식품 구매자의 장바구니 체감물가에 미치는 요인 분석

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the factors affecting food buyers’ perceived inflation, and to investigate the difference between the official prices and perceived prices. Based on availability heuristic theories, we consider the socio-demographic characteristics of the buyers and how frequently they purchase each food item to be factors affecting perceived inflation. For the analysis, we used the raw data from the 2021 and 2023 Food Consumption Behavior Surveys conducted by Korea Rural Economic Institute. Empirical results show that perceived inflation increased relatively significantly among low-income groups and the elderly during periods of high prices. Additionally, we confirmed that an increase in the price of frequently purchased everyday items, such as vegetables, meat, and processed foods, has a significant impact on perceived prices. The contribution of food basket items to the perceived price, measured using the purchase frequency of each food item as a weight, was significantly different compared to its contribution to the consumer price index. These results suggest that effectively managing the perceived price of frequently purchased food items is key to stabilizing both expected and actual inflation. It is therefore proposed that a perceived price index be constructed which takes purchase frequency into account, in order to establish better price stabilization policies in an era of high inflation.