Journal of Rural Development
Analysis of Household Food Consumption Behavior by Product and Quintile
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AuthorKwak, Daeyoung
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Publication Date2026.06.21
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Original
This study aims to enhance understanding of household food-related consumption behavior and to provide policy-relevant evidence for the design of agricultural and food consumption policies. Using an ARDL-ECM framework, it estimates price and income elasticities, as well as the impact of COVID-19, for food at home and food services across time periods, detailed product categories, and income quintiles. The results show that food-at-home consumption responds significantly to both price and income changes, whereas food services are primarily determined by income fluctuations. Most price and income effects are reflected within the same quarter, and the speed of adjustment toward long-run equilibrium is found to be relatively rapid. In recent periods, the confidence intervals of certain elasticity estimates have widened, indicating increasing uncertainty in the effects of price and income. First-quintile households exhibit responsiveness distinct from other income groups, particularly showing relatively higher income elasticity for food services. At the detailed item level, non-alcoholic beverages and fish/seafood are more sensitive to price changes, while meat, fruits, and food services are more responsive to income changes. This study contributes by demonstrating the applicability of the ARDL-ECM model as an intuitive and empirically tractable alternative to theoretically rigorous AIDS-type demand system models, highlighting its usefulness for policy-oriented elasticity estimation.
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