英文摘要 |
For this study, we employed data from the Survey of Family Income and Expenditures to investigate changes in the consumption and savings of people in every income class in Taiwan as the gap between the rich and poor increased from 1996 to 2009. With a high unemployment rate and low economic growth, household incomes declined for the low-income class; however, total consumption did not decrease significantly. Instead, consumption was maintained through sacrifice of savings. This phenomenon can be observed using multidimensional economic well-being indicators. In addition, lower income classes engaged in cost-cutting behaviors, such as eating less and even avoiding the doctor, to cope with the costs of durable goods, housing, water, and electricity. This trend can be observed by comparing the growth in total consumption with a consumption breakdown. |