A microeconometric characterisation of household consumption using quantile regression

The paper uses micro cross-section data from the GfK consumer panel for econometric demand analysis of private households in Germany. Contrary to most research which considered "average" behavior we extend this approach to consumer behavior for different "intensities" of consumption. Our analytical tool is quantile regression which allows us to describe the conditional distribu tion for any quantile including the (conditional) median representing "average" behavior. As an illustrative example we use the demand for beer and wine. The paper shows quite distinct patterns regarding price and income effects for different goods which leads us to an extended characterization of household demand.