Census Bureau to Survey Nation's Spending Habits

TT Note: Beware, my friends, now Big Brother is coming to a location in your home so he can watch how you're spending your precious money. I'm wondering how one can politely say no thanks when the federal person shows up and says, "Hey, You've been selected to tell us everything." And all this is done by a third party hired hand who is to come into my home to do this survey on a regular basis? Will they demand proof of purchase?

This comes on top of the recent letter sent home to students saying Big Brother has to know their race. What other big plans is Big Brother putting in place to monitor our every move? Will we all be tagged soon with GPS?

/PRNewswire / -- In April 2009, U.S. Census Bureau field representatives will collect information about how much Americans spend for groceries, clothing, transportation, housing, health care and other items from a sample of households across the country.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two parts:

-- The Interview Survey - Throughout the year, about 28,000 households
will be interviewed once every three months over five calendar
quarters to obtain data on relatively large expenditures and also for
those expenditures that occur on a regular basis (such as rent and
utilities).


-- The Diary Survey - During the year, another 7,000 households will keep
two consecutive one-week diaries of smaller, more frequent purchases
that may be difficult for respondents to recall later (such as a
fast-food purchase at a drive-through window, a soda or candy bar from
a vending machine, or a carton of eggs from the supermarket).


The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics then calculates and publishes integrated data from the two surveys - providing a snapshot of our nation's economy and spending habits. Government economists use the survey results to update a "market basket" of goods and services for the Consumer Price Index, our nation's most widely used measure of inflation.

"The Consumer Price Index," said George Grandy Jr., director of the Census Bureau's Atlanta Regional Office, "helps businesses around the country keep wages, salaries and pensions in line with increases in the cost of living."

Before the CE interviews begin, households will receive a letter from the Census Bureau director informing them of their selection to participate in the survey. Census Bureau field representatives will visit these households to conduct the interview. The field representative must display an official photo identification before proceeding with the interview. Federal law ensures survey respondents' personal information and answers are kept confidential.

The following data on the amount spent on health care are an example of CE results.

Household Expenditures for Health Care: 2006-2007

Average annual amount Percentage of total
Area spent for health care expenditures

United States $2,810 5.7

Northeast $2,618 5.2
Boston 2,809 5.1
New York 2,674 4.7
Philadelphia 2,175 4.5

South $2,788 6.2
Houston 3,293 5.9
Dallas-Fort Worth 2,967 5.5
Washington, D.C. 2,641 4.0
Baltimore 2,431 4.6
Atlanta 2,355 5.0
Miami 2,167 4.7

Midwest $2,957 6.3
Minneapolis-St. Paul 3,705 6.2
Cleveland 3,293 6.9
Chicago 3,020 5.3
Detroit 2,307 4.8

West $2,857 5.0
San Francisco 3,224 4.6
Seattle 3,127 5.3
Phoenix 3,058 5.3
San Diego 2,613 4.8
Los Angeles 2,324 3.8

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Equifax Unveils Online Identity Card

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) unveiled today the Equifax online identity card or I-Card, with a beta test of a first-of-its-kind digital identity management solution that is designed to make online transactions easier and more secure for both consumers and businesses.

Information cards (I-cards) are the online equivalent of a driver's license, passport or similar ID and allow consumers to "click-in" to web and e-commerce sites that accept the I-card and conduct online transactions with greater security and control and without having to fill in forms or remember multiple passwords. It is anticipated that this ease-of-use and security will, over time, facilitate relationships between consumers and businesses by reducing the need for companies to retain customers' personal identification information, which could also result in the reduction of risks posed by data breaches.

Equifax is partnering with Parity, a leader in user-centric identity management, to offer the Equifax I-Card that enables people to verify their identity online. People who obtain the Equifax I-Card will also be offered Parity's Azigo I-card management software to enable one-click sign-in and identity verification. Consumers can get their Equifax I-Card free of charge at https://equifaxicards.com/ for use exclusively at a proof-of-concept site (http://watch-this.com/).

I-cards are a new technology standard for user-controlled release of personal information online. As the technology is adopted, people will be able to create and collect I-cards that contain personal data such as their profile, purchase preferences, payment, or verified identity information. They will manage their I-cards by using software such as Parity's Azigo I-card "selector" and will release their personal data to accepting web sites they trust with a single click.

