Who Buys What? Life's Study of Consumer Expenditures

An extensive survey of consumer spending during 1956 has just been completed by LIFE magazine. Conducted by Alfred Politz Research, Inc., detailed expenditures on all goods and services were collected from a nationwide probability sample of 10,243 households. The first volume of a series entitled “The LIFE Study of Consumer Expenditures” covers total spending on major categories and on fifty-seven selected product groups. In describing the markets for consumer goods and services, the report shows what share of the total dollars spent in each market were accounted for by households of various types—defined by such characteristics related to consumption as income, stage in the life cycle, and occupation. These data, combined with projections regarding household characteristics, have significant implications about future demand.