Italy
Official title
National Consumer Price Index.
Scope
The index is computed monthly and covers all households in main
towns in 93 provinces.
Official base
1990 = 100.
Source of weights
The weights were derived from consumption patterns and
national accounts data for the two first quarters of 1989 and
the two last quarters of 1990.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food and tobacco
| 250 | 22.78 | 200000
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 57 | 10.83 | 20000
|
| Housing:
| ... | 7.62 | 13500
|
| Rent
| 1 | ... | ...
|
| Maintenance and repairs
| 5 | ... | ...
|
| Fuel and light
| 7 | ... | ...
|
| Other groups:
| ... | ... | 50000
|
| Furniture and household utensils
| 76 | 10.58 | ...
|
| Medical care
| 137 | 6.74 | ...
|
| Transport and communication
| 168 | 13.46 | ...
|
| Education and recreation
| 110 | 9.97 | ...
|
| Other goods and services
| 96 | 18.02 | ...
|
| Total
| 907 | 100.00 | 283500
|
Household consumption expenditure
Consumption expenditure for the purpose of the index does not
include income taxes, investment and savings, consumption from
own production or the imputed rent of the owner-occupied
dwellings.
Method of data collection
Prices are collected by agents in the provincial capitals of 93
provinces from approximately 26,300 retail stores and outlets
(9,500 for food and 10,800 for other items) and from 6,000
service establishments.
Prices for fresh fish, potatoes, fruit and vegetables are
collected on the 5th, 15th and 25th of each month, while those
for other food items, clothing and personal services are
ascertained around the 15th of each month. For the computation
of the index, however, the prices on the 5th and 15th of the
current month and the prices on the 25th of the previous month
are taken. Price collection for household durable goods and the
cost of some services is made on 5 February, 5 May,
5 August and 5 November. The prices used to calculate the
index are the normal prices paid by consumers. Sale prices,
discounts, hire-purchase or credit terms and second-hand
purchases are not taken into account in the index, but sale prices for
food items are collected if they last at least a month.
Housing
Rent quotations for 13,500 dwellings are obtained each quarter, on 5
January, 5 April, 5 July and 5 October.
Specification of varieties
Detailed specifications are provided for each item included in
the market basket. A specification provides a complete
description of the item, its brand, name or trade mark, type of
packing, quantity or unit, etc.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
If a product is not available, a similar product to the original
is substituted and a method of linking is used in the
calculation.
Seasonal items
Fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers are treated as seasonal
items. The composite index for seasonal items is obtained using
the average price of the first 75 per cent of items listed
in ascending order of their recorded prices. The seasonal
items available in the market are intended to be interchangeable.
Adjustments are made using a 13-month (current month
and 12 previous months) moving average.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula as a
weighted arithmetic average with fixed base, using weights
corresponding to the base period.
The index for each item in each town is the simple arithmetic
average of all the basic indices for that item in that town. An
average index for an item for each region is the weighted
arithmetic average of all the indices obtained in that particular
region.
The national index is the weighted arithmetic average of indices
relating to 20 regions, using weights proportionate to the (urban)
population of the regions as on 31 December 1989.
Other information
The Istituto Nazionale di Statistica also calculates and
publishes a series of consumer price indices for wage earners and
salaried employees.
Organisation and publication
Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, Bollettino mensile di
statistica
(Rome).