Measurement of Unit Consumer Scales with Reference to Household Size, Age, Gender Composition and Occupation

Consumption is the most fundamental aspect of economic activity and the study of consumption behavior has occupied a preeminent position in the economic literature. The problem can be taken up either at the micro level or at the macro level. The Engel function analysis and demand function analysis are the two important areas in the empirical analysis of consumer behavior. Consumption pattern of a household, in general, is affected by several factors, which may be of economic and non-economic in nature. In this study, the household members are classified into six different categories of age and sex. The households are then categorized into four occupational groups. For the purpose of the study, 600 households have been selected, which include 150 households for each category of occupation type in rural Orissa using cross-section data of the 55th round (1999-2000) collected by National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) during its sixth quinquennial survey on consumption expenditure. Singh and Nagar's interactive procedure has been applied to estimate both the ‘specific' and ‘income' scales taking into account the six age, sex categories of household composition separately for each occupation group relating to nine food item and five non-food item groups. From the study, it is observed that both the scales are higher for adult males and for adolescent boys in the consumption of most of the food and non-food items across all the occupational groups