ECONOMIC STUDY OF CONSUMER EXPENDITURE PATTERNS IN EGYPT

Abstract

The study of consumption is of great importance in the formulation of economic policies, whether production or distribution, and identification of consumer behavior and its impact on the quantities required of each commodity or service, and thus determined the objectives of the economic development plans to satisfy the needs of the population of different goods and services, The study of the consumption pattern reflects the economic and social situation of the society, through achieved development, especially human development and raising the standard of living of the members of society. Recent economic changes, which have directly affected the incomes and level of expenditure of individuals and their consumption of different goods and services, and demand for these items, which resulted changes in the structure of the Egyptian individual's expenditure on all its items. It is necessary to study these changes, and to take those results in the formulation of production and consumption policies under the current expenditure and income levels of the Egyptian economy, and put economic plans that are interest of the consumer, and work to satisfy his desires, needs and necessities of his life on the optimal situation. Therefore, the research aimed to study and analyze the pattern of Egyptian consumption expenditure, estimate expenditure elasticity and study the impact of region variation, and economic policies on the pattern of individual expenditure in Egypt. The study relied on primary data from the income, expenditure and consumption research available at the central Agency for public mobilization and statistics for 2005, 2015 The results show that economic policies have a statistically significant impact on most items of expenditure, as the pattern of consumer expenditure per capita in Egypt changed from 2005 to 2015, with many goods and services transformed from semi-luxury in 2005 to necessary in 2015, such as food and, Alcoholic, Housing and necessities, restaurants and hotels, others shifted from luxury in 2005 to semi-luxury in 2015 as clothing, fabrics, foot coverings, furniture and fittings, communications, various goods and services, and the variation of the region has a statistically significant impact on The Egyptian individual's consumption pattern, where some items of per capita expenditure were semi-luxury in urban areas and at the same time was a luxury for the individual in the rural such as alcoholic, furniture and fittings, restaurants and hotels, and various goods and services.