Shedding Light on Survey Accuracy—A Comparison between SHED and Census Bureau Survey Results

Kabir Dasgupta, Fatimah Shaalan and Mike Zabek
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Kabir Dasgupta: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/kabir-dasgupta.htm

No 2025-010, Finance and Economics Discussion Series from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.)

Abstract: The annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) receives substantial research attention for topics related to household finances and economic well-being. To assess the reliability of data from the SHED, we compare aggregate statistics from the SHED with prominent, nationally representative surveys that use different survey designs, sample methodologies, and interview modes. Specifically, we compare recent statistics from the SHED with similar questions in U.S. Census Bureau surveys, including the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the American Community Survey (ACS). Overall, aggregate responses to the SHED benchmark well against nationally representative surveys, particularly for questions with nearly identical wording. However, we also note that subtle differences in wording of survey questions for broadly similar indicators can prompt moderate variations across data sources.

Keywords: SHED; survey methodology; Census Bureau: CPS; ACS; Demographic; Employment; Homeownership; Health insurance; Food insufficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C80 C81 C83 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 19 p.
Date: 2025-02-06
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2025-10

DOI: 10.17016/FEDS.2025.010

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