Personal care consumption in Finland: trends in the early 2000s

Abstract

Purpose The paper aims to examine changes concerning spending on personal care products and services, and socio‐demographic variations between households. Design/methodology/approach The data were derived from the Finnish Household Budget Survey from 1998 (n=4,359), 2001 (n=5,495) and 2006 (n=4,007) provided by Statistics Finland. The main analysis of personal care consumption was conducted by examining the purchasing costs of personal care products and appliances, and the amount of spending on personal care services. The differences in expenditure patterns are analysed according to the respondents' gender and age, level of education and income, and type of household. Findings The results indicate that household spending on personal care products and services has generally increased. However, the share of total consumption has not changed dramatically. The gender of the highest earner of the household along with household income is the key predictor of this type of consumption expenditure across all household types. The effects of these two variables have become stronger. Research limitations/implications The data do not make it possible to differentiate between individual level and household level spending decisions across all household types. Social implications Contrary to common belief, gender differences concerning personal care consumption have not diminished. Originality/value This study examines actual changes in personal care consumption according to socio‐demographic variables.

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