?

Question S18. Were any of the family or friends you sent cryptocurrency to living outside of the United States?

Question S21. What was the main reason you used cryptocurrency to buy something, make a payment, or send money?

Education Section

Question ED0. What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received?

Question D1G. Are you currently enrolled as a student?

Question ED0B. What type of program are you currently pursuing?

Question ED0D. Have you ever enrolled in an educational degree program beyond high school?

Question ED1. Which one of the following broad categories best describes your current or most recent educational program?

Question ED4. What year did you last attend this educational program?

Question ED9. In what year did you receive your (associate degree/bachelor's degree)?

Question ED10. Overall, how would you say the lifetime financial benefits of your (most recent educational program/associate degree/bachelor's degree) compares to its costs?

Question ED11. If you could go back and make decisions regarding your (most recent educational program/associate degree/bachelor's degree) again, would you have done each of these things:

Student Loans Section

Question SL1. Do you currently have any student loan debt from your own education?

Question SL3. How much do you currently owe on student loans for your own education?

Question SL4A. Are you currently required to make monthly payments on any of your student loans from your own education?

Question SL4. Approximately how much is your current required monthly payment on the student loans from your own education?

Question SL6. Are you behind on payments or in collections for one or more of the student loans from your own education?

Question SL7. Did you take out any student loans to pay for your own education that you have since repaid?

Question SL8. Still thinking about your own education, did you take out any student loans for each of the following educational programs (including any repaid loans for education you did not complete)?

Question SL10A. Does your spouse or partner currently have any student loans used to pay for their education?

Question SL11. Do you currently have any student loans used to pay for your child's or grandchild's education?

Question SL13. How much do you owe on student loans for your child or grandchild's education?

Retirement and Investments Section

Question D1I. Do you consider yourself to be retired?

Question K0. Do you think that your retirement savings plan is currently on track?

Question K8B. When did you retire?

Question K9. Were each of the following important to your decision to retire at the age that you did?

Question K21. Do you currently have each of the following types of savings or assets?

Question DC4. How comfortable are you with choosing and managing your investments?

Question K5A. In the past 12 months, have you done each of the following with money in your retirement accounts?

Income and Consumption Section

Question I0. In the past 12 months, did you or your spouse/partner receive any income from the following sources?

Question I40. Which category represents your and your spouse/partner's total combined income in the past 12 months?

Question I41. In the past 12 months, have you and/or your spouse or partner received any of the following?

Question I9. In the past 12 months, which one of the following best describes your and your spouse's or partner's income?

Question I12. Because your income varies, have you and your spouse or partner struggled to pay your bills in the past 12 months?

Question I20. In the past month, would you say that your and your spouse's or partner's total spending was:

Question I21. Compared to a year ago, have each of the following for you and your spouse or partner increased, decreased, or stayed about the same?

Inflation Section

Question INF4. Overall, have changes in the prices you pay compared to last year made your financial situation worse, better, or had little or no effect?

Question INF3. Did you take any of the following actions because of increases in prices over the past 12 months?

Emergency Fund Section

Question EF1. Have you set aside emergency or rainy day funds that would cover your expenses for 3 months in case of sickness, job loss, economic downturn, or other emergencies?

Question EF2. If you were to lose your main source of income (for example job or government benefits), could you cover your expenses for 3 months by borrowing money, using savings, or selling assets?

Question EF3. Suppose that you have an emergency expense that costs $400. Based on your current financial situation, how would you pay for this expense?

Question EF5C. Other than any credit card bills you may have, did you pay all your bills in full last month?

Question EF6C. How did you handle each of the following types of bills last month?

Question EF7. Based on your current financial situation, what is the largest emergency expense that you could handle right now using only your savings?

Food Security Section

Question FD3. In the past month, which of these statements best describes the food eaten in your household?

Question FD4. Please indicate whether the next statement was often true, sometimes true, or never true in the past month for the children living in your household who are under 18 years old. "The children were not eating enough because we just couldn't afford enough food."

Criminal Justice Section

Question E8. Have you ever been:

Health and Insurance Section

Question E1. During the past 12 months, was there a time when you needed each of the following, but went without because you couldn't afford it?

Question E2. During the past 12 months, have you had any unexpected major medical expenses that you had to pay out of pocket because they were not completely paid for by insurance?

Question E2A. Approximately how much did you pay out of pocket for unexpected major medical expenses in the past 12 months?

Question E2B. Do you currently have any debt from medical care you or your family members have received?

Question E4. Are you currently covered by any of the following types of health insurance or health coverage plans?

Childhood Background Section

Question CH2A. Thinking about your family or primary caregivers growing up, what was the highest level of education achieved by any parent or guardian?

Demographics

Summary statistics for demographics