The COVID pandemic changed everyone's lives, so it is no surprise that it changed how people paid for goods and services. In this episode, we delve into what those changes were and how long they will last with Claire Green, payments risk expert at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and Joanna Stavins, senior economist and policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

We discuss how the use of payment types shifted across different demographics and why we can't use our own behavior as guide to the bigger picture.

Below is a list of recent research on consumer behavior that is worth reading whether you are designing financial products or just want to see how you compare with the rest of the country.

Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking

2021, released May 23, 2021

https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/shed.htm

Cash Product Office, FRB San Francisco

2022 Findings from the Diary of Consumer Payment Choice

2021, released May 5, 2021

https://www.frbsf.org/cash/publications/fed-notes/2022/may/2022-findings-from-the-diary-of-consumer-payment-choice/

Payments Evolution from Paper to Electronic Payments by Merchant Type

By Ruth Cohen, Oz Shy, and Joanna Stavins

https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/research-department-working-paper/2022/payments-evolution-from-paper-to-electronic-payments-by-merchant-type.aspx

posted May 2021

Has Covid changed consumer payment behavior?

By Claire Greene, Ellen Merry, and Joanna Stavins

https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/research-department-working-paper/2021/has-covid-changed-consumer-payment-behavior.aspx

All consumer survey data and reports available for download at Atlantafed.org (includes questionnaires and data codebooks)

https://www.atlantafed.org/banking-and-payments/consumer-payments.aspx