"With fraud and identity theft on the rise, companies need better, more secure ways to conduct transactions online and take their identity management practices to the next level," said Steve Ely, president, Equifax Personal Information Solutions. "The launch of the Equifax I-Card is part of our commitment to build an identity management ecosystem that leverages the industry's latest technologies and data to help businesses address compliance needs and lower fraud rates."

"The Equifax I-Card is an important first step in the evolution of the information card ecosystem," said Jack Connors, President of Parity. "Information cards create the ultimate win-win: people get greater control and security with a vastly superior online experience, and businesses save money, reduce fraud, and get better customer information."

The Equifax I-Card is part of the growing trend to provide increased anonymity and security for a consumer's financial and credit information online. Equifax is working with Parity to help deliver this solution. It also used its premier authentication solution, eIDverifier (TM), as well as multiple data sources for identity verification along with open source technology that is endorsed by The Information Card Foundation (ICF), an industry consortium of consumer, data and technology companies.

The Equifax I-Card is among the first commercial I-card-based products to launch from members of ICF, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing a simpler and more secure digital identity on the Internet. Led by Deutsche Telecom, Equifax, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle PayPal and Parity, the ICF promotes the rapid build-out and adoption of Internet-enabled digital identities using information cards.

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Consumers Becoming Increasingly Less Tolerant of Recalls, Demanding More Control Over Information

TT Note: There are so many recalls in our markets. Have you ever stopped to see the country who appears to be the major manufacturer of the suspect items? Take a moment and go to the Fayette Front Page "Recall Roundup." We bring you all the recalls we can find on a daily basis. Be an informed consumer!

PRNewswire/ -- The buying habits of consumers change dramatically and cost companies millions when product safety and quality issues arise, according to a new study released today by Deloitte.

More than half of consumers responding (58 percent) who heard about product safety and/or quality problems changed their buying habits, according to the survey. These consumers turned away from such products for more than nine months, on average, increasing the likelihood that they would discontinue the use of the product or brand entirely.

"Our research shows that consumers are becoming less tolerant of recalls with more than 50 percent changing their product choices," said Pat Conroy, Deloitte LLP's vice chairman and consumer products practice leader. "As these consumers continue to buy different products, product manufacturers can expect lower sales and run the risk of damage to their brands."

The survey, "Food and Product Safety and Its Effect on Consumer Buying Habits," addresses consumer behavior around product safety and product quality issues in general. Specifically, it focuses on key issues in four product categories:

-- Toys
-- Consumer electronics
-- Fresh food
-- Packaged food/beverages


Of these categories, changes in buying habits were most common for fresh food and packaged food/beverage. Roughly half (49 percent) of respondents said they were extremely concerned about product safety, with the greatest concerns coming from women (53 percent) and consumers 55 years of age and older (56 percent). All in all, there is a wide awareness about product safety and quality problems, and more than half of respondents (54 percent) said they were more concerned about the safety of fresh food products than they were a year ago.

Global Concerns

The global lines that were once drawn have now begun to blur and corporate globalization has created "businesses without borders." However, though globalization is an increasingly valuable part of doing business, roughly two-thirds of consumers surveyed (65 percent) were extremely concerned about the safety of products produced outside the United States, with the greatest apprehension coming from older consumers.

Approximately three-quarters of the overall respondents (73 percent) were extremely concerned about the safety of products produced in China, with half having the same doubts about products produced in Southeast Asia and Mexico.

As products fall under greater scrutiny, consumers surveyed indicated they would like more information about the safety of food products provided on packaging (86 percent), company Websites (81 percent) and by the government (81 percent). Some 67 percent said that food product labels with country of origin labeling, certification of product testing and certification of quality testing would be extremely important in their buying decisions.

"Consumers' increased sensitivity of product safety and quality is having a long-term effect on business," said Conroy. "Product recalls impact companies' revenues and share price, as well as market share and brand perception. We've seen that, while some companies can maneuver through recalls relatively unscathed, others suffer catastrophic damage."

The research shows that some of the key factors that drive the extent of a product recall impact ranges from the extent of the company's product diversification, if the recall is specifically for a branded product, strength of the company's brand when the incident occurred and how the company responds.

"Companies are meeting consumers' concerns by upgrading or expanding safety procedures including stricter safety standards, testing and third-party audits and government intervention is driving change," said Conroy. "The recent granting of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to initiate product recalls and monitor ingredient levels such as lead allowed in toys and other children's products, is a very timely and relevant example of changes being made all with consumer safety and peace-of-mind at the top of the agenda."

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