Econometric Analysis of Household Attribution and Eating Habits Conditional on the Economy

Abstract

In Japan, eating habits have changed during the postwar period. Until the 1970s, household income was suddenly higher, and the proportion of expenditure on livestock products had increased. Since the 1970s, while expenditure relating tofoodstuffs for homemade meals, as a proportion of total food expenses, has decreased, the proportion of expenditure on convenience foods and eating out has incr eased. The purpose of this study is to prove that a new framework led to changes in tastes and household compositions in the conventional scheme of the demand system analysis. The main outcomes of this study are as follows. First, in the 1951–1970 period, livestock products have showed high income elasticity. Second, services substituting for housework (cooking, cleaning, etc.) were largely in demand after the 1970s. Finally, in recent years, younger households have continued to enjoy convenience foods and eating out, while older households have maintained a taste for primary foodstuffs.