About the survey
Broad response means margin of error is less than 1%
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 24, 2003
Furniture/Today's exclusive Consumer Buying Trends Survey presents a comprehensive look at the demographics of American households that are shopping for and buying home furnishings.
The information comes from the responses of 31,505 households to a survey conducted from early December through early January. The profile of the responding households closely matches the demographic characteristics of all U.S. households. That, coupled with the large sample size and a response rate of 63%, means the data can be projected nationally with a margin of error of less than 1%.
Furniture/Today commissioned National Family Opinion to ask 50,000 U.S. households about last year's shopping and purchasing patterns, and their buying plans for this year. The survey also asked how much they spent and plan to spend on each product category.
National Family Opinion maintains the largest consumer panel in the industry, comprising a complete cross-section of the U.S. population. The panel conforms to the latest U.S. Census data for the nine U.S. geographical divisions, including population density, age of homemaker, annual household income and household size.
NFO and Furniture/Today were careful to refer to products in terms consumers would understand. That's why, for example, the survey asked about a "sofa/loveseat with no motion" rather than "stationary upholstery."
The survey covered shopping and buying for 23 home furnishings categories. Three accessory product categories were new to the survey this year: wall décor, decorative pillows/throws and decorative accessories. The previous consumer survey was conducted in December 2000 and January 2001, with responses from 27,233 households.
The opening pages of this exclusive report give summary data for the 23 product categories, including a comparison of the percentage of households that purchased each product in 2000 and 2002, as well as an analysis of buying trends by lifestage.
Following the summary pages are the demographic details of those who purchased and plan to purchase in each product category. Significant demographic information and opportunities in each category are highlighted.
There are some caveats. The survey did not distinguish between the purchase of new or second-hand furniture. The low end of each price range likely represents purchases at second-hand stores, tag sales and the like.
In addition, the price data is more or less precise depending on the category. It's a pretty straightforward matter to indicate how much was paid for a desk or a recliner. But for bedroom, dining room or outdoor furniture, the data do not indicate if the amount spent was for one piece or several.
Finally, consumers have short memories. We asked about purchases made in the past 12 months. It's unlikely that someone would forget buying a mattress, but entirely possible they might forget exactly how much they paid and whether that included sales tax.
| Age | Income | Lifestage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | 2% | Under $20,000 | 22% | Young singles | 3% |
| 25–34 | 13% | $20,000–$29,999 | 12% | Middle singles | 13% |
| 35–44 | 19% | $30,000–$39,999 | 11% | Older singles | 11% |
| 45–54 | 23% | $40,000–$49,999 | 10% | Young couples | 7% |
| 55–64 | 18% | $50,000–$59,999 | 9% | Working older couples | 14% |
| 65 and over | 25% | $60,000–$74,999 | 11% | Retiredolder couples | 13% |
| $75,000–$84,999 | 5% | Young parents | 11% | ||
| $85,000–$99,999 | 7% | Middle parents | 9% | ||
| $100,000–$124,999 | 7% | Older parents | 17% | ||
| $125,000–or more | 6% | Roommates | 2% |
| Region | |
|---|---|
| West | 21% |
| Midwest | 24% |
| Northeast | 20% |
| South | 35% |
