Abstract:

This paper reports some of the findings of an experimental study which Attwood Consumer Panel housewives in Great-Britain were interviewed (anonymously) on their purchasing behaviour in 12 consumer product fields being measured in the Panel diaries. The object was to see how accurately they were able to recall their purchasing behaviour, by comparing their claims with the diary returns recorded by the same housewives. In order to meet the possibility that Panel housewives would be better able than housewives in general to recall their purchasing behaviour a matched sample of non-Panel housewives was also interviewed, using the same questionnaire. The findings are based on a total of 999 Panel housewives and 999 matched nonPanel housewives, demographically balanced to the total housewife population. The findings show that, on average, there is considerable exaggeration of purchasing claims and that this exaggeration is greater in the matched sample than in the interviewed Panel housewife sample.