A cross-section random sample of 485 households residing in Al-Ain, UAE,comprised of 270 Emirati citizens, 116 Arabic-speaking residents, 43 English-speakingresidents, and 56 Urdu-speaking residents, was elicited. The questionnaire directed to the headsof the households included two main sections on amounts consumed and expenditures made oneach food item bought. The study utilized the procedure of estimating expenditure functions onthree main food items/groups: rice, seafood, and meats. Some of the results indicated that (1)income and household size were always critical factors affecting the amount of money spent onthe three examined food groups, and (2) the expenditure on the three examined fooditems/groups was not highly responsive to changes in households' incomes.
Key words: Determinants of food expenditure, income-expenditure elasticity.
|
