LA UNION – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) conducts the July 2021 round of the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) on July 1 to 14, 2021 in collaboration with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in 53 provinces representing all regions, except the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). 

The CES is a household-based survey on consumers’ assessment of their family income, financial situation, and the economic condition of the country jointly undertaken by the PSA and the BSP on a quarterly basis. The PSA’s responsibility is to conduct the data collection while generation of tables and analysis of the results is undertaken by the BSP. The CES is a complementary survey to the Business Expectations Survey of the BSP. 

Furthermore, the survey aims to: provide a quick and regular assessment of the financial condition of consumers and economic condition of the country at present and in the near future, from the consumers’ own viewpoints; generate forecasts in the direction of the country’s economic activity based on consumers’ outlook in the current quarter, next quarter and the next 12 months; provide quick and regular assessment of consumers’ confidence in terms of their income and expenditures as well as their outlook on key economic indicators closely monitored by the BSP such as inflation, exchange rate and interest rates; provide quick and regular assessment of the saving condition of consumers at present; and provide a quick and regular assessment of the outstanding debt situation of the household head, their spouse/partner, their children and other family members at present.

The survey result will guide planners in forecasting the direction of change of the economy as well as the behavior of key indicators such as inflation rate, interest rates and exchange rates.

The CES is administered on a sample basis at the household level drawn through a stratified multi-stage random sampling with a total of about 5,000 households. 

In La Union, a total of four barangays consisting 65 sample households will be visited/enumerated by two hired Statistical Researchers (SRs) utilizing the Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) under the supervision of Chief Statistical Specialist Danites E. Teñido, Ph.D. and Statistical Analyst Karl Josef G. Hufana, Provincial Focal Person.    The SRs will strictly observe minimum public health and safety standards against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) such as observance of social distancing, wearing of face mask/shield, and proper hygiene and sanitation at all phases of field operation.

The PSA enjoins the support of the Local Government Units (LGUs) and cooperation of sample households in providing truthful, complete and accurate information to the SRs.  Respondents are assured that data collected from the July 2021 CES shall be covered by the confidentiality of information clause under Section 26 of Republic Act 10625, which stipulates that individual data furnished by a respondent to statistical inquiries, surveys, and censuses of the PSA shall be considered privileged information and such shall be inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding.

SGD. DANITES E. TEÑIDO, Ph.D.
Chief Statistical Specialist

/mbl