Research Professor, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research
Biography
Richard Curtin is a Research Professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research Center. He was the director of the consumer sentiment surveys from 1976 to 2022, issuing more than 1,500 reports on how consumer expectations influence the macroeconomy. These reports earned a high credibility among domestic and international users, including central banks, financial institutions, business firms, academic researchers, and the general public. Professor Curtin has helped many other countries to establish consumer sentiment surveys, with the total number now upwards of six dozen countries covering all inhabited continents in the world.
Professor Curtin’s research was based on an interdisciplinary approach to behavioral economics, including economics, psychology, and neuroscience. Richard Curtin won the 2020 Isaac Kerstenetzky Lifetime Scholarly Achievement Award, which recognized Professor Curtin’s seminal scholarship and path-breaking contributions to the field of consumer surveys to understand and forecast cyclical changes in the macroeconomy. He published six books and dozens of academic articles, including Consumer Expectations: Micro Foundations and Macro Impact (Cambridge University Press, 2019); a summary journal article of the book won the Abramson award for the most outstanding paper published in 2019 in Business Economics.
Projects
Surveys of Consumers Attitudes (SCA)Funded Research
Publications
- Richard T Curtin. 2022. Psychological aspects of economic expectations. APA handbook of consumer psychology :429-448.
- Richard T Curtin. 2022. A New Theory of Expectations. Journal of Business Cycle Research 18:239-59.
- Richard T Curtin. 2022. Relative Performance of Business and Consumer Economic Expectations Across EU Countries. Journal of Business Cycle Research 19:95-117.
- Richard T Curtin. 2021. Nonconscious cognitive reasoning: A neglected ability shaping economic behavior. Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy 5(S3):35-43.
- Richard T Curtin. 2019. Consumer Expectations: Micro Foundations and Macro Impact.
- Richard T Curtin. 2019. Consumer expectations: a new paradigm. Business Economics 54(4):199-210.
- Tuba Suzer Gurtekin, James M Lepkowski, Richard T Curtin, Elkasabi, Mahmoud , Liu, Mingnan . 2019. Randomized Experiments for Web-Mail Surveys Conducted Using Address-Based Samples of the General Population. Experimental Methods in Survey Research :275-289.
- Richard T Curtin. 2017. George Katona: a founder of behavioral economics. Routledge Handbook of Behavioral Economics
- James M Lepkowski, Richard T Curtin, McBee, Rebecca Elizabeth, ElKasabi, Mahmoud , Liu, Mingnan . 2016. Effect of a pre-paid incentive on response rates to an Address-Based Sampling (ABS) Web-Mail survey. Survey Practice 9(4)
- James M Lepkowski, Richard T Curtin, McBee, Rebecca Elizabeth, Elkasabi, Mahmoud , Kim, Uiyoung . 2014. A Comparison of ABS Mail and RDD Surveys for Measuring Consumer Attitudes. International Journal of Market Research 56(6):737-756.
- Richard T Curtin, Anderson, Soren T, Kellogg, Ryan , Sallee, James M. 2011. Forecasting Gasoline Prices Using Consumer Surveys. American Economic Review 101(3):110-114.
- Richard T Curtin. 2010. Inflation expectations and empirical tests: Theoretical models and empirical tests. Inflation expectations :34-75.
- Yan,Ting, Richard T Curtin, Jans, Matthew . 2010. Trends in Income Nonresponse Over Two Decades. Journal of Official Statistics 26(1):145-164.
- Yan,Ting, Richard T Curtin. 2010. The Relation Between Unit Nonresponse and Item Nonresponse: A Response Continuum Perspective. International Journal of Public Opinion Research 22(4):535-551.
- Richard T Curtin, Reynolds, Paul D. 2010. New business creation: An international overview. International studies in entrepreneurship
- Richard T Curtin. 2010. Inflation expectations and empirical tests: Theoretical models and empirical tests. Inflation expectations :34-75.
- Richard T Curtin, Reynolds, Paul D. 2009. New firm creation in the United States : initial explorations with the PSED II data set. International studies in entrepreneurship; Variation: International studies in entrepreneurship. :342.
- Richard T Curtin, McManus, Walter , Senter, Richard Jr, Garver, Michael S. 2009. The demographic threat to Detroit's automakers. Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing 17(2):81-92.
- Richard T Curtin. 2008. What U.S. consumers know about economic conditions. Statistics, knowledge and policy: Measuring and fostering the progress of societies
- Richard T Curtin. 2008. The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index. Encyclopedia of survey research methods :135.
- Richard T Curtin. 2008. The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index. Encyclopedia of survey research methods :135.
- Richard T Curtin, Paul D. Reynolds. 2008. Business creation in the United States: Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II initial assessment. Foundations and trends in entrepreneurship :155.
- Richard T Curtin, Reynolds, Paul D. 2008. Business creation in the United States: Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II initial assessment. Foundations and trends in entrepreneurship :155.
- Richard T Curtin. 2007. Consumer sentiment surveys: Worldwide review and assessment. Journal of Business Cycle Measurement and Analysis 4(2):1-37.
- Richard T Curtin, Presser,Stanley, Singer, Eleanor. 2007. Incentives in Random Digit Dial Telephone Surveys: A Replication and Extension. Journal of Official Statistics 23(1):91-105.
- Richard T Curtin. 2006. Price expectations: Theoretical models and emipirical tests. The role of inflation expectations in modeling and monetary policy
- Richard T Curtin, Presser,Stanley, Singer, Eleanor. 2005. Changes in Telephone Survey Nonresponse Over the Past Quarter Century. Public Opinion Quarterly 69:87-98
- Richard T Curtin, Reynolds, Paul . 2004. Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics: Data analysis. Handbook of entrepreneurial dynamics : the process of business creation
- Richard T Curtin. 2004. Psychology and macroeconomics. A Telescope on Society: Survey Research & Social Science at the University of Michigan and Beyond
- Richard T Curtin, Reynolds, Paul . 2004. Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics: Data collection methods. Handbook of entrepreneurial dynamics : the process of business creation
- Richard T Curtin, Reynolds, Paul . 2004. Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics: Data editing and weights. Handbook of entrepreneurial dynamics : the process of business creation
- Richard T Curtin. 2003. What Recession? What Recovery? The Arrival of the 21st Century Consumer. Business Economics 38(2):25-32.
- Richard T Curtin. 2003. Unemployment Expectations: The Impact of Private Information on Income Uncertainty. Review of Income and Wealth 49(4):539-554.
- Michael W Traugott, Brader,Ted, Richard T Curtin, Jackson, James Sidney, Kinder,Donald R, Matthew D Shapiro, Tessler,Mark A, David R Weir, Robert J Willis, Featherman, David, Groves, Robert M., Hill, Martha Scott, Juster, F. Thomas, Kahn, Robert L., Pennell, Beth-Ellen, Coral, Deborah A, Kennedy, C . 2002. How Americans Responded: A Study of Public Reactions to 9/11/01. PS-Political Science & Politics 35(3):511-516.
- Richard T Curtin. 2001. The structure of consumer confidence: Comparisons between the United States and Russia. Business Cycle Surveys
- Richard T Curtin. 2001. The formation and accuracy of unempolyment expectations. Consumer Expectations and Management of Retailing
- Richard T Curtin. 2000. The impact of uncertainty on the measurement of consumers expectations. Consumer saving and spending trends in Russia
- Richard T Curtin, Presser,Stanley, Singer, Eleanor. 2000. The Effects of Response Rate Changes on the Index of Consumer Sentiment. Public Opinion Quarterly 64(4):413-428.
- Richard T Curtin. 1998. Spotrebitel Prognostikem (The consumer as forecaster). Ekonom (April)
- Richard T Curtin. 1998. The structure of consumer confidence: Comparisons between the United States and Russia. Standard of living in Russia
- Richard T Curtin. 1997. The measurement and use of consumer expectations as a leading economic indicator. Consumer Sentiment in Russia
- Richard T Curtin, Juster, F. Thomas, Morgan, James N. 1989. Survey Estimates of Wealth: An Assessment of Quality. The measurement of saving, investment, and wealth :473-548.
- Richard T Curtin. 1984. Consumer Attitudes for Forecasting. Advances in Consumer Research 11:714-717.
- Richard T Curtin, Gordon, C J. 1983. Coping with Economic Adversity. Advances in Consumer Research 10:175-181.