A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46

15

APPENDIX 1. QUESTIONNAIRES

Wartime Social Survey New Series No. 23

CREDIT BUYING
Housewives

Interviewer ......................... Date .................

Class: C D

Town:

Glasgow 1
Stirling 2
Manchester 3
Liverpool 4
Newcastle 5
Leeds 6
Rugby 7
Leicester 8
Birmingham 9
Cardiff 10
Rhondda 11
Oxford 12
Aylesbury 13
Winchester 14
Tunbridge Wells 15
Exeter 16
Bristol 17
Norwich 18
Peterborough 19
London 20

Urban................ 1 Rural............. 2

16

Husbands Occupation

No Husband 1
Services 2
Agriculture 3
Mining 4
Heavy Industry 5
Light Industry 6
Building Roads 7
Transport, Public Services 8
Clerical 9
Distributive 10
Unoccupied 11
Others 12
Age
20 - 30 1
31 - 50 2
Over 50 3

No. in Family

Under 14

15 - 20

Over 20

Total

1. Are you getting any goods on easy payments?

Providence Cheques 1
Shop club: Which? 2
Clubholders club (Street club, Factory Club) 3
Purchase scheme 4
Straight Credit 5
Others

2. Have you ever been a member of a club, or did you buy goods on credit.

1

2

3

4

5

2. Using at the same time 1 2 or more of the above systems.

3. For what articles are you paying:

Wireless 1
Vacuum cleaner 2
Washing machine 3
Stove 4
Geyser 5
Other electrical apparatus 6
Hard furniture 7
Soft furniture 8
Household linen 9
Clothes Adults 10
Children 11
Layette 12
Shoes Adults 13
Children 14
Perambulator 15
Bicycle 16
Children’s toys 17
Jewellery 18
Car 19
Books 20
Others

Have you been paying during the last three years?

4. How much should you pay weekly?

Up to 1/-d. 1
Up to 2/-d. 2
Up to 3/-d. 3
Up to 5/-d. 4
More than 5/-d. 5

5. If it became impossible to buy on a credit system would this cause any hardship?

Yes 1
No 2
Difficult but could manage 3

6. If it would cause any hardship: What are the reasons?

Could not afford to buy at all 1
Less money now than before the war 2
Habit, have always done it, handy 3
Prices dearer, can’t pay so much at once 4
Because of coupons have to buy dearer quality, can’t pay so much at once 5
Is the easiest way to save 6
Others

7. If you could not buy on credit would this mean that you would have to give up buying some articles

Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know 3

7a. If yes which?

8. If used to be a member of a club or getting things on credit, why did you stop?

Increase of interest - 1/6d. in the £ 1
Could not get the goods wanted 2
Better wages can afford to buy cash 3
Club ceased to exist 4
Don’t give soldiers’ wives credit 5
Finished paying for article 6
Others

9. Is there any article you would have wished to buy on easy payments but couldn’t

9a. If yes, which?

General Remarks

17

SHOPKEEPER

1. Have you any Credit System?

2. If yes which?

.......................

3. What proportion of your turnover does your credit trade amount to?

.......................

4. How does your credit trade now compare with your credit trade before the war?

Increased 1
Decreased 2
Same 3

5. If increased what is the chief reason for this?

.......................

6. If decreased what is the chief reason for this?

.......................

7. Is there any group of people to whom you don't give credit?

8. If yes which?

.......................

9. Do you think you will have to make changes in your credit system in connection with utility goods?

10. If changes will be made, what change?

.......................

REMARKS:-

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