When is the data website updated with the most recent data?
We update our main site at the time of each release
with a summary, key indicators, and select data. The data on this site is updated after a
public embargo that ends four weeks after the month's final release date.
What is the difference between the preliminary and final release?
We target approximately 420 cases for the preliminary reading, but the
exact number fluctuates depending on interview schedules. As of 2025, the final
reading each month typically reflects approximately 1,000 interviews. Interview dates, data
release dates, as well as a survey description are available on the
Survey Information page.
Where can I find a schedule of release dates, interview dates for each release,
or other information about the surveys?
Interview dates, data release dates, as well as a survey description are available
on the Survey Information
page of our data site.
How can I access more granular data?
To obtain microdata for additional analysis, please see the Cross-Section Archive
link under the Data tab.
Who are the interviewees? Are they all college students?
The surveys employ a simple random sample selected from a list of all postal addresses
in the 48 coterminous States and the District of Columbia to yield a sample that is
nationally representative. Please see our
Technical Documentation
linked on the Survey Information page
for more details.
What questions are included in the Index of Consumer Sentiment?
Please see our documentation on Index Calculations,
linked on the
Survey Information page for more details on how
the index is constructed.
How are groups by income and stock wealth determined?
Each month, consumers in the sample are divided into three equal-sized groups based on their reported incomes.
Consumers reporting the highest one-third of incomes are classified as the upper tercile of income; those with
the middle one-third of incomes are in the middle tercile; those with the lowest one-third of incomes are
in the lowest tercile. Because these equal-sized groups are calculated anew each month, the specific
income ranges for each tercile will vary month to month.
Terciles by stock holdings are computed the same way for consumers with non-zero stock holdings.
Consumers who report not owning any stock are not included in the stock terciles and are grouped separately.
I am interested in the requirements to obtain reprint permission for
data published in the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers report.
Please refer to the usage agreement here, which is
also available via the link in the footer.
How do I become a subscriber/how can I receive your reports?
Please email umsurvey@umich.edu with inquiries.
I am interested in using questions from the questionnaire.
- If you are a researcher working at a university, government, or nonprofit research organization, the questionnaire is available to you under the CC-BY-NC-ND license. Our copyright notice for required attribution is: Surveys of Consumers, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. Copyright © 1946–2026 The Regents of the University of Michigan.
- If you are an organization using the U-M survey questions to build your own consumer confidence index or indicator, please contact us at umsurvey@umich.edu for more information on licensing options.
I have a question not answered here
Please email umsurvey@umich.edu for assistance.
