Wealth Effects in the US: Evidence from the Combination of Two Surveys

Abstract

In this article we investigate the role of wealth in household consumption during the period 1989-2007 using a household-level cross sectional dataset. We combine information from the Consumer Expenditure Survey and the Survey of Consumer Finances to build a detailed dataset for the US for this. We adopt a sample combination procedure which differs considerably from that used earlier by other researchers. When comparing our results with previous research, we find a higher elasticity of consumption with respect to income and a lower elasticity of consumption with respect to both housing wealth and, particularly, to financial wealth.