Changes in Consumption of Households during 1990 - 1997

Martin Lux

Abstract:

The article provides social statistics concerning the main changes in the consumption behaviour of Czech households between 1990 and 1997. The description is based on a comparison with the situation and trends in countries of the European Union. The author uses the Family Budget Surveys data files that were weighted to assure higher representativeness of the research results. Different statistical procedures are employed to describe main shifts in the composition of household budgets on the whole and for different consumption items in the first stage, and according to different factors characterising the household in the second stage. In the last part of the article, multiple regression and ANOVA analysis were applied to answer the question of the changes in the influence of different social indicators of households on the relative household expenditures. The author cannot confirm the hypothesis that 'meritocratic' factors (income, education) have strengthened and 'demographics' factors (family size, age of residence size) have weakened in influence for explaining the variability of four basic relative consumer items. The changes in consumption behaviour have a transitional character rather than the character of long-term historical changes apparent in the countries of the European Union.