Social Differences in Lifestyles : A Case Study of Externalization of Food

This paper reports on social differences in lifestyles by examining the relationship between social stratification and externalization of food. I use data of the 2009 Nishitokyo city survey on social stratification and lifestyles. The survey asks whether respondents keep fresh food and cooked food in their houses. Regression analyses show that higher education increases fresh food and decreases cooked food. This results in less externalization of food. Occupations have no effects. Household income increases both fresh and cooked food, which leads to no effects on externalization. Therefore, externalization of food varies based on social stratification. These findings imply that social differences in lifestyles might be reproduced via education