Abstract

The Household Consumption Trend Index (CTI-micro) was developed to construct a high-frequency, household-level measure of consumption by integrating multiple household surveys and newly collected data. In Japan, the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) has long served as the primary data source for household consumption statistics, although it mainly covers two-or-more-person households. While FIES provides a reliable basis for monitoring consumption, certain expenditure items—particularly those that are high-priced or purchased infrequently—remain difficult to capture with sufficient precision.
To address these limitations, CTI-micro incorporates two complementary data sources. The Survey of Household Economy (SHE) offers detailed information on ICT-related and other infrequently purchased goods, thereby enhancing the measurement of expenditure categories with substantial month-to-month volatility. In addition, the Expenditure Monitor Survey for One-Person Households (EMS)—a non-probability monitor survey designed specifically for CTI-micro—captures consumption behavior among single-person households. Propensity-score weighting is applied to EMS to improve representativeness and ensure consistency across household types and expenditure categories.
The resulting CTI-micro delivers timely and granular indicators of consumption for total households, two-or-more-person households, and single-person households, as well as for major expenditure groups. A distinctive feature of this initiative is its integration of monthly microdata with household-level stratification and specialized statistical adjustments. This combination enables the construction of a comprehensive, high-frequency consumption index, representing a novel methodological contribution to measuring household consumption in an international context.