Effects of Household Socioeconomic Features on Dairy Purchases

Higher income households likely spend less per person on whole and canned milk than do lower income households, but more on most other dairy products, according to this technical analysis of the effect of household socioeconomic features on dairy purchases. For example, a 10-percent increase in income generates a 1.3-percent decline in fresh whole milk expenditures, but a 3.5-percent increase in spending for cream. U.S. region, urbanization, season, and race, age composition, and food stamp status of households also affect spending for the 20 dairy products analyzed. Using the Tobit analytical method, the authors based the study on USDA's 1977-78 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey