A need has long been expressed for up‐to‐date information on householder plans for saving, both quantity and type. This article surveys the international work done on ascertaining householder intentions and then proposes a group of nine specific questions to be put to Australian households with the aim of developing a useful Index of Saving Intentions along with information on household asset allocation. Full development can only be accomplished ex post when results can be correlated over time with various savings measures. It is intended that the Index assist in forecasting household behaviour, the allocation of savings across assets and that it will permit more rapid evaluation of the effects of government policy changes in areas such as taxation and superannuation. Results from initial surveys are presented.
This article was prepared by Dr L. V. Defris and J. S. McDonnell of the Institute research staff. The authors wish to thank Professor R. F. Henderson and Dr P. J. Sheehan for their helpful comments.
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