Estimating income elasticities of leisure activities using cross-sectional categorized data

: The empirical classification of daily activities into luxuries, necessities, or inferior activities is useful for predicting the impact of economic development, the life cycle, or social mobility on the organization of people’s time. This paper conducts an empirical examination of three broad leisure categories plus their main subcategories using a cross-section of time-use observations for the United States. Estimation takes account of the form of the data in which the income variable was recorded. Comparison of income elasticities with those reported by previous studies is also made